National Semifinals, May 2, Stanford
No. 1 California vs. No. 5 Saint Mary's, 3:00 p.m.
No. 2 Brigham Young vs. No. 11 Colorado, 5:00 p.m.

National Championship, May 3, Stanford, 5:00 p.m.

ALL MATCHES WEBCAST LIVE! CLICK HERE

May 1, 2008

BERKELEY - After winning its third straight UCLA Tournament, triumphing in battles for both the Scrum Axe against Stanford and the `World Cup' against UBC, defeating the 2006 Rugby Super League champions, then powering through the first two rounds of the national collegiate postseason, the Golden Bears rugby program (22-1) is one match away from competing for its fifth straight national championship and 24th title overall.

Head coach Jack Clark, who must configure his team in single-elimination play to succeed against Saint Mary's May 2 in order to reach the final, has set an uncomplicated yet difficult goal for his team.

"A one-point victory over the Gaels won't be easy," coach Clark said, "but it would suit us just fine."

California, which won Pool A at the Rounds of 16 & 8 with its wins over Cal Poly and Tennessee, is joined in the semifinals by fellow pool winners Brigham Young (Pool B), Colorado (Pool C) and Saint Mary's (Pool D). BYU and the Buffaloes will square off for one slot in the final while the Bears and Gaels battle for the other.

Clark, who enters the semifinals with a career record of 438-66-5 (.861), two wins away from his 20th title in 25 years at the helm, has seen Northern California well represented before at the national championships. This weekend marks the fourth time since 1996 that two or more NorCal teams have advanced to the final four. In 1997, Cal, Stanford and UC Davis were three of the final four teams (the last being Penn State) to vie for the national title.

"I'm pleased to see the California teams perform so well this season," Clark said. "To have four of the final eight teams Californian is quite an accomplishment."

Saint Mary's advanced to the semifinals on the strength of its Round of 16 win over Air Force, 52-40, followed by a 37-25 victory over Kutztown (PA). BYU defeated Dartmouth and San Diego State, while Colorado bettered Minnesota and outlasted Penn State in overtime to set up a rematch between the Cougars and Buffaloes.

In the last meetings of these two matchups, Cal defeated the Gaels, 78-22, Feb. 16 on Witter Rugby Field, while Colorado upset BYU, 28-22, Feb. 23 in Boulder.

"The circumstances of this match with Saint Mary's are very different from our last. This is a two-match competition. It would be a mistake not to give ourselves the best chance at success the second day," said Clark.

"In other words, if we were going to lose, it doesn't matter which day it happens. We need to find a way to win the Saint Mary's match by a point and advance to the final as well rested as possible."

Recent history fleshes out Clark's philosophy when it comes to setting up a successful two-match run to the title. In 2007, for example, Cal played 31 different players in the semis and final, with 10 changes to the starting lineup between Friday and Saturday.

Ultimately, the math is simple. Four teams remain and one of them is 160 minutes from a national championship.