RUGBY4/16/2026 1:00 PM | By: Cal Athletics


No. 1 Bears Meet No. 4 Seed Cougars In 2nd Round Of Playoffs

The West Region No. 1 seed California rugby team will welcome the No. 4 seed Brigham Young Cougars to Strawberry Canyon for the 2026 D1A National Collegiate Championship quarterfinals Saturday. The Golden Bears and Cougars will kick off at noon PT, with the gates of Witter Rugby Field set to open at 11 a.m. for fan entry.
 
Cal routed San Diego last weekend in the opening round of the playoffs 88-5 behind 14 tries from 10 different players. Nate Comiskey and Emmett Cook had three tries each, as the Bears held San Diego to one converted try, to secure the victory and advance to the quarterfinals.
 
BYU defeated No. 5 seed Cal Poly last weekend in the first round of the playoffs, 36-19. The Cougars ended the regular season with an 8-4 record in 15-a-side action. They defeated Utah Valley (115-0), Weber State (76-0), Colorado State (69-5), Utah State (57-21), Utah (74-14), No. 5 seed Cal Poly (21-12), No. 6 seed Grand Canyon (29-26) and UCLA (47-24), before losing their final four games of the season to No. 1 seed Cal (64-21), No. 3 seed Arizona (39-31), East region No. 1 seed Navy (54-28), and No. 2 seed Saint Mary’s (45-12).
 
The Bears and the Cougars last met earlier this season in Berkeley on Feb. 21, a 64-21 victory for Cal, as nine different players scored 10 tries in the victory. Prior to that, the Bears met BYU in Provo, Utah, last season in a 48-17 Cal victory. Cal and BYU last met in a single elimination playoff game on April 22, 2023, in Berkeley, in the 2023 D1A National Collegiate Championship West Region Semifinals, a game the Bears won 55-31.
 
Tickets for the match are available here. Fans unable to attend in person can catch the game on ESPN+.
 
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