There was plenty of rugby action last weekend, and this post highlights three standouts (and runners-up) from the senior club, collegiate and high school ranks. There’s also a little context in there so readers understand *why* these outcomes are important, or at least interesting. For a full review of the weekend’s results, visit The Rugby Breakdown’s weekly scores page.
SENIOR CLUB
The game that drew the most attention heading into the weekend was that of Berkeley and Sacramento. Both were undefeated in DII NorCal, and the All Blues improved to 3-0 with a 27-17 victory Saturday. The Amazons are 3-1 and will see Berkeley in what could decide the post-season berth to Pacific Super Regionals.
“They are a quality side,” Sacramento head coach Gary Gordon praised the All Blues. “They came out on fire and scored 10 points in first five minutes. They controlled ball, set the tempo really high, and scored again 10 minutes later.”
Berkeley scored a third try before the Zons responded: 17-12 into the break.
“Score line could have been much worse for us, but we played some great goal-line D and cleared our line,” Gordon praised his side, which had to call on the reserves early on.
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The try exchange continued into the second half and with 15 minutes to go, the Zons trailed 22-17.
“We lost a bit of discipline and were penalized multiple times, and they put in another try,” Gordon recapped the final stretch. “Great competitive game. They were better on the day and we made way too many unforced handling errors. … The team is looking forward to the rematch as well.”
Runner-up? Los Angeles’ 35-5 win against Santa Monica. The two were undefeated heading into the weekend, so this match helped gauge the relative strength of the two first-season teams. LARC scored five tries — three from Emily Rodin — and connected on all five conversions to secure the top spot in the DII SoCal standings. It’s worth noting that there were four DII SoCal games scheduled for last Saturday, and the aforementioned was the only regulation 15s match that played out. Several teams have sub-15s numbers.
COLLEGE 15s
DI Pacific Mountain North contests its 15s season across the fall and spring, and when Western Washington (3-0-1) and Oregon State (0-3-1) met in 2023, the Vikings won 25-5. Western went on to win its next two games, while the Beavers dropped games to Oregon and Washington. But last Saturday was a reminder of how gripping and competitive the PMR North is. In the teams’ rematch, Oregon State scored a game-ending try against league-leading Western Washington, sealing a 20-20 tie. And it was absolutely glee for the Beavers.
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OSU scrumhalf Grace Galles and centers Chase Mauerhan (2) and Erin Walsh scored tries for OSU. Carlie Magee and Mauerhan were named forward and back MVPs, respectively.
Runner-up? Florida! The DI league is only three teams, and only three games into its season, but it is giving. Last year signaled a shift from unadultered Univ. Central Florida dominance, when Univ. Florida beat the Orlando team for the first time since 2008. And 2024 is suggesting that the competition is intensifying. After traveling to Florida State for a 20-19 win on Feb. 3, UCF regrouped at home to host UF. The Gators put down four tries, while the Knights dotted down three; however, UCF was better off the tee. If it wasn’t for a UF penalty kick, then the victory would have stayed in Orlando. Instead, the Gators won 23-22 to remain undefeated in Florida.
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HIGH SCHOOL
The Southern California Interscholastic Rugby Federation (SCIRF) capped its months-long 7s season last Saturday at Warren High School in Downey, Calif. La Costa Canyon entered the 2023-24 school year hungry for a title push, and asserted as much to head coach Julia Buescher (interview forthcoming). The single-school team doubled its numbers, learned from losses, and then peaked Saturday with wins against Mira Costa and Lakewood for the Open Division title. Stay tuned for a full recap from Buescher, who also added her dad as assistant coach this year.
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