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.