Cal Rugby : Champions Once More
As you may have heard, Cal Rugby captured its 23rd national title yesterday in a 37-7 win over BYU. 23RD!!! How amazing is that? So amazing, it’s simply stopped being amazing anymore.
What I mean is, we as Cal fans (ok, not all of us, but I know it’s not just me) have become complacent with success. We expect Cal to come out on top of the rugby pile; when they do, they have lived up to expectations, nothing more. Jack Clark’s program has set a standard so high that it cannot possibly be exceeded; what could they possibly do that would excite and thrill the casual Cal fan? Catch Osama? End world hunger? Shake the hippies out of the trees and retrofit the stadium with their bare hands? It might take something of that magnitude to warrant more than a short paragraph somewhere in the back of the Daily Cal.
Of course, none of this is to take anything away from our beloved ruggers. Despite their amazing run of dominance, they have not become complacent. This is not an easy game, and their opponents are not soft. Every time they step on the pitch, opponents are gunning for them as if a championship were on the line, and Cal responds. It’s easy to get cocky, to let things slide and not try as hard as you absolutely have to. Obviously, Jack Clark does not let that happen. With each additional title, we should be more impressed, not less. Yet, I have a feeling that this championship tradition is something that will only be fully appreciated long after it has ended.
So, where does Cal Rugby go from here? Why, a 24th national title, of course. I expect nothing less.
