Cal Men Training Hard for Big Season
Cal Men Training Hard for Big Season
Cal players hard at work. Photo courtesy Cal Athletics.
The Cal men's rugby program is getting ready for their 2015 run.
After sending former Cal All American and top-capped Eagle Mike MacDonald to the International Rugby Academy in New Zealand to build his coaching resume, Cal rugby can draw on Head Coach Jack Clark, Coach Tom Billups, and Assistant Coach MacDonald as a one-two-three coaching punch with unmatched US international experience. They will take a changing Cal team through a tough season.
“There are some really good opponents on our schedule, teams for which we have a lot of respect,” said coach Clark. “Together with a postseason run, there seems to be a challenge around every corner.”
Cal kicks off this coming weekend in the Storer Cup at UCLA, a tournament they have won every year since its inception in 2008. Then there follows games against Cal Poly and Arizona, and then on February 7 the "World Cup" series with the University of British Columbia starts. Cal always hosts the opener, and UBC, as usual, hosts the return game March 22.
Between those two games, Cal faces Stanford for the annual Scrum Axe game, Arizona State, and UCLA. Visits by Cal Maritime and Utah are followed by trips to Oregon State and Santa Clara.
Cal them hits the climax of their season. They take on UBC March 22, and St. Mary's March 28 at Berkeley. Then it's the Varsity Cup, which finishes up May 2 at Rio Tinto Stadium in Sandy, Utah. Cal should expect to make that final, as they have the last two years - both times being edged by BYU. Then at the end of May it's the CRC in Chester, Pa. just outside Philadelphia.
Cal enters the season without Seamus Kelly, who was captain of the team for the last three years - a record - and prop Tanner Mohr, No. 8 Tiaan De Nysschen, and starters Patrick Coleman and Jack O'Beirne. But they've reloaded, as always. Josh Tucker and Brad Harrington had strong fall 7s campaigns. All American Alec Gletzer is still at flanker, as is AA honorable mention James Kondrat at lock. Jake Anderson was Goff Rugby Report's men's college 7s player of the year, while scrumhalf Paul Bosco is also back.
“We have a mostly solid group,” said Clark. “A handful of operators who will have impressive campaigns, for sure, then some players with more questions, for whom I’m very hopeful.”
After sending former Cal All American and top-capped Eagle Mike MacDonald to the International Rugby Academy in New Zealand to build his coaching resume, Cal rugby can draw on Head Coach Jack Clark, Coach Tom Billups, and Assistant Coach MacDonald as a one-two-three coaching punch with unmatched US international experience. They will take a changing Cal team through a tough season.
“There are some really good opponents on our schedule, teams for which we have a lot of respect,” said coach Clark. “Together with a postseason run, there seems to be a challenge around every corner.”
Cal kicks off this coming weekend in the Storer Cup at UCLA, a tournament they have won every year since its inception in 2008. Then there follows games against Cal Poly and Arizona, and then on February 7 the "World Cup" series with the University of British Columbia starts. Cal always hosts the opener, and UBC, as usual, hosts the return game March 22.
Between those two games, Cal faces Stanford for the annual Scrum Axe game, Arizona State, and UCLA. Visits by Cal Maritime and Utah are followed by trips to Oregon State and Santa Clara.
Cal them hits the climax of their season. They take on UBC March 22, and St. Mary's March 28 at Berkeley. Then it's the Varsity Cup, which finishes up May 2 at Rio Tinto Stadium in Sandy, Utah. Cal should expect to make that final, as they have the last two years - both times being edged by BYU. Then at the end of May it's the CRC in Chester, Pa. just outside Philadelphia.
Cal enters the season without Seamus Kelly, who was captain of the team for the last three years - a record - and prop Tanner Mohr, No. 8 Tiaan De Nysschen, and starters Patrick Coleman and Jack O'Beirne. But they've reloaded, as always. Josh Tucker and Brad Harrington had strong fall 7s campaigns. All American Alec Gletzer is still at flanker, as is AA honorable mention James Kondrat at lock. Jake Anderson was Goff Rugby Report's men's college 7s player of the year, while scrumhalf Paul Bosco is also back.
“We have a mostly solid group,” said Clark. “A handful of operators who will have impressive campaigns, for sure, then some players with more questions, for whom I’m very hopeful.”
Senior Michael Bush is the incumbent starter at hooker despite having missed the 2014 postseason. He is likely to be book-ended by top prop choices Scott Walsh, a senior, and George Vrame, a junior. The next apparent front-row choice at prop is sophomore prop Kevin Sullivan and junior hooker Blake Haynes, as well as senior Travis Moscone.
At lock, Kondrat is a junior who could be joined by senior Carl Hendrickson, sophomores Tomas Zerbino, Anthony Kosinski and Olivier Damas; and senior Sione Sina, a defensive end on Cal’s football team who, like Hendrickson, is also a back-row candidate for the Rugby Bears.
