BERKELEY, CA – The California Golden Bears rugby team defeated Brigham Young 64-21 Saturday, marking a dominant return to Witter Rugby Field. Eight different players scored tries in a decisive victory for the defending national champions.
BYU opened the scoring early after a turnover. California’s Oliver Teague had a pass intercepted by Malae Tanuvasa, who ran untouched for a try, converted by Strider Fountaine, giving the Cougars a 7-0 lead.
The Bears responded quickly with a driving lineout in the seventh minute, resulting in a try by Brice Muller, with Filip Edstrom adding the conversion. Cal continued to apply pressure, forcing a turnover in the 13th minute. A scrum saw scrumhalf Solomon Williams pass to captain Rand Santos, who found Michál de Beer, who then passed to Edstrom for another Bears try, again converted by Edstrom.
Cal extended their lead with another try from Williams in the 16th minute, following a pass from Santos and Edstrom. A yellow card against BYU created an opportunity for the Bears, who capitalized with a driving lineout finished by Elliott Lewis, and a successful conversion by Edstrom, pushing the score to 28-7.
The first half saw a setback for Cal when Filip Edstrom, last year’s national championship game MVP, sustained an injury in the 24th minute and was replaced by freshman Oliver Sinclair. Shortly after, a 50/22 kick from Santos led to a lineout and a try by Masi Koi, converted by Sinclair. Oliver Teague added another try for the Bears before halftime, extending their lead to 40-7.
The second half saw Cal utilize its reserves. Elliott Lewis scored his second try of the game in the 43rd minute. Sinclair added a try in the 46th minute. A kick-pass from Sinclair to Nate Comiskey resulted in another try in the 64th minute, converted by Cormac Saint. Michál de Beer, making his second start of the season after recovering from a fall sevens injury, scored the final try for Cal.
BYU managed two late scores, with tries from Spencer Torgerson and Strider Fountaine, but the Bears’ dominance was undeniable. The final score was 64-21.
“I just want to thank BYU for making the trip,” said captain Rand Santos after the game. “We weren’t very happy with the three tries we allowed, and the turnovers we had, but I think getting a win matters, we’ll look to build on the match.”
Vice captain Cade Crist echoed Santos’ sentiment, stating, “BYU is always a good side, so it’s good to get a win, especially a big west coast win, so I’m happy with the result.”
BYU head coach Steve St. Pierre acknowledged Cal’s performance, saying, “We knew that the standard was going to be high coming into here, and obviously our performance wasn’t up to that standard. All credit to Cal for coming out here and playing a good game. We’ll take the development areas and learning opportunities from this game and hopefully be better going forward since of it.”
California head coach Jack Clark expressed appreciation for BYU and noted the team’s upcoming schedule. “We appreciate the Cougars and wish them the best going forward,” Clark said. “With a bye next week, that’s it for February. Our team needs to regroup for a challenging March.”
Cal Starting XV: Oliver Kirk, Alex Vieira, Cade Crist, Byron Finley, Talae Tuimaunei, Brice Muller, Elliott Lewis, Oliver Teague, Solomon Williams, Rand Santos, Masi Koi, Filip Edstrom, Michál de Beer, Nate Comiskey, Oliver Newall.
