Rugby Homecoming: Saturday, Sachem Field, Kickoff at Noon, v. Northeastern

By Thomas Monahan | Friday, October 29, 2004

This season for the Dartmouth Rugby Football Club can only be described as a season on the brink. The young team has been carefully perched on the threshold of greatness and disaster since the men of the DRFC gathered here in the beginning of September to commence training for their 2003 campaign for the Northeast Championship. Centered around a small senior class, the team actively pursued a more serious team attitude and work ethic in order to maintain Dartmouth Rugby's longstanding reputation as one of the most dominant teams in the Northeast.

The four starting A-side seniors are supported by an extremely talented junior class that has been recently bolstered by retired football talent; a phenomenal sophomore class, many of whom are already starting and reserving for the A-side; and a tenacious freshmen class which has garnered a 2-1 record in its freshmen-side matches. The team that came together in September had this weekend in mind when they first met on the pitch at Sachem in the last lingering days of the New England Indian Summer. Homecoming against Northeastern with victory garnering a number two seed in the playoffs for the Northeast Championship, and defeat most likely meaning the team will be sitting at home next Saturday. All or nothing. After this season, the men in green just wouldn't have it any other way.

The plan was simple enough for the DRFC: start winning early and build momentum into week three when the team would play the defending Northeast Champion Army team at West Point, New York. But a good plan means nothing if it is not paired with great execution, and after coming out of pre-season 0–2 with losses to strong Canadian teams McGill and Carleton the DRFC was hungry for a victory in the first week of the regular season.

Week One: September 18th

Boston College 37 @ Dartmouth 17

It was a cold rainy Saturday as the DRFC took to the pitch at Sachem. In wet conditions, the Boston College Eagles played solid ten-man rugby, pounding out territory on the slick pitch. Early penalties and Dartmouth's inability to keep possession with sloppy rucks, ball presentation, and knock-ons led Dartmouth to a 15–5 deficit at the half.

After an early BC try in the first half, the Indians began to rally with two quick scores as yours truly picked a ball up off a maul and jammed it in for the score, and as Jesse Blom '06 froze the BC fullback with a gorgeous chip kick-—which he placed in the try zone making the score 20–17 BC. Unfortunately improved play did not last and the men in green gave up three more tries before time expired, as inability to keep possession and poor defense once again plagued the Indians.

The team now found its back against the wall. With a loss this early in the season, to a team in the less talented green league the DRFC really needed to build momentum and confidence in the game against Brown the following week.

Week Two: September 25th

Dartmouth 64 @ Brown 9

The Dartmouth men found their swagger in Providence, Rhode Island against an outsized and outmatched Brown team. Both Captain Eric 'Danger' Richardson '05 and Co-Captain Brad Hogate '05 both found the try zone three times. The most spectacular score of the match came in the sixty-ninth minute when Danger single-handedly drove through the Brown defense for fifty meters to convert a spectacular try. The Captain ran with the urgency of a Viking having just landed on foreign soil and ready for all the pillaging he could muster.

The game, although phenomenal, was not without losses. Just before then first of many Dartmouth scores in the fifteenth minute I went down with a season ending MCL tear and later in the match Prop Omar 'Strictly' Foda 'Ladies' sustained a concussion which would keep him out of the Army game the following week. With a confidence boosting win the DRFC was faced with two options for the following week: beat heavily favored Army and run the table, likely clinching the number one seed in the Northeast, or fall to Army and be faced with the dire need to win every remaining game just to clinch a playoff berth.

Week Three: October 2nd

Dartmouth 10 @ Army 40

It wouldn't be a game against Army at West Point if it weren't raining. And as the clear early fall day ended, the lights were lit for this evening showdown between two powerful rivals. Just after the kickoff, the sky opened up and the clear day turned into a torrential evening. The early phases of the match were characterized with punishing defense as Dartmouth was able to capitalize early off the boot of Andrew Caspary '06 to give Dartmouth a 3–0 lead. The Army team punched back, however, and managed to put in two tries, drawing the score to 10–3. In the dwindling minutes of the first half, Army again managed to find the try zone after sloppy Dartmouth set play and was able to convert a penalty to make the score 18–3 at the half.

Army continued its dominant play through the second half, as the Dartmouth scrum was unable to secure any sort of effective platform to work off. Army was able to rack up a score of 40–3 by the dwindling minutes of the game but determined play by Dartmouth allowed flanker Isaac 'Wombat' Kardon to scurry into the try zone to make the final 40–10.

Dartmouth had seen its playoff hopes become heavily tarnished after a slow 1-2 start. The team now had to win its remaining four games to be guaranteed a playoff birth. The first win would have to come against Norwich Military Academy, the team that had defeated the DRFC last fall on the last play of the game—denying the Dartmouth ruggers a playoff berth for the first time in ages.

Week Four October 9th

Dartmouth 45 @ Norwich 15

The men in green took to the pitch in Northfield, Vermont on a beautiful sunny Saturday afternoon to avenge last year's loss and keep the teams playoff hopes alive. The contest proved to be a punishing physical as the steakier Norwich squad played a ten-man game, attempting to bring the hurt to the Dartmouth pack. The big men of the Dartmouth squad stepped up to the occasion punishing the Norwich team with fierce bone-crushing tackles. Lock John 'Hooch' Turner '04 appeared to engulf the large Norwich pack and demolish them. The pack's tackling could only be described as nasty, as they punished the Norwich boys throughout the match.

