W. RUGBY The Plate Final Four
Saturday-Sunday Rockford, Ill.
By Will Whitehorn
Daily Bruin Reporter
Win or lose this weekend, UCLA women’s rugby has already
claimed a bigger victory.
The team will conclude its remarkable postseason run this
weekend in USA Rugby’s “Plate” Final Four, a
consolation tournament for teams eliminated in the second round of
USA Rugby’s main event, the Cup.
Despite missing the cut for the USA Rugby title, the Bruins have
no reservations about participating in the alternate tourney.
“Absolutely no disappointment in playing in the
Plate,” said UCLA Head Coach Tam Breckenridge, whose squad
will play the Washington Furies Saturday in Rockford, Ill.
“This was a season that (the squad) discovered that they are
a legitimate contender. I believe that if everyone stays healthy,
and we continue to add strong athletes to our roster, it would be a
disappointment to not make the 2002 Cup Final Four.”
Should the Bruins calm the Furies, whose gameplan UCLA can
stymie with efficient ball movement and defensive tenacity, the
Bruins will meet the winner of the Wisconsin/New York match. New
York won the Plate Final in 1999 and was one of last year’s
Cup Final Four squads.
Because of the do-or-die nature of the postseason, the Bruins
are forced to adjust their attack depending on the opposition,
rather than employing their everyday game plan. Breckenridge
identified ball control as crucial in either potential match.
“Wisconsin has the stronger forwards and overall
fitness,” Breckenridge said. “New York has decent
forwards, but their strength is with their inside backs and
fullback. Spreading the field (against Wisconsin) or playing a
controlled, forward-oriented match (New York) will be our offensive
game plan.”
In advancing to the Plate Final Four, though, the UCLA women
didn’t just open a door of opportunities, they kicked it
in.
After a first round upset win over Emerald City and a strong
performance against second-seeded Beantown (Boston, Mass.) on May
12-13, the Bruins have forced onlookers to recognize Southern
California as a legitimate rugby power.
“Our match with Beantown, when we had so many
opportunities to win, showed the players that everything I’ve
been telling them all season was true ““ they are one of the
nation’s finest teams,” Breckenridge said.
The fallout from the Bruins’ impressive tournament run
ensures Southern California teams of realistic shots in the future
at the USA Rugby title, normally procured by Eastern, Midwestern
and Pacific Northwestern clubs.
Beginning with the 2002 Tournament, the winner of the Southern
California League Championship ““ which UCLA won this season
““ will receive a tournament seeding of no less than eighth
and will open against a lower-ranked opponent.
“Until this season, the Southern California (league
champion) was typically matched up versus the No. 1 or No. 2 seeded
team, so they lost on the first day and no progress was
made,” Breckenridge said. “By virtue of UCLA’s
success in the Sweet 16, SoCal will now have two seeds to the 2002
club championships.”
The Bruins have also qualified several UCLA players for the USA
women’s national program, composed of senior, developmental
and under-23 teams. The showing has also helped the Bruins escape
the shadow of the sport’s most successful team, the Berkeley
All-Blues ““ no affiliation to Cal ““ who, with four
straight national championships, have set the bar for excellence in
rugby.
“I’d like to think that UCLA is nearing that
bar,” Breckenridge said. “With just a little more
experience, we hope to achieve their success in the next year or
two.”
In the meantime, the Bruins are content to continue making
believers out of skeptics, one game at a time.