With the temperature in Chico, CA resting in the mid to low 40’s and the rain coming down heavily throughout the entire game, Cal Poly proved to be the stronger team with a 32-0 win over Chico State to take home the first Annual Bryan Archibald Cup on Saturday.

The Wildcats proved to be a tough opponent for the Mustangs, holding off any scoring on the wet and muddy turf until well into the first half and only allowing 10 points before halftime.

The second half displayed a bit more action and scoring. Cal Poly put on a better show and made sure to make the game worth playing and watching in the cold and rain. Although Chico was knocking on the try-line door more than once, the Mustangs held strong on defense.

Fourth year lock Charlie Hamilton led Cal Poly with 2 tries during the wet match and 4 others came from flankers Bobby McNeal and Colin Malcolm, tight head prop Joe Saldana, loose head prop Aaron Bordenave, and one conversion was tacked on by Luke Kimmel.

Both club’s second side teams matched up against one another, Cal Poly won the game 20-5. “Good score-line for the conditions in both matches,” Nick Massman said about Saturdays games, “We had some discipline issues and got penalized more than we should have, but overall I’m pleased with the outcome, character and commitment of the players.”

The Bryan Archibald Cup is a charity event to benefit local youth sports organizations and create awareness to the sport of Rugby. A game Bryan Archibald shared a tremendous passion for. The two clubs will battle for the cup annually.

Due to the rain the Archibald Cup will be moved to Pleasant Valley High School rain or shine at 5:30 pm

Pleasant Valley High School
1475 East Avenue, Chico 95926

Heading North on 99
Exit and turn right on E 1st Ave
Left on Longfellow Ave
Right on Manzanita Ave
Straight on Marigold Ave
End at Pleasant Valley High School

UCSB Rugby once again proved to be a tough opponent for Cal Poly as the two teams matched up for a preseason exhibition game on Sunday with the Mustangs pulling out a 32-28 win over the Gauchos.

The Mustangs started a bit sluggish but turned up the heat near the end of the game in order to close an 11 point lead that the Gauchos earned after an early second half try.

Cal Poly came within two points with a try that started with a strong run from inside center Bill Morris and ended with a few quick steps by Halfback Alex Frost. A beautiful try scored by Landis Nasser within the final seconds of the match gave the Mustangs a last minute victory over the Gauchos.

“I am proud of them and it was a really good experience,” Coach Nick Massman said regarding the comeback win, “the last 15 minutes were an inspired effort.”

The second sides of the two clubs also matched up and proved to be very evenly matched with the game ending in a tie.

The Mustangs are now focusing on the Archibald Cup against Chico State next Saturday, November 20th.

Saturday, November 20th

- 2:00 – Volunteers/sponsors arrive
- 2:30 – Cal Poly team arrival at the field
- 3:00 – 2nd side at field
- 3:15 – Organizers meet team. Give out shirts
- 4:00 – 2nd side kickoff
- 5:30 – 6:00 – 1st side warmup
- 6:00 – 1st 15 runs out of tryzone, as Lineups announced – lineup at 50 for National Anthem
- 6:05 – Moment of silence for Bryan
- 6:08 – National Anthem
- 6:15 – Kickoff
- 7:00 – 10 minute halftime- relays & part of raffle
- End of game: Final Raffle – Man of match announcement

The Mustangs showed a lot of skill this past Saturday with the second and third sides posting up great numbers and showing good force against experienced opponents in the annual 49er Collegiate Rugby Tournament.

There was a lot of opportunity for new players to get a feel for the game as there were two full sides competing in the tournament allowing players the chance to be a part of six games running 20-minute halves.

The coaches were happy with the teams display. “We saw a lot of good things and a lot of good combinations,” coach Peter Madonna said about Saturdays performance, “we know what we need to work on now.”

Cal Poly second side started the tournament off with a very closely fought loss in a game against UC Irvine. Next they matched up with Long Beach for a convincing shut out win against the 49ers. The third match was a devastating loss against USD in the Semi-Final. The game came down to the final seconds with Cal Poly driving and USD holding strong defensively. Cal Poly’s seconds ended the Division 1 tournament in 3^rd place.

The third side also played strong Saturday ending the Division 2 tournament in 2^nd place. Their first game was a hard fought win against UC Irvine’s second side team. Next game was a defensive battle that went a full 40 minutes with no score for either team and ended in a tie. The Semi-Final was much the same as the game before with the game ending 5-5, but the tournament rules sent the game into overtime penalty kicks. Cal Poly made 1 kick to send them into the Division 2 final against Occidental. The final was a well played game by Occidental who dealt the Poly third side their first loss of the day.

Cal Poly’s 1^st and 2^nd sides (with a possible 3^rd side game) will match up against UC Santa Barbara this Sunday at 3:00 in Santa Barbara. For directions to UCSB, follow the tab in the above menu.

As the regular season is beginning to look a lot closer for Cal Poly Rugby, the club gets ready to take on some good competition this Saturday November 6th for the annual 49er Collegiate Rugby Tournament in Long Beach, CA with the first game starting at 9AM and the first Cal Poly match kicking of at 10:20 against UC Irvine.

The Long Beach tournament is always a great way to get the season underway. Many new players are able to get a feel for what the game is all about and veterans are finally able to really knock the dust off. No player intends to take this weekend lightly. “This tournament sets the tone for the season,” coach Nick Massman said of the Long Beach Annual.

The tournament will be structured as a three pool round robin with three teams in each pool. In order to get game time for as many new players as possible Cal Poly will feature their B side in one pool and their C side in another.

Other teams in the tournament include University of San Diego, Loyola University, Occidental College, UCSD, UCSB, Fresno State, UC Riverside, Whittier College, UCSB Academy, and UC Irvine.

Come out and support your Mustangs at CSU Long Beach. The tournament kicks off at 9AM, directions to the pitch are under the Directions tab at the top of the page.

Our first game is at 10:20 in the morning. Everyone needs to be there ready to go at 9 AM, there is a link to directions to the pitch under the Directions tab at the top of the page.

Bring everything you will need for the day including food, water, and rugby supplies.

If everything goes as planned we will be done playing around 5 PM.