UCLA Men's Rugby Shines at West Coast Sevens, Finish as Tournament Runners-Up
LOS ANGELES, Calif. — The UCLA Men's Rugby team delivered a standout performance at the West Coast Sevens tournament on Saturday, September 27, earning three dominant pool-play victories before finishing as runners-up to Cal Berkeley's first side in the championship final.
The Bruins opened their campaign with a statement win over Cal Berkeley's 2nd XV, running in six tries to seal a commanding 38-5 result. They carried that momentum into their next match against crosstown rivals USC, where a disciplined defense and clinical attack secured a 28-5 victory. UCLA closed out pool play in style, defeating the University of San Diego 36-5 behind a balanced effort that showcased both speed on the outside and physicality at the breakdown.
Those results propelled UCLA into the championship match, where they faced Cal Berkeley's first side—a perennial powerhouse in collegiate sevens. On a short turnaround, the Bruins battled hard but ultimately fell 37-0 to the Bears, ending their tournament as runners-up.
Despite the final result, the day marked a milestone for UCLA Rugby. The team's three pool-stage victories and overall runner-up finish represent their best showing at a sevens tournament since Head Coach Harry Bennett took charge of the program.
"This tournament was a huge step forward for our group," Bennett said. "The boys played with belief, composure, and real attacking flair throughout the day. While we came up short in the final against a very strong Cal side, I'm proud of the way we carried ourselves and the progress we've shown as a sevens team."
With the Fall season officially underway, the Bruins will look to build on this momentum as they continue sevens preparations going into the next two WC7s tournaments later in October. The next opportunity will be at Stanford on Oct 11th before closing out the WC7s series in Oceanside for the final two day tournament on Oct 25-26.
This coming weekend the Bruins host Indiana University at Westwood in a XVs match as a BIG10 showcase rematch. See schedule for further details.
