LOS ANGELES, Calif. – The University of California Men’s Rugby team has had its sights set on winning a conference title in sevens since initiating its fall campaign. Cal achieved that goal when it shut out host UCLA in the final of the PAC 7s. The Golden Bears participated in the West Coast Collegiate 7s and the Battle in the Bay tournaments prior to the PAC 7s. Although immensely dangerous in any tournament field it enters, Cal was focused on honing skills and furthering depth along its roster rather than selling out for championship victories. The two competitions leading up to the PAC 7s proved worthy of both positives and negatives for Cal. The Bears saw meaningful playing time for many of their less-experienced players, including at the highly competitive Battle in the Bay, which allowed for an uncapped roster. However, Cal did suffer defeats to UCLA in the final of the West Coast 7s and in the semifinals of the Battle in the Bay at the hands of Bay Area rival Saint Mary’s College. Still, the objective was at hand when Cal arrived at UCLA with the PAC 7s Championship up for grabs. Day one of the tournament witnessed a Bears team that dispatched of its pool consisting of USC, Washington, Colorado and Arizona State by a combined score of 169-17. UCLA was just as dominant in the opposite pool posting shutouts against Arizona, Stanford, Oregon and Oregon State while putting up a combined 165 points on the scoreboard. Oregon State and Arizona State advanced to day two’s semifinals by finishing second in their pools. Neither team would upset the pool play victors as Cal had its way with the Beavers in a 42-7 win, while the Bruins used 19 unanswered points to defeat the Sun Devils 19-10. This set the stage for a PAC Finals between Cal and UCLA. In the Final, Cal was able to exact revenge on the Bruins with a 22-0 victory. Cal sevens captain Jake Anderson did his part for the Bears by scoring a pair of tries in the Final. Even though his team seems to still be head and shoulders above the rest of the conference, Cal Head Coach Jack Clark sees improvement throughout the teams representing the PAC 12. “I’m proud of what we’re attempting to do, but we’re not there yet, of course,” said Clark. “I think on the sevens side we’ve made some really great progress with this particular tournament. We’re likewise hopeful for our conference on the 15s side of the game.” The Pac 7s Championship earned the Bears a qualifying spot at the 2013 USA Rugby College 7s National Championship. Though Cal and UCLA have declined their invitations, the stout performances from both Oregon State and Arizona State earned each an at-large selection to the College 7s National Championship. Their participation will mark each school’s first appearance at Nationals. Although preferring to focus efforts towards their spring 15s season for the rest of the fall semester, Coach Clark has relished the college sevens game. “I don’t think it’s possible to have teams dominate, if you will, all events in seven-a-side rugby,” said Clark. “I think it’s a lot easier for teams with a handful of good players and good coaches to compete and be the best team. All of that makes it really attractive to me.” Another aspect of sevens Clark’s players and staff have enjoyed is the game being played in a tournament structure. “I think it’s fun for our athletes to see other athletes in a tournament format,” said Clark. “I think it’s fun for me personally and Tom [Billups]. We get to interact with our coaching colleagues. It’s an enjoyable aspect of sevens rugby.”   Photo Michael Pimentel