VANCOUVER – The UBC Thunderbirds men's rugby team will put their 10-0 record on the line this Saturday when they fly south to square off against American rivals California Golden Bears in Berkeley. Looking to retain the storied World Cup trophy (named after the former Vancouver World newspaper), the 'Birds are preparing for a Bears side that has jumped out to 5-0 in 2016, while notching 280 points without conceding a single score. 
 
MATCH DETAILS:
Sat. Feb 6, 2016, 11 a.m., UBC Thunderbirds at California Golden Bears (Witter Rugby Field, Berkeley, Calif.)
 
Witter Rugby Field has long been a hostile environment to visitors, but in 2015 the 'Birds held the Bears try-less en route to a 19-6 win, their first on that pitch in over a decade. The pressure of the away fixture is immense according to 'Birds senior Brock Staller (Vancouver), but with crowds expected in the thousands and a broadcast on the PAC-12 Network, UBC relishes the opportunity of facing the American heavyweights on their home field. 
 
"They usually have a sell out crowd [in Berkeley] and for many of the guys on our team that don't go on to play for Canada, this is really a highlight in their careers," said Staller. 
 
It's an opportunity to play the top program in the United States, one that has won three straight national Sevens collegiate titles as well as numerous 15s championships. 
 
"We haven't reached our full potential yet but playing against an expansive team like Cal, we can show them how we play," Staller added. "They play a direct style with a lot of structure around their line outs and scrums and they have the athletes and coaches in place to make it work." 
 
Playing against the Bears is always high-tempo, bruising rugby, according to Staller, who says this week's opponents have the "pace of UVic, but with bigger athletes." 
 
The 'Birds are currently on a 10-match winning streak, which included a recent Wightman Boot victory over the Victoria Vikes just two weeks ago. The Thunderbirds defeated Capilano this past Saturday to move to 2-0 in BC Premier League play, as they look to defend their Rounsefell Cup provincial club championship. The side will need plenty of confidence heading into Saturday's clash, with Cal currently shutting out each of their opponents in 2016. 
 
"They are a side that is really fit," Staller said before adding that UBC will need "to show our mental toughness against them." 
 
The annual home-and-home World Cup series features two of the top university rugby programs in North America. In 2015, the Bears lost on their home pitch but rallied in the second leg on March 22, edging UBC at Thunderbird Stadium 23-21. UBC retained the trophy on aggregate scoring, but few will forget how Cal snatched the game away with an 80th-minute penalty to split the series 1-1. 
 
Saturday's clash will kick off at 11 a.m. at Witter Rugby Field with the return leg scheduled for March 20 in Vancouver.