Toreros Retain Founders Cup; Raise Funds for Charity
A sunny Saturday saw the University of San Diego Toreros host the San Diego State Aztecs for their annual Founders Cup match - a rivalry game paying homage to the shared lineage between San Diego’s top collegiate rugby programs- against the beautiful backdrop of Torero Stadium.
The day started with a series of high school 7s matches, featuring local programs from around San Diego. This was a fantastic showcase of the sheer talent that exists in the southern California area and was a great opportunity for them to be scouted by both USD and SDSU.
The main event started with a national anthem featuring the NROTC San Diego Color Guard and a fly over by a four ship flight of T-38s out of MCAS Miramar, flown by Show Boss Productions. It was a fitting start to the Toreros military-appreciation match, where the home side donned custom, military-themed jerseys that were sold at a post-match auction benefitting the Navy & Marine Corps Relief Society, which supports San Diego’s Sailors, Marines, and their families.
From the opening kickoff, the Toreros seemed the more composed side as Paul Habeeb cleanly controlled the reception before Lucas Troughear blasted a clearance kick into the Aztec half. A well-connected USD defense remained firm for nine phases as SDSU probed for holes but a knock-on in the tackle gave the Toreros an attacking scrum at mid-field. Several phases of open play brought the Toreros to the Aztec’s try-line but Habeeb was held up as San Diego State demonstrated some early grit. Nevertheless, a Torero line-out in the sixth minute lead to Troughear seeing a half gap which he promptly abused, seeing off two defenders with dummy passes before dotting the ball down under the sticks. A self-converted try by Troughear saw USD to an early 7-0 lead and despite the warm weather, the snowball of scoring only grew from there.
With a Caleb Tomasin try coming just before the half, USD amassed a comfortable 47-0 advantage. Despite the deficit, the Aztecs remained aggressive throughout the balance of the contest and their efforts were rewarded as Baden Davies bullied his way into the Torero’s try zone. Their scoring would end there, however, as the Toreros dotted down three more tries before the final whistle, making the final 63-5.
Captain and USMC Veteran Dustin Braun speaks to the crowd as he accepts the Founders Cup.
Over 1,000 fans turned up at Torero Stadium to watch the local showdown.
National Anthem flyover by T-38s from Showboss Productions.
Members of the San Diego NROTC Color Guard practice for the National Anthem before kickoff.