Cal Opens 16-Team National Rugby Playoffs Against Cal Poly

Golden Bears seek their 34th national rugby title in the postseason tournament

Cal begins its pursuit of a 34th national rugby championship when it hosts Cal Poly on April 6 at 1 p.m. in its opening match of the 16-team national rugby playoffs.

Cal (10-3) is the No. 4 seed in the eight-team West Region and will face fifth-seeded Cal Poly, a team Cal defeated 33-7 back on January 13 in Los Angeles.

If the Bears win that one, they likely will play a road match on April 13 against Saint Mary’s, which is the No. 1 seed in the West and defeated Cal in Moraga 38-31 in both teams’ final regular-season match on March 23.

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It’s been an up-and-down season for the Golden Bears.  They have losses to Army and BYU as well as Saint Mary’s, but Cal defeated top-ranked Navy 47-24 in Berkeley on March 17.  Navy is the top seed in the East region of the playoffs and is the defending national champ.  The Midshipmen’s loss to Cal was their only defeat during the 2024 regular season, and Navy went unbeaten last year when it beat Cal in the 2023 national championship game.

Cal last won a national championship in 2017, when it won the Varsity Cup, which no longer exists.  The last time Cal won the national collegiate championship tournament was 2011.

If Cal should get by Cal Poly and Saint Mary’s, the Bears would likely face BYU or Central Washington in what would be the East finals and the national semifinals. Central Washington is the No. 2 seed in the West, and Cal did not face that squad during the regular season.

The West winner and the East winner will meet in Houston on May 4 for the national championship.

Cover photo by RudyPics