Atop his teammates’ shoulders, U. California-Berkeley lock Eric Fry let out a scream and hoisted his championship MVP trophy. It was time that the big guy got his due.
In a year where the Cal rugby team featured an experienced, explosive offense, it was the defense that carried the most important game of the season.
The Cal rugby team scored a season-low 19 points, but staved off stout, physical BYU to win its 25th national championship, 19-7. The Bears (26-0) reclaimed the championship at Stanford’s Steuber Rugby Stadium after losing to the Cougars in last year’s final, and finished their first undefeated season since 2002.
“It was an epic game,” coach Jack Clark said, fighting off tears. “I just couldn’t be any more proud of our guys � the boys really put their bodies on the line today. I just want to go hug them all.”
It was an emotional match that left both teams beaten and bloodied. Starters Andrew Mase and Tom Rooke each celebrated the win with an arm in a sling. Fullback Colin Hawley cried tears of joy with several bruises on his face. The players’ wounds were tangible remains of an 80-minute battle between the nation’s top two squads.
All year, Cal outsprinted and outfoxed its opponents with its speed and athleticism. Saturday, however, was a game played and won in the trenches.
No play embodied this better than Cal’s Drew Hyjer standing up BYU lock Vilami Vimahi to retain Cal’s then 13-0 lead.
The 6-foot-3 245 pound Vimahi broke free from a ruck just feet from the goal line with only Hyjer left to beat. A sure tackler all season long, Hyjer lowered his shoulders and knocked Vimahi to the turf, giving the Bears their most momentous defensive stop of the game.
The Cal forwards continued their ferocious defense by consistently bottling up massive BYU prop Mike Su’a, who fans called “the bowling ball,” throughout the game.
“This was one of the toughest games in all five of my years here,” Fry said. “Those guys never quit. We just played a hard, tough game today.”
Fry spent the whole match wrestling Cougar ball carriers to the pitch and freeing space for his teammates. Sophomore eight-man Danny Barrett showed both his offensive and defensive prowess by seldom missing tackles and pitching an assist to his brother, Neill. Prop Jeremy Deterding helped generate several big pushes up field out of Cal territory.
The scoring started in the fourth minute, with Fry barreling into the BYU try zone to give the Bears an early 5-0 lead. Flyhalf Keegan Engelbrecht added a penalty kick in the 21st minute to give Cal a slight 8-0 advantage.
Cougars’ scrum half Shaun Davies missed a 40-meter penalty kick attempt just four minutes later, and BYU would never come any closer to cutting into Cal’s lead. A 38th minute try from Neill Barrett gave the Bears a commanding 13-0 lead at the half, and the defense would take over from there.
The victory was why the team worked all season.
“There is a lot of trust and a lot of commitment,” Clark said. “Those are words that are used by people every day. When you’re on a sports team, those words become real. And each one of these boys lived up to their commitment.”