The fate of the D1A Pacific conference could be decided by 3pm this Saturday afternoon. For UCLA the job is simple, on paper, beat Cal Poly and they’re through to the playoffs. For the Mustangs it’s win and win again.
Although the 45 – 12 score against UC Davis last week would suggest the Mustangs performed well, Senior prop Aaron Bordenave says the team was far from hitting the mark.
“It was obvious at half time last week that we weren’t as mentally prepared as we should’ve been going into the match. We’ve simply got to play every D1A match as if it was for the championship and thats about playing 80 minutes of rugby.” Bordenave said.
Coach Burnett echoed his props comments and has been happy with the teams preparation on the training field. “The guys know it’s about putting in a consistent performance and that’s how training has been this week.” Burnett said.
“No doubt UCLA will be brimming with confidence and I think that will lead to a very intense game, which I know our boys are looking forward to.”
The coach also believes the conditions will play a big part on how the game unfolds. “It seems to have been a relatively dry winter up and down California. I dont think many teams have had to play wet weather footy so far this season so the team that best adapts to conditions we’ll probably end up on top.”
The match at UCLA is scheduled to kick off at 1pm on the North Athletic Field. Stay tuned to the Bruins Rugby website for any field changes www.bruinrugby.com
Cal Poly Rugby
1 Aaron Bordenave
2 Pat McCreesh
3 Ben Crosby
4 Eric Parsons
5 Bobby McNeill
6 Joe Saldana
7 Matt Ryan
8 Dave Schaefer
9 Tommy Leecox
10 Matt Verga
11 Alex Frost
12 Andy Early
13 Jake Gersh
14 Cody Perez
15 Landis Nasser