By James Nelson
SMCGaels.com correspondent
MORAGA, Calif. -- One of the biggest rugby matches of the collegiate season will take place in Moraga on Saturday when No. 4-ranked Saint Mary's hosts No. 1 Cal at 1 p.m. on Pat Vincent Field. This weekend's meeting is the latest in an annual showdown between two of the very best programs in the country and will be closely watched by the national rugby community.
Admission to Saturday's match is $10 and can be paid at the gate. Fans are encouraged to arrive early as there will also be baseball and softball games taking place on campus at the same time.
Saint Mary's should be hungry for revenge when it takes the field Saturday, entering this year's match with the memory of last year's bitter loss still fresh in their minds. Despite coming out strong and outplaying Cal for much of the match, the Gaels tired in the second half and ended up squandering a late lead en route to a . However, just as that group of Gaels shook off that loss to make its eventual run to the national championship game, this year's team is once again showing the same resiliency.
The team endured its first true adversity of the season on March 8, losing 35-21 to No. 3 BYU in Provo, Utah. The defeat, which came just a few weeks after Saint Mary's beat the Cougars to earn the program's first No. 1 ranking ever, cost the Gaels the top spot in the RugbyMag.com poll. Rather than dwelling on the loss and lamenting missed opportunities, Saint Mary's has instead used it to provide a renewed sense of focus.
Since that game, the Gaels have been on a roll, winning three straight in a stretch that included a 97-7 win over UC Santa Barbara, a 64-0 victory over UC Davis and a 102-3 win over San Diego. This sustained excellence has not gone unnoticed across the country either, with five SMC players being named to USA Rugby's Midseason All Division I-A team and five more making the second team.
Cal comes into the game in a slightly different position. The Golden Bears enjoyed an undefeated start of their own and looked ready to continue their dominance when an unexpected outcome changed their outlook. Cal traveled up to Canada to take on a University of British Colombia squad it had already handled in Berkeley and this time the Bears landed on the other side of the coin, falling by a stunning final score of 40-3.
After hosting Cal, Saint Mary's travels to Santa Clara on April 12 to conclude its regular season. From there, it's on to the postseason and the ultimate goal of the USA Rugby Emirates Airline National Championship Series at Stanford from May 9-11.