In the back row, flanker Gletzer will look to be paired with options such as senior Nick Salaber or sophomores Connor Sweet, John Spradling, Beau Hershberger or Drew Gaffney.
Those flankers could be joined at No. 8 by sophomore Edward Tandy, the Cal football linebacker who did not participate in the rugby postseason in 2014, or a selection from among equally inexperienced players that includes Sina, Sweet and Hershberger.
Scrumhalf will be staffed by some combination of an experienced duo in Bosco and senior Nicklas Boyer, with seniors Lucas Dunne and Eakalafi Okusi also working to earn minutes.
After a stormer of a fall 7s campaign, junior Russell Webb hopes to be at full go at flyhalf after an injury setback that has carried into training camp, which has given additional repetitions to fellow third-year Harry Adolphus. SophomoreJamie Howells showed great potential in 2014 and will also vie for minutes at No. 10.
After a stormer of a fall 7s campaign, junior Russell Webb hopes to be at full go at flyhalf after an injury setback that has carried into training camp, which has given additional repetitions to fellow third-year Harry Adolphus. SophomoreJamie Howells showed great potential in 2014 and will also vie for minutes at No. 10.
Both center positions offer the opportunity for breakout seasons by a veteran or a newcomer, whether it be a senior in Jesse Milne or Okusi at inside center, or juniors Patrick Barrientes or Anthony Salaber at outside center. Adolphus could also feature in the midfield, as could senior Sam Weston Welch.
Choices on the wing begin with the stout and slippery Andrew Battaglia, a senior, and continue with junior Miles Honens. Next in the line of experience comes senior Matthew Chipman, followed by less-tested choices in junior Christian Hess and sophomore Evan Coleman. Not to be overlooked at wing is Adolphus, who got a start on the wing in the Varsity Cup final.
The fullback spot is manned by Jake Anderson. Behind him is fellow senior Spencer Morris and the younger Salaber.
Cal has been in a two-week training camp with two-a-day training sessions, each coupled with team meetings, that have kept the squad streaming between the Simpson Center for Student-Athlete High Performance Center and Witter Rugby Field on an otherwise quiet campus.
“We are getting through the installations,” said Clark. “There is a lot of effort and focus being demonstrated by the student-athletes. The boys really like to work hard, which is an impressive characteristic.”
“That first week is full of a lot of new information, especially for the underclassmen, and though we may not always get it correct the first or second time, we’ve shown great progress through repetition. I think that speaks to the desire to get better,” said senior hooker Michael Bush. “It wouldn’t be possible to accomplish our goal to get better without the coaching, training and equipment staffs, on and off the field. It’s important for us to thank them at every opportunity.”
Bush, who returns to the team after missing the 2014 postseason with injury, joins incumbent starting props George Vrame and Scott Walsh in the front row to form one of the team’s most-experience units.
“It’s definitely nice to have Mike back with George and me to build on our progress from last season,” said Walsh. “We’ll try to lead from the front and we’re coming along, off to a good start. We’ve just got to keep grinding.”
“We’re looking forward to it but still have a lot to work on,” added Vrame. “We’re not where we need to be and we want to be a lot better than we were last year.”
These front-rowers echoed a theme among all the forwards who have waited for the 15s season to put their preparations into play. And whether a player was in the 7s pool during the autumn season or not, the intellectual challenge is proving to be the biggest task being tackled by the Rugby Bears as they approach the season opener on Saturday.
“The body’s keeping up and mentally, I’m trying to get the details down, just trying to absorb it like a sponge,” said sophomore Beau Hershberger, who transferred over the summer to Cal from Nevada, where he was a scholarship football player. He called the comparison between football and rugby camp “pretty similar, two practices a day, get some contact and keep the body healthy. And this team appreciates their staff. There’s a lot of respect for what they are doing for us.”
Visiting observers have taken notice of the Bears unity and professionalism, as well.
“It’s the gold standard, the model in this country for high-performance collegiate programs in demanding academic environments,” said Sue Parker, head coach for women’s rugby at Harvard. “I came here because I’m extremely curious how Jack Clark has sustained excellence over such a long period of time in all facets of the program.”
Also observing week one of camp was Bob Weggler, Director of Rugby at Norwich University (VT), where he coaches the men’s team and directs both the men’s and women’s programs. “That Cal rugby mindset – grateful for everything, entitled to nothing – is one of the many things I’m going to try to bring back to my program,” he said.
Week two of training camp will continue, with twice-daily meetings and trainings joined by strength & conditioning sessions, as Cal prepares to depart Friday for its season openers Saturday and Sunday, Jan. 17-18, at UCLA’s Dennis Storer Classic. The early-season tournament begins what the Bears hope will be a successful spring 15s campaign.
