Jan. 6, 2009
BERKELEY - The 2009 Golden Bears roster is under way in a determined effort to earn the right to represent their University against a sizzling schedule replete with top-notch competition from January through April.
Coming off of California's 24th national championship in 2008, the program's fifth in a row, head coach Jack Clark, coach Tom Billups and staff have challenged the team once again to rise up to a level that signals the fulfillment of its potential, a season-long journey with no guarantees.
Despite a tremendous loss of talent, a continuing battle to regain health and conditioning, and the time that will be needed for this team to jell, fans can be certain that the Bears will mean business when they run under the posts and onto the pitch.
Pay no mind to the body of work that precedes this season's team - the challenges for the 2009 Golden Bears are fraught with excitement and uncertainty. While the irreplaceable boots of departed veterans loom large as the 127th season of University of California rugby gets set to begin, the opportunity for the entire roster to prove itself once again on the pitch infuses every meeting, workout and training session.
Few rugby teams in the United States, collegiate or otherwise, have been forced to address the departure of talent such as that which the Golden Bears experienced following the 2008 season.
Among the departed are five starters and 2008 All-Americans from last May's national championship - center Gary Golding, scrumhalf Zak Triplett, No. 8 Louis Stanfill, hooker Joe Welch and flanker and captain Rikus Pretorius - each of whom arguably represented the best in the country at his position, with all but Triplett joining the U.S. National Team pool immediately after school ended last summer. The graduation exodus also included primary reserves Barron Vaught, a lock, and fullback Chris Gurecki.
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With the strong voice and stronger play of Pretorius absent from the pitch, Cal will focus on harnessing all of it players' savvy during training and gamedays.
"A more open leadership model will play to the strengths of this team," coach Clark said. "We have a lot of good players in the program with knowledge of our systems, and this approach will allow all of them to contribute effectively to the middle."
A couple of accomplished players might even change jersey numbers to add further intrigue. Senior Colin Hawley is likely to see duty in the centers after a successful season at fullback in 2008. Odds are Hawley will not miss a beat, having been named an All-American at both positions.
The most intriguing move could be that of junior Dustin Muhn, the All-America wing who now vies to wear the No. 9 jersey with junior Andrew Mase and sophomore Connor Ring.
Senior All-American Eric Fry returns to a back-five position after a one-year switch to prop, and Scott Kidd will migrate from wing to the back row, a position he played in high school. Options to man the lock positions include All-American Paul Jesseman, fellow seniors Adam Casias and returning starter Julian Snellgrove, and junior Rob Sullivan. Jesseman might also be a candidate for the back row.
Returning to the front row is senior Jim Barrett, rejoining brothers Neill, a junior hooker, and Danny, a freshman back-rower, on the roster. Other options up front for Cal include junior James Besser, who started in the 2008 national championship, sophomore Jeremy Deterding, Steven Fujimoto and fellow senior Jon Karacozoff, a Jesuit High School alumnus who continues Cal rugby's crossover gridiron tradition. Senior Anthony Estrella and junior Eric Strack will also make a bid for varsity playing time. They will all compete to join returning front-row seniors Chris Biller and Sean Wilhelmy, both of whom underwent shoulder surgery to end their 2008 campaigns.
Many of these moves address the need to strengthen Cal's "spine" up the middle, where the Bears have lost the presence of their No. 2 (Welch), 7 (Pretorious), 8 (Stanfill), 9 (Triplett) and 12 (Golding) players from last season. The biggest question mark in that equation is the back row, with options including senior and national championship starter Kyle Balough, juniors Tom Rooke, Jason Law and Derek Asbun; sophomore Zack Klaas, former Cal rower Tom Sproats and the aforementioned Kidd, along with a grouping of younger back rowers.
Coach Clark says this year's team will have "the ability to competently play tight or expansive rugby" and he appears to have the forwards and backs to execute either style. Senior All-American Keegan Engelbrecht has emerged as a top-class playmaker at flyhalf, though he will have players like junior Nathaniel Floyd and University of Cape Town transfer flyhalf/fullback James Bailes vying for playing time at No. 10. Additionally, outside center Sean Gallinger proved to be a effective fill-in at flyhalf, leading the Bears to their semifinal victory over Saint Mary's College.
Hawley will be a versatile weapon whether selected in the centers or at fullback, with additional returning midfield talent in junior Gallinger and seniors Dustin Watson, Cody Stevens, Austin Pugh and Logan Howard. Wingers will include senior Ryan Harris returning from 2008 injury, All-American Ryan Taylor, the dynamic Muhn and Eduardo Lopez, who hopes to make it back from an injury.
The fullback position could be manned by any of the sure-footed members of the backline, to include Hawley, Bailes, Taylor or Gallinger.
"These young men have worked very hard this fall and they've developed a strong work ethic which will serve us well as the season unfolds," Clark said. "There should be intense competition for playing time at several positions and every aspect of our preparation is open to competition. We'll track and evaluate all performance results, big and small, and hopefully by spring, we'll be the team we want to become."
While the frosh-soph class may not crack the top 30 on the overall depth chart, the schedule demands that Cal plays deep into its talent pool - and every match counts in the team's record. That means that when the Bears play a triple-header against VMI, Wyoming and Navy on Feb. 13 in San Diego, followed by UBC and a trip to Florida to face Rugby Super League champ NYAC preceded by a to-be-confirmed clash against the Florida Collegiate Representatives over a two-week period, everyone can expect to be called upon.
The Bears have the opportunity to play for a national audience on Feb.21, when ESPN will be on hand for the opening round of the "World Cup" series between Cal and the University of British Columbia on Witter Rugby Field.
Two months later, Witter Rugby Field will be a host site for the national collegiate Rounds of 16 and 8, hosting two of the four pools April 17-19. The Bears hope to claim the top seed in the Pacific Region to ensure they are part of that action with a chance to compete at the national championships held at Stanford May 1-2.
Not only will the team be without some of its best players from last year, but the coaching staff will also be operating with fewer hands on deck in 2009. Former assistant and Cal All-American Matt Sherman has taken a job at San Diego State, fellow Cal All-American and U.S. National Team alumnus Kort Schubert will be limited in his availability, and former head coach and longtime assistant Ned Anderson will not be on the staff this season.
But the mantra is always the same - no excuses - meaning this year's team has taken ownership of its challenges and left one thing for certain: the 2009 season of Cal rugby is going to be one to watch.
