UC Davis Men’s Rugby Takes First Norcal 7’s Tournament of the Year

Under the tutelage of former US Seven’s player Steve Gray and Collegiate All American Jonathon Schaefer, UC Davis men’s rugby kicked off the Seven’s season by winning the Stanford 7’s invitational with a back-to-back wins over a competitive St. Mary’s side.

The day began with UC Davis facing off against a travel-weary UC Santa Cruz side and looked to be the dominant team early on, putting up a score of 46-0 thanks to the shifty footwork of as team captain and Pacific Coast Grizzly Tyler Harrison and tackle-breaking runs by Sam Shackelford.

Next saw the Aggies face a disciplined Santa Clara University side, and despite the increased defensive pressure, they were still able to penetrate the line to the tune of 44-7. Again, Shackelford punished missed tackles with long runs for tries and was accompanied by the clinical play of Christian Buck who terrorize opponents throughout the day with his nifty footwork offense and sure tackling. The game was not without drama as Harrison went down with a shoulder injury and would be lost for the rest of the day.

Next up, the Aggies played Saint Mary’s “blue” for the 1st semifinal seed. Davis spent most of the game on defense as the Gaels came out with athleticism and skills unmatched in the first two contests, and kept it up for all 14 minutes with superb fitness. Davis lost their defensive shape and every mistake was punished. Saint Mary’s ran out comfortable winners 29-5.

Following the break, Davis played the first semifinal against the top seed from Pool A – Saint Mary’s “red.” Fresh legs made all the difference as wing Chris Maldonado raced over for a long range try. Both sides traded scores, long runs, and punishing tackles all game, but it was Davis that came out ahead in the end by a two-try margin. Continued pressure from Maldonado racing around the outside and the interior line breaks of Buck, Shackelford, and center Jonny Volan contributed strongly to the victory, however, staunch Aggie defense was the difference in this game with proper spacing and communication shoring up the gaps present in the previous contest.

In the other semi-final, Saint Mary’s “blue” were winners against Sierra college, setting up a rematch of the pool play contest between the two sides. Davis got on the board early with long range tries from Maldonado and Shackelford, quickly building a 17-0 lead. It took this bit of a wake-up call to get Saint Mary’s into the game, and they answered with 2 tries of their own to make it 17-12 at halftime. After the first 10 minute period, both teams looked to their fitness to carry them in the second period as fatigue set in. In a thrilling half, both teams were competitive early, trading unconverted tries at first, carrying the 5-point difference for the majority of the half. Again, the Aggie defense remained solid, effectively bottling up the nifty footwork of the Saint Mary’s players, forcing multiple turnovers in contact. Ross Warnlof, who was switched from flyhalf to scrumhalf after the injury to Harrison, was instrumental in setting up his teammates for scores and was rewarded for his efforts on the day with his first try, extending the lead to 10 points with 3 minutes remaining in the game. Sensing the urgency, St. Mary’s attacked with newfound purpose, however, the anxious running resulted in a lack of support and a turnover to Davis. The final minutes proved to be an exhibition of rugby for the ages with a series of turnovers by both sides finally seeing Davis prop Robert Meeson break away for a try under the post. Final score: UC Davis 34 – Saint Mary’s 17. Other try scorers in the match were Jonny Volan and Moon Young Cho.