Original Article: http://dartreview.com/archives/2005/08/26/rugby_opens_new_clubhouse.php
Friday, August 26, 2005
This fall the Dartmouth Rugby Football Club begins its quest to return to the national championship with a highly competitive schedule that will eventually send two teams to the National Tournament in the spring. September 17 marks the opening day of the fall season for the New England Rugby Union and the men in green will find themselves traveling to Boston to take on the Northeastern University Poodles for their first game of the season. Northeastern has proven in years past to be a formidable opponent by relying on their powerful forward pack to break the defensive off the ruck. This game will truly be a serious test of the condition and power the Dartmouth forward pack has been developing over the summer—led by co-captains Joe Boswell and All-American Joe Killefer, the DRFC should surely come out on top. As the Dartmouth men are undersized in the forward pack compared with many other competitive rugby schools in New England, they must rely on speed, strength, endurance, and a tenacity otherwise known as "the Dartmouth Swagger."
The following weekend on September 24th the Dartmouth ruggers will be proud to open the Corey Ford Rugby Clubhouse. Construction of the Corey Ford Rugby Clubhouse began in July 2004 at Garipay Field on Reservoir Road, north of Hanover and across from the golf course. The site includes two fields running parallel to Reservoir Road, separated by a twenty-foot-high bank. The clubhouse is being built into the hillside at the halfway line. Spectators can view games from the deck or the hillside along the length of the field. The two million dollar clubhouse was made possible by an initial bequest in 1969 from Corey Ford, a great coach and fan of the Dartmouth Rugby Football Club. In addition to his initial endowment, the DRFC has raised $1,300,000 in donations from gracious alumni, supporters and friends of the club.
The inaugural game will be against the defending Northeast Champions, the United States Military Academy at West Point. Army has fielded a particularly spectacular team in the past few years relying on intelligent attack, determined defense, and superior fitness. This match will truly be the most important test match of the season in the Northeast Rugby Union as the defending champions and the runners-up compete on a spectacular stage. Army is surely the favorite but with brilliant and talented like flyhalf Jesse Blom, Center Scott Penner, and fullback Andrew Caspary, the DRFC looks poised to defeat the defending champions on one of the most state-of-the-art rugby facilities in the nation.
Dartmouth finishes the season with matches against the University of Connecticut, the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, and Boston College. These matches will be great displays of tough New England rugby and all but the UConn game will be played at the new Corey Ford Rugby Facility. Playoffs begin October 22nd and the DRFC hopes to capture the top seed allowing for home matches throughout the initial rounds. The team always appreciates fan support at home and away matches. Cheers to a successful season.
Dartmouth Rugby's Joe Killefer Named Collegiate All-American
After a strong 2004-2005 season that returned Dartmouth to the national stage with an appearance in the Sweet Sixteen, Joe Killefer gained individual honors at the national level, receiving a spot on the 2005 All-American rugby team. No stranger to high-level athletic competition and the game of rugby, Joe began playing rugby in high school for the Los Angeles Cougars and eventually became starting tight end for the Dartmouth football team. While at Dartmouth Joe excelled at both sports but after this fall season he chose to stop playing football and devote himself to rugby.
After a strong showing at the Ivy League Championships this spring, Joe was named to the All-Ivy rugby squad. His powerful performance at the Sweet Sixteen two weeks later further cemented his role as a team leader off the pitch and a powerhouse on the turf. Killefer was elected co-captain by his teammates and with a strong showing in the Northeast All-Star selection camp this spring he garnered a spot to compete in the National Collegiate All-Star Championship on June 10-11 in Boulder, Colorado.
Joe's tough style of play and his experience and knowledge of the game impressed the scouts in Boulder and gained him a spot on the 33-man All-American Squad. The team will travel with All-American coach Dave Hodges to New Zealand in August to train and play games against Massey University and Wellington's Old Boys University Rugby Club. Dartmouth will look forward to Joe's return from Down Under and the team should greatly benefit from his experience when they convene for training camp in Hanover September 1.