Every club has its own special profile, and the Olympic Club in San Francisco has become a high-level playing opportunity for graduates of high-profile colleges.
That doesn’t mean the club is exclusive — not by a long shot. But Cal and Saint Mary’s, who the O-Club is playing in back-to-back weeks in preparation for the start of the Pacific Rugby Premiership on Feb. 10, seem to provide a large number of players in the squad's lineup.
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“We’re young at the moment,” said Andrew King, who is the Olympic Club's GM and one of its coaches. “Suddenly Keegan Engelbrecht is the old man on the team.
A former Cal All-American flyhalf, Engelbrecht is indeed something of an elder statesman for the Olympic Club after playing for the Bears over seven years ago. Dustin Muhn (Cal) and Mike Haley (Saint Mary’s) are also comparative graybeards, as O-Club brings in an influx of young members.
“We definitely have a good core group of guys who have been here two or three years who are looking to take a step forward," King said.
Fans of college rugby will recognize names such as Jared Braun (Cal), Tanner Mohr (Cal), Jake Anderson (Cal), Bubba Jones (Saint Mary’s), Matt Frederickson (UCLA), and Stephan Salimi ( UCSB) — all O-Club players who will see time this year.
The oldest Intercollegiate Athletics program at Cal in new @UnderArmour kit. See more at https://t.co/7nQc77ru2a #GoBears pic.twitter.com/Z9tJcqdpvO
— Cal Varsity Rugby (@CalVarsityRugby) October 4, 2017
The Olympic Club travels to face Cal in Berkeley this Saturday, and the Bears have a history of competing against prominent athletic clubs.
Back in 2005, Cal hosted the New York Athletic Club and also played Old Mission Beach Athletic Club. But the Bears haven’t played a game like this since they beat NYAC 27-19 in 2009. For Cal and Saint Mary's, their upcoming games against O-Club provide a bit of a homecoming feel, coupled with meeting the need of playing older, more physical teams that challenge them in the contact area.
Olympic Club head coach Ray Lehner played for Bears coach Jack Clark and also with the USA national team. Lehner is champing at the bit to show what his team can do against his old mentor.
The game this weekend also is a bit of a nod to history. The Olympic Club and Cal both had their connections to the Olympic gold medal teams of 1920 and 1924.
While the college teams are looking to get more physical opposition, the Olympic Club gets to play well-prepared, fit teams that have their systems down heading into the PRP season, which runs from Feb. 10 to May 5.
“We could not be more excited about how this season is shaping up for us," King said. “It’s going to be 11 high-quality games. The floor is much better than anyone else’s out there in pure amateur rugby. The six clubs together have a really good relationship and we can work together to build what works for us. And USA Rugby has done a good job of recognizing the strength of the league with our winner going straight to the national semifinals.”