The Dartmouth Rugby Football Club traveled to Cambridge, Mass., on Saturday and lost to a mediocre Harvard squad 31-7. Without its captain, whose season is over due to a knee injury suffered in the University of Connecticut match, the DRFC put up an uninspired effort in the pouring rain and mud. It was Dartmouth's first loss of the season, dropping the team to 4-1.
Harvard and the slippery field joined forces to hold Dartmouth's usually dominant scrum at bay. The forwards were unable to push the Crimson pack off the ball, though they didn't lose any of their own put-ins. Line-outs were equally poor for both sides, as a stiff wind blowing from try zone to try zone made straight throws a challenge.
Jimmy Joun '03, the DRFC hooker responsible for throw-ins, commented, "When the ball is thrown into the line-out, the path has to be straight down the tunnel [between the two teams]. A successful toss gets its power not from the thrower's arms and shoulders, but from his legs, especially the calves. Today, the wind was just too mighty for our lineouts to make an impact. I haven't seen a gale like that since the 1999 sevens tournament I played in during the monsoon season in Bombay."
Fellow hooker Chris Vorys '03 agreed: "Like, man, that wind was strong. Dude, I tried throwing [the ball], and it had a gourd of its own, man. It just was like weird!"
In a well-officiated contest, the first 10 minutes saw seven Dartmouth penalties against Harvard's one. Harvard scored quickly, gaining a 10-0 advantage on two tries scored on overlaps. Pulled in toward the breakdown by several forward runs, the DRFC defense failed to adjust and pull wide, allowing the Harvard wing to easily prance into the try zone.
Staggering, Dartmouth finally put together significant possessions in the Harvard zone in the latter half of the first period. Hammering at the Harvard five-meter for five minutes, Dartmouth's offensive attack was hampered by abysmal back play.
Harvard poached the ball at will as backs stood by and watched, lending little support. Finally, 25 minutes into the game, scrum-half Michael Curley '04 picked the ball from a ruck at the Harvard five-meter and punched the ball in under the goalposts. The kick was converted to make the score 10-7. Dartmouth retained possession for much of the remainder of the first half, but did not score.
"I thought the momentum would shift after putting points on the board, but those backs ... jeez. I've seen hand-less monsters with better hands. Harvard didn't beat Dartmouth today, Dartmouth beat Dartmouth. And that's tough to swallow," Curley said.
The second half was a disaster. Harvard dominated territory, taking advantage of a significant wind advantage with a kicking strategy. Dartmouth continued its poor rucking and support. The match ended with Harvard the victors, 31-7.
"There's really no worse feeling than losing to that silly bunch," flanker Tom Abreu '03 said after the match. "It was a sloppy day, and we played a sloppy game. We beat ourselves, and that's frustrating."
Dartmouth recovers this weekend with a tough match against Army (5-0) at West Point. The game is very important for the DRFC's playoff standing.
Ben Annino is a senior prop for the Dartmouth Rugby Football Club.
