Jan. 29, 2011

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STANFORD, Calif. - California improved to 10-0 with a 74-0 victory for the Scrum Axe over the Cardinal on Saturday at Steuber Rugby Stadium.

Co-captain Blaine Scully had a hat trick and sophomore outside center Seamus Kelly scored two tries during Cal's eight-try first half. The Golden Bears added four more to finish with 12. Cal has now scored 76 tries against only three by opponents this season.

Stanford knocked on the door a couple of times in Cal territory but could not score. Scrumhalf Dan Ibarra missed a 25-meter penalty attempt in the 27th minute that proved to be the best opportunity for the Cardinal (1-2).

The Bears sought to "play smart and stay within our limits," said flanker Tom Rooke, who also recorded two tries early in the second half. "We're improving - nowhere where we need to be - but we're going in the right direction."

Both teams showed the resolve to get reorganized following breaks deep into their half of the pitch. Stanford was unable to prevent a dozen of those Cal attacks from finding the try zone, while the Bears repelled the Cardinal several times, including once from the one-meter line.

"We didn't want to be soft today," said prop Jeremy Deterding. "It's always a good for our growth to get to a point where we're not comfortable, to test our abilities and resolve."

Scrumhalf Connor Ring said it was "important to keep the Scrum Axe in Berkeley, something we want to do every season. Our forwards were producing some good ball, but we still have a lot of stuff to work on."

Cardinal head coach Matt Sherman said there was nothing odd about coaching against his alma mater. A three-time All-American, four-time national champion and assistant coach for two seasons at Cal, Sherman has faced the Bears before as head coach at San Diego State.

"What means more is you're playing the best team in the country," coach Sherman said. "That's the biggest feeling you get, that you're going to be up against it when you play Cal. We scrambled very well at times under a lot of pressure. But the Bears play so quick and so fast."

The Bears now have a 15-year winning streak over Stanford going back to the 1997 regular season, including the 1998 national collegiate championship. The Cardinal's last victory over Cal in rugby was a 24-21 win at Witter Rugby Field in 1996.

Prior to the First XV, a reserve-grade contest saw the Bears defeat the Cardinal, 128-0.

The Scoring Timeline vs. Stanford:

02:00 Derek Asbun 5, James Bailes 2

07:00 Blaine Scully 5, James Bailes 2

14:00 Blaine Scully 5

17:00 Seamus Kelly 5

22:00 Sean Gallinger 5, James Bailes 2

30:00 Dustin Muhn 5

34:00 Seamus Kelly 5, James Bailes 2

37:00 Blaine Scully 5

Halftime: California 48, Stanford 0

41:00 Tom Rooke 5, Alex Aronson 2

48:00 Tom Rooke 5, Alex Aronson 2

73:00 Danny Barrett 5, Alex Aronson 2

76:00 Jake Anderson 5

Final Score: California 74, Stanford 0

The Team vs. Stanford:

15. Lombardo (Anderson), 14. Muhn, 13. Kelly, 12. Gallinger, 11. Scully ©, 10. Bailes (Aronson), 9. Ring, 1. Deterding, 2. N. Barrett, 3. Besser, 4. D. Hyjer, 5. Daly, 6. Asbun, 7. Rooke, 8. D. Barrett