Rugby Disappointed at Nationals

By Brendan M. Neff | Friday, May 5, 2006

On the 24th of April, the Dartmouth Rugby Football Club took to the field in the USA Rugby Championship Round of 16, The men in green stormed the pitch on a damp afternoon at the U.S. Military Academy in West Point, NY and came away with a 40 - 20 victory over Ohio State. The victory earned the Dartmouth men a trip to the Elite 8 the next day against Pennsylvania State University.

The Dartmouth offense got off to a quick start against the favored Buckeyes as flanker Mark Goodson found a gap and the try zone in the 2nd minute. For a stretch the two teams continued to feel out each other’s defenses, but in the 18th minute center Aziz Sayigh widened the gap to 12 - 0. Both defense stiffened for the remainder of the half, but each teams kicking game was spot on. Dartmouth posted 3 penalty kicks off of the boot of fullback Andrew Caspary while Ohio State split the uprights twice to make the score 21 - 6 at the half.

If there was a question as to whether the men in green could maintain their pace against their larger and highly ranked foe, it was answered immediately. The Dartmouth team came out of half time with guns blazing once again as Sayigh found the try zone for the second time in the 42nd minute after a 20 meter line break by flanker Henry Tarmy-Caspary made good with the points widening the gap to 28 - 6. In the 50th minute, open phase play got the ball to lock Anthony Gargiulo who stormed through the Ohio State defense for the try, making the score 35 - 6. After Dartmouth stole an OSU scrum in the 65th minute, Goodson found the try zone again to finish the Dartmouth tally at 40, effectively ending the game. To their credit, the Buckeyes showed little quit to there game. Ohio State was able to punch in two tries in the closing minutes of the match against Dartmouth reserves to bring the match to the 40 - 20 final.

Despite the optimism resulting from the surprise domination of the Buckeyes, Dartmouth was unable to punch their ticket to the Final Four in Stanford. The following afternoon the Dartmouth Rugby Football Club’s run at the National Title was ended by a powerful Penn State side.

The team came out on the short side of a 63 - 0 score which did not reflect the skill and desire displayed by the inspired Dartmouth side. Penn State’s defense was a force to be reckoned with, and constant pressure made execution difficult. They are certain to challenge the traditional, Western powers for the national championship.

The day ended the season for a paramount class of seniors that has enjoyed one of the most successful years in Dartmouth history. After opening the Corey Ford Rugby Clubhouse, the team placed runner-up in the Northeast Rugby Football Union, retained the Ivy-League Championship title, and will now be ranked as one of the top 8 teams in the nation. The seniors now leave the club in the hands of a group of promising athletes, fueled by the positive culture instilled by the outgoing leaders. The new regime will look to continue the DRFC’s tradition of success in the spring and fall season to come.

Rugby Disappointed at Nationals

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