BYU Rugby to meet Cal for National Championship


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SALT LAKE CITY — The BYU men's rugby has made playing for a national championship an annual tradition.

They are back in the national championship game in 2013 hoping to defend their title despite losing several key seniors from last year's team.

They will host rival Cal Saturday for the Varsity Cup Collegiate Rugby Championship.

"The boys have stepped up to the challenge," head coach David Smyth said. "They've worked hard and for us to get back a situation where we're gonna play California in another national final is a big deal."

This is the eighth consecutive appearance for BYU in a collegiate Rugby championship game. In seven of those eight years BYU has faced Cal in the final. The two powerhouse programs meet again for an eighth time in a national championship game.


It really doesn't get any better than BYU and Cal.

–David Smyth.


The players dream of this matchup.

"If there is any games during the season to look forward to its definitely the Utah game and the Cal-Berkeley game," All-American center Paul Lasike, who also plays running back for the BYU football team, said.

"It really doesn't get any better than BYU and Cal," Smyth said.

BYU won their first national championship in 2009 against Cal. Cal won the next two championship meetings, in 2010 and 2011, with the contests being played at Rio Tinto Stadium in Sandy. This year's meeting will take place at South Field on the BYU campus, marking the first time Cal has played BYU in Provo.

Smyth expects another great battle between these two storied programs.

"I wouldn't even know where to start in memory as to going back and going through the games that we've played with them and the battles we've had," Smyth said. "A lot of them have been epic. Some of them have been very, very close. It's always a titanic struggle right to the end."

For BYU captain and three-time All-American Ryan Roundy this game will be the end of his storied career at BYU. He hoisted the championship trophy last year and dreams of doing it again on BYU's home field.

"To be able to play Cal for a national championship in my very last game here at BYU is pretty much a dream come true," he said. "We're definitely going to do all we can to prepare so we are ready."

BYU and Cal begins Saturday, 1:00 pm at South Field Stadium on the campus of BYU.

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