The match began with tragedy for the Dartmouth team as star flyhalf Jesse Blom '06 tore his MCL in the first contact of the game. However, young Chris 'Palomino' Chan stepped into Blom's shoes and proved to be a secular in his distribution for the remainder of the match. The Dartmouth squad utterly dominated every phase of the game, garnering a 33–5 lead at the half. The most spectacular score came in the dwindling minutes of the half as Joe 'F-Football and F-Lax' Boswell made a line break off a ruck and rather than dodging the Norwich fullback he gave him a ride on his forearm ten meters into the try zone. The try, Boswell's second of the half, proved to be utterly humiliating for Norwich.

The DRFC continued its dominant play in the second half cementing a 45–15 victory. With a solid victory over Norwich the Indians looked to improve their now 2–2 record at home against the University of Connecticut. Once again, a win would bring the team one step closer to playoffs and a loss would end their playoff hopes.

Week Five: October 16th

UCONN 19 @ Dartmouth 22

In this must-win matchfor Dartmouth, the Indians managed to come from behind to tack on another victory against previously undefeated UCONN. The first half was a defensive battle as goal line stands and punishing defense by both teams prevented many scoring opportunities. Ultimately Dartmouth allowed two tries and UCONN allowed a try and a penalty—making the score at the half 14–8.

Early in the first half UCONN was able to work the ball down the field and score in the corner to make the score 19–8 in their favor. It was not until the sixty-ninth minute that Dartmouth found its swagger with a spectacular run by Dan 'El Spaniardo' Korea '05 that resultws in a try. Five minutes later Dartmouth again found the try zone as Tom Manzo '07 gave the assist to gorgeous Chris Chan, who capitalized in the right corner of the try zone. After a spectacular conversion kick by fullback Andrew Caspary '06 the score was 22–19, with just over five minutes left in regulation.

The victory was now in the hands of Dartmouth's defense. UCONN quickly drove the ball into Dartmouth territory, garnering several penalties and thus granted opportunities to kick three points for the tie. UCONN chose however to play for the win and were continually dominated by Dartmouth's tenacious goal line defense. A break in the line did not come until the final play of the game when Caspary, whose conversion kick undoubtedly saved the day for Dartmouth, was again given the opportunity to play hero. As a the UCONN flyhalf broke through the Dartmouth defensive line, Caspary stepped up form the fullback position and made a powerful tackle on the five meter line. The flyhalf struggled to reach the try zone but could not reach the line and knocked on the ball ending the game. With a barnburner win at home, the DRFC was poised to face the University of Massachusetts at Amherst to set up a winner-take-all homecoming the following week.

Week Six: October 23rd

Dartmouth 19 @ UMASS 14

The DRFC played an early 10 a.m. game on a crisp Saturday morning in Amherst. In perhaps one of the worst officiated games in the history of rugby, the men in green overcame adversity to eventually dominate a low scoring sloppy game. The first half was characterized by a lack of intensity by Dartmouth and some egregious reffing. The score at the half found Dartmouth down 7–0.

However, Dartmouth came out in the second half with grit and intensity. The first score came five minutes into the half after a supremely-dominant Dartmouth scrum on the fifty meter . The Dartmouth pack stole UMASS' put-in and quickly spun the ball out to wing Will Pierce '06. Dartmouth continued to dominate the territory game for the next twenty minutes, eventually giving fullback Caspary a break on the corner. He scored a try which brought the score 14–7 Dartmouth. Dartmouth scored again quickly as prop Omar Foda spun off a driving maul to put the ball in the try zone and make the score 19-7. The UMASS squad managed a last-minute score after several penalties were assessed to the Dartmouth squad. The DRFC tenaciously held on, cementing a 19–14 victory and set up an all-or-nothing homecoming match against Northeastern.

Homecoming Preview: October 30th

Northeastern @ Dartmouth

Northeastern comes to Dartmouth this weekend with the same record as the DRFC having fallen to both Army and Harvard. The currently number-two UCONN will likely lose to the heavily-favored Army squad this weekend. If so, the victor of the Dartmouth-Northeastern game will likely be the second seed in New England. The Homecoming game this weekend will undoubtedly the most exciting and most important rugby game in the Northeast this weekend. Dartmouth looks to clinch the second spot in the region as well as avenge last years 20–19 loss that inevitably kept the DRFC out of last years' playoffs.

If Dartmouth is to win, they will need a huge game from their forwards as Northeastern will undoubtedly play ten-man rugby and have little talent in its back line. The forward pack needs to bring the punishing tackles that has typified this season's defense. The backs must also play a spectacular game as their dynamic speed and creativity will be no match for the trundling Northeastern squad.

Dartmouth is by far the more talented team and as long as they bring the desire and intensity that has typified the team's play this year there is no way they can lose. As for Northeastern, the DRFC should teach these brutes a lesson in class as well as a lesson in rugby. On Saturday, come watch the Dartmouth Rugby Football Club compete to be one of the best teams in New England. So that's: Northeastern @ Dartmouth; noon on Saturday at Sachem Field. (From the Green: 1 mile South on Main Street. Left before Campian's Ice Arena. Continue one-tenth of a mile and the pitch will be on your right.)

Rugby Homecoming: Saturday, Sachem Field, Kickoff at Noon, v. Northeastern

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