April 15, 2008

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BERKELEY - Entering the national collegiate postseason at 20-1 with the No. 1 seed in the field, California meets the Tennessee Volunteers (10-2-1, No. 16 seed) in the Round of 16 Friday, April 18, with a 2:30 p.m. Mountain Time kickoff in Albuquerque, N.M.

The winner plays Saturday at 3:30 p.m. in the Round of 8 against the winner of Friday's Army/Cal Poly matchup, with a spot in the national semifinals at stake.

The Volunteers, led by head coach Butch Robertson, feature All-America center Kevin Hartley and formidable No. 8 Matt Abernathy. "My observation is that Tennessee is a very solid rugby side, a well-coached team," said Cal head coach Jack Clark.

UT enters the Round of 16 as the South Region's second seed and No. 16 overall after ending their league battle with Arkansas State deadlocked in a 13-13 tie March 29. With tiebreakers falling in the Tribe's favor, Arkansas State drew the top regional and No. 10 seed and a date with San Diego State in the Round of 16, leaving Tennessee to take on the Golden Bears on Day 1 of action in Albuquerque.

Said Clark of the Volunteers, "They're organized in all the important apects of play and will be a real test for the team we'll run out."

The Bears and Vols last met April 17, 2005, in the Round of 8 in Cal's Strawberry Canyon, where Cal advanced to the national semifinals with a 65-3 victory. Current Cal ruggers who played in that match as underclassmen include Chris Gurecki, Chris Biller, Paul Jesseman, Louis Stanfill, Joe Welch and Rikus Pretorius.

Biller is out for the season, Gurecki is listed as questionable and it's uncertain whether any of those remaining Bears will see action against Tennessee this time around. Coach Clark historically formulates a plan that keeps many first-choice selections on the bench during the opening match of back-to-back match weekends.

Should Cal advance on Friday against the Vols, a battle-tested opponent will await the Bears in the Round of 8 in the form of Cal Poly or Army.

No. 9-seeded Army (10-3), the top team from the Northeast Region, had to cancel its trip to play Cal last spring when snowstorms prevented the cadets from flying from West Point to the Bay Area. The teams haven't faced each other for five years, dating back to Cal's 75-3 win in a consolation match at the 2003 national championships.

The always tough Black Knights, currently coached by Rich Pohlidal, cause trouble for opposing forwards with their work rate and talent, and current players like prop Luke Hallsten, back rower Austin McNaul and captain Trey Colantonio, a lock, continue that Army legacy.

Army earned its postseason trip by winning the Northeast Region in November, topping Dartmouth, 16-3, to take the top regional slot and leave the No. 15 Big Green with a Round of 16 meeting with No. 2 BYU, the Pacific's second seed. The Black Knights tuned up for the national postseason this spring with high-caliber matches against Dartmouth, winning the rematch, 36-3, and Navy, dropping a 19-17 decision in Annapolis.

Coached by Nick Massman, the Mustangs from Cal Poly SLO (No. 8, 15-3) clinched the Southern California Region's second seed by beating Arizona, 36-19, April 5 in their playoff elimination match in San Luis Obispo.

Among Cal Poly's threats is outside center Jeff Van Meter, the try-scoring twin brother of Cal reserve winger Bryan Van Meter. Bears prop Eric Fry also has a sibling on the Mustangs, prop Ryan Fry. Talented Mustangs Alex Murchison at No. 8 and Gabe Escalera at hooker would also present a challenge.

Cal Poly is the last American collegiate side to defeat the Bears with its 58-18 win on April 3, 2004. Current seniors Joe Welch and Chris Gurecki were in Cal's reserve lineup that day. Less than a month later in the Bears' and Mustangs' last meeting, Welch played 80 minutes and scored a try in the Bears' 46-24 win to take the 2004 national championship.

Neither Tennessee nor Saturday's potential opponents fit the bill of a padded path in the draw for Cal as the national postseason's No. 1 seed.

"We could have hoped for an easier draw, but we're understanding of the difficulty in seeding a national tournament of this size," Clark said. "I think all three opponents in our bracket are good teams that are capable of advancing."

Once the four semifinalists have been decided in New Mexico, the action will move to the national championships May 2-3 at Stanford, with the semifinals on Friday followed by the final Saturday.

National Collegiate Division I Men's Rugby
Rounds of 16 & 8
April 18-19, 2008
Albuquerque, N.M.

Pool A:
No. 1 California vs. No. 16 Tennessee
No. 8 Cal Poly vs. No. 9 Army

Pool B:
No. 2 Brigham Young vs. No. 15 Dartmouth
No. 7 San Diego State vs. No. 10 Arkansas State

Pool C:
No. 3 Penn State vs. No. 14 Minnesota
No. 6 Utah vs. No. 11 Colorado

Pool D:
No.4 Kutztown (PA) vs. No. 13 Bowling Green
No. 5 Saint Mary's vs. No. 12 Air Force

Final 2007-08 Regional Seedings (number of available seeds determined by previous year's play):
Pacific - 1. California, 2. BYU, 3. Saint Mary's, 4. Utah
Southern California - 1. San Diego State, 2. Cal Poly
West - 1. Colorado, 2. Air Force
Midwest - 1. Bowling Green, 2. Minnesota
South - 1. Arkansas State, 2. Tennessee
Mid-Atlantic - 1. Penn State, 2. Kutztown (PA)
Northeast - 1. Army, 2. Dartmouth