No. 1 Navy men’s rugby captures 1st national title with 28-22 comeback victory over Cal, capping perfect season
Navy men’s rugby’s fairy-tale ending to a dream season was in serious jeopardy 23 minutes into Saturday night’s national championship game. The Midshipmen faced their largest deficit of the season against a perennial powerhouse that has long set the standard for the sport.
However, the Mids were bound and determined to make the program’s first varsity season memorable in the most notable way.
Sophomore flanker Tanner Russell was named Player of the Match as top-ranked Navy came from behind to beat No. 5 California-Berkeley, 28-22, in the College Rugby Association of America Division I-A national championship game at SaberCats Stadium in Houston.
Four players scored tries and freshman fullback Roanin Krieger made all four conversion kicks as the Midshipmen captured the first national championship in program history. Navy’s only other appearance in the national championship came in 1994 when it lost to Cal, 27-13.
“It really has been a storybook season in so many ways and to cap it with a national championship is very satisfying,” Navy coach Gavin Hickie said. “This title is a tribute to all the Navy rugby players who came before and set the stage for this. It’s been 60 years in the making and this team will go down in history for getting Navy to the pinnacle of collegiate rugby.”
Navy (18-0) never beat Cal while competing as a club program, but broke through that barrier in its first season as a varsity sport. The Midshipmen knocked off the Golden Bears, 33-28, March 11 in Annapolis.
Hickie knew Cal would be hyped up and primed for the rematch with the championship on the line Saturday. The Golden Bears did come out swinging with senior co-captain Max Schumacher scoring a try and making a penalty kick as the underdogs jumped out to a 15-0 lead.
Navy’s comeback began in the 29th minute when it maul attack powered inside the 5-meter line and sophomore hooker Willam Webb dove into the try zone. Krieger booted his first conversion kick to cut the deficit to 15-7.
The Midshipmen struck again just before halftime after a free kick by senior fly half Lewis Gray set up a line out around the 22-meter mark. Junior Ben Haugh broke through the Cal defense to push possession to the 5-meter line.
Following the tackle, junior scrum half Sean MacLaney picked up the ball and waltzed in for the try. Krieger nailed the conversion kick and Navy trailed 15-14 at intermission.
“Our backs were against the wall and it was genuinely do or die. We took quite a shock in the first 30 minutes as Cal would not allow us to play our type of game,” Hickie said. “At halftime we spoke about how there were 40 minutes left and it was now or never, especially for the seniors. We challenged our players to go out and perform in the second half.”
Both teams were held scoreless for 12 minutes to start the second half before Cal padded its lead. Sophomore Joe Kirsten scored a try and Schumacher made the conversion kick to give the Golden Bears a 22-14 advantage at the 52-minute mark.
A pair of free kicks by junior fly half Landon Opp put Navy in scoring position, and senior prop Ryan Bullock dove in for the try at 61:56. Krieger drilled the conversion kick and Navy again pulled within one, 22-21.
Opp scored the go-ahead try on a 30-meter run after receiving a pass on the right sideline and slipping through a pair of ankle tackle attempts. He touched the ball down in the middle of the try zone in the 68th minute. Krieger’s kick made it 28-22 and the defense made sure it held up.
Cal drove inside the 5-meter line with less than five minutes remaining in the match, but Navy forced a turnover to prevent a try attempt. A knock-on penalty gave the ball back to the Golden Bears and they again got inside the 5-meter line, but a hard tackle by Gray knocked the ball out of bounds and returned possession to Navy.
Cal got one more possession but was penalized for an illegal throw-in attempt. Navy used short carries to take time off the clock then kicked the ball out of bounds in the 80th minute to close out the contest.
“It wasn’t until the kick went out and the final whistle was blown that I felt this match was over. To go down 15-0 to Cal and claw back to win is remarkable, and this team earned the right to call themselves national champions,” Hickie said. “Before this season, we had never beaten Cal, and to do it twice with all the pressure shows you what kind of team this is. They can’t get enough accolades and credit for the work they’ve put in. These men deserve medals and now they have them around their necks that say national champions.”
Cal is the most accomplished program with 28 national championships to its credit.
“Congratulations to Navy on a well-earned championship,” Cal coach Jack Clark said. “They were the wire-to-wire top team in the nation.”
