Something Understood: Rugby Saturday: Cal v Stanford, and 6 Nations win

Cal Rugby is celebrating 125 years as a college sport today's homecoming match(es) against Stanford. I had the pleasure of touch judging the second match, which was between the first XVs. Larry Johnson was the referee for that match. Mr. Johnson is visiting from Denver and the Eastern Rockies RFU. The match was a bit one way in the first half, but the second half saw the ball slowing down, with a fair number of knock-ons and turnovers at the ruck.

And congratulations to France for taking the 6 Nations this year. Going into this final weekend it was mathematically possible for four of the six teams to win, so it had to have been a really exciting day, and it was. Wales beat England, 24-18, which is good news for the Welsh but more bad news for the defending world champions. It's not really all that long 'til the next World Cup...

The 6 Nations are, for those unfamiliar, an annual round robin tournament played between England, Wales, Ireland, Scotland, France, and Italy. Should one nation win all 5 of its matches, the feat is known as a Grand Slam, and was last achieved by Wales in 2005. Additionally, the Triple Crown is a trophy contested by the just the four "home nations" sides: England, Wales, Scotland, and Ireland. If one of these teams beats the other three, it gets the Triple Crown trophy. The Six Nations is terrifically exciting.

The parallel in the Southern Hemisphere is the Tri-Nations, contested by South Africa, Australia, and New Zealand.