Photo by Sara Dechance
It wasn’t easy.
Cal Poly head coach Chris O’Brien knew that coming into the match — weeks ahead of time. What was described as a significant test for the Mustangs ended up being just that, and a little extra.
The Mustangs rallied from an 18-point first-half hole to defeat the Trinity Western Spartans, 44-36, on Saturday, Feb. 14 in San Luis Obispo, snagging their signature home victory thus far as the biggest conference test looms ahead in two Saturdays.
“It was just the full team effort,” head coach Chris O’Brien said of his squad’s performance. “It was the guys who came off the bench that really added a spark — a ‘full 23’ effort.”
Cal Poly was down from the start, with Trinity Western scoring two tries within the first eight minutes and a third in the 22nd minute. The Mustangs punched in one of their own just before that.
The Spartans held a 17-5 advantage until Coby Baker pushed through a penalty kick in the 25th minute, cutting the score to 17-8. Tyler Hoffman followed that up with a try — the ball going through four sets of Cal Poly hands to get the flanker into the left corner in the 37th minute, 17-13 Trinity Western lead.
The Mustangs let the ensuing kickoff hit the grass, where a Spartan was waiting to grab possession. One phase later, the Spartans scored. It wouldn’t be long before they struck again.
A Spartans’ exit kick out of bounds was put back in play quickly by the Mustangs, with the ball flowing from the right sideline to the left. A long pass from midfield to a waiting Cal Poly back was intercepted — a well-timed and well-positioned tackle all that prevented the Spartan defender from scoring. As the Mustangs scrambled defensively, they vacated the edge of the ruck. Trinity Western immediately took advantage and scored again — and all of a sudden, they held a 31-13 lead at the break.
“We made two defensive mistakes around the ruck, and they scored on both. We talked about our structure and staying connected, especially on the outside,” O’Brien said of the team’s regrouping at halftime. “When we got our line speed right in the second half, they started making handling errors because they were getting hit immediately.”
The Mustangs and Trinity Western opened the second half trading possessions.
Cal Poly kicked off a three-try scoring barrage 11 minutes into the half after consecutive penalties by the Spartans. The Mustangs’ forward pack scored tries in the 51st, 56th and 61st minutes to take a 32-31 lead.
Trinity Western’s Kaeal Simpson responded by calling his own number on a chip and chase in the 63rd minute to reclaim the lead, 36-32.
The Mustangs’ forwards would again punch it in, this time aided by slick hands from the back line to put them within range. Cal Poly reclaimed the lead, 37-36.
Trinity Western drove to the Cal Poly 22-meter line in the 73rd minute in what figured to be another eventual lead change — until Cal Poly’s defensive line speed forced a handling error. Four minutes later, the Mustangs sealed it with one more try, taking a 44-36 lead in the 77th minute.
“That’s all you can ask — don’t worry about the scoreboard,” O’Brien said. “Stay in the fight and good things happen. It was a great test for what we have coming up.”
The victory over the Vikings, while just a friendly, is an important one at a critical time. Cal Poly is gearing up for the final stretch of the season.
The match versus UC Davis, originally scheduled for Saturday, Feb. 21, has been canceled. Up next is conference powerhouse Saint Mary’s at home on Feb. 28. Weeks ago, O’Brien said he thought Cal was potentially the best team in all of Division IA rugby. He thinks the Gaels are right up there with them.
“St. Mary’s is always going to be one of the fittest, best ball-handling teams in the country,” O’Brien said. “So it’s just studying their players and knowing. I know some of them pretty well and how they play.
“We’ll start breaking that down.”
SCORING SUMMARY
3′ – TWU Try – 5-0 TWU
8′ – TWU Try – 10-0 TWU
15′ – CP Try – 10-5 TWU
22′ – TWU Try – 17-5 TWU
25′ – CP PK – 17-8 TWU
37′ – CP Try – 17-13 TWU
39′ – TWU Try – 24-13 TWU
40′ – TWU Try – 31-13 TWU
HALF
51′ – CP Try – 31-20 TWU
56′ – CP Try – 31-27 TWU
61′ – CP Try – 32-31 CP
63′ – TWU Try – 36-32 TWU
69′ – CP Try – 37-36 CP
77′ – CP Try – 44-36 CP