Photo by Sara Dechance.
The Mustangs and the BYU Cougars meet in Northern California on Thursday, March 26, for the first round of the Division I playoffs.
Kickoff is 6 p.m. at Steuber Rugby Stadium in Stanford.
The Mustangs, who have won back-to-back Division II titles before entering rugby’s highest level of competition this season, are matched up with one of the sport’s top programs.
BYU has won two Division I national championships since 2019 — the most recent coming in 2022, when they went 15-2 and outscored opponents 1068-228.
The Cougars play an aggressive, free-flowing style centered on offloads and constant attacking pressure, Cal Poly interim head coach Paul Cappellano said.
“They attack relentlessly to all parts of the field,” he said. “They are not afraid to kick to space.”
Cappellano said his Mustangs have dealt with several obstacles leading into the match, including limited access to a full practice field for two weeks, as well as final exams and spring break. The Mustangs spent the time since the loss to Cal working on improving tackling and counterattacking off kicks, among other things.
“Mostly, we are just trying to tighten up what we do well,” he said. “That means focusing on ball possession, winning our rucks and putting pressure on the defense by getting the ball to our main carriers.”
Cal Poly was awarded the No. 2 seed out of the Pacific Mountain Conference. Stanford, which the Mustangs beat 31-29 in dramatic fashion in early February, topped the conference standings. The Cal Bears, which defeated the Mustangs 36-26 earlier this month, were left out.
The final standings were decided by point differential. Stanford defeated Cal 26-5 last Saturday.
Cappellano said BYU and Life University enter the Division I playoffs as favorites after competing in the now-defunct elite division last season.
“Hopefully,” he said, “we can surprise BYU and catch them off guard.”
If the Mustangs win, they will play in the semifinals on Saturday against the winner of Claremont versus Western Washington.
