No. 1 Cal Advances to Second Round of Rugby Playoffs

No. 1-ranked Cal began defense of its 2025 national championship by breezing past San Diego 88-5 in a first-round rugby playoff match Saturday afternoon at Cal’s Witter Rugby Field.

Cal, which is the No. 1 seed in the West, kept more than half of its frontline players out of the starting lineup against eighth-seeded San Diego, which is in its first season in Division I-A rugby.

The Bears built a 45-0 halftime lead and eased past the Toreros in wet, breezy conditions in Berkeley to remain undefeated in rugby 15 action this season. Nate Comiskey scored three tries in the game for the Bears.

Cal will play a second-round game next Saturday in Berkeley against fourth-seeded BYU, which defeated Cal Poly 36-19 in Provo, Utah, in another first-round game on Saturday.

Cal defeated BYU 64-21 in Berkeley back on February 21.

If Cal gets past BYU it would advance to the West finals, possibly against Saint Mary's. The West survivor would face the East winner in the national championship game in Indianapolis on May 2.

Cal took control from the outset against overmatched San Diego.

Tom Archer powered over from close range for Cal’s first try less than 10 minutes into the contest, and five minutes later Comiskey finished off a 25-meter run for a try that made it 10-0.

A helter-skelter series led to a try by Cal’s Max Threlkeld that made it 17-0 after a Cormac Saint conversion.

The most impressive score of the game came with 15 minutes left in the first half, when play starting from inside Cal’s 22-meter line led to a series of precise passes and ended with Seamus Deely try to make it a 24-0 game.

Tries scored by Talae Tuimaunei and Emmett Cook made it a 38-0 match before Cal added one more try late in the half to give Cal an insurmountable 45-0 advantage at the break.

More Cal reserves saw action in the second half when the Bears continued to dominate.

Cal led 81-0 before San Diego got on the scoreboard with about seven minutes left in the contest.