Dartmouth men handle Brown at home, take Ivy lead

Hanover, NH- Brown lost to Dartmouth 64-15 on a cloudy cool day in Hanover. Dartmouth scored 10 trys and defeated Brown by a score of 64-15. Coming off of a win at Harvard the Big Green looked to go 2-0 and take first place in the Ivy League. Brown had defeated Penn the week prior and was optimistic.

Dartmouth is a deep strong team and the Bears needed a mistake free effort for a chance to win. So when Brown failed to catch the opening kickoff, possession went to Dartmouth for a try, putting the Bears in a deficit from which they did not recover.

Brown scrummaging was solid for the entire match but the Bear lineouts were dominated by Dartmouth in the first half. With the game out of reach by halftime, Brown did not fold and came on strong in the second half, winning some key lineouts and controlling possession for sustained periods. Senior John Landers scored twice and freshman Nkanyiso Nzimande (“Nzim”) scored from a Brown scrum in front of the posts on a number 8 pick-up.

The Brown backs were quiet on the day, picking up small gains but unable to break away from the Dartmouth defense. Backline defense was solid on set pieces, but in the open field, Dartmouth had greater team speed, handling and controlled the outcome.

Dartmouth’s last two tries of the match were the direct result of avoidable Brown errors and Brown must convert its conversions. The swing value of these costly missed opportunities was 18 points. 

Dartmouth

When asked about the game, Captain Hayden Aldredge stated, “It was great to have the alumni back, as always, we are incredibly grateful for all their support. We play every game not only for our teammates, but also for the guys who came before us, and it was nice to be able to perform well in front of all those guys. We are very happy with our performance yesterday. We finally put all of the pieces together on offense and were able to play some fun, wide-open rugby. Looking forward to improving each week as the season goes along.”

Dartmouth was quick to set the tone of the game with a try in the 6th minute from center Jack Badenhausen ’19, giving Dartmouth a 7-0 lead. Just two minutes later, fullback Max Parker ’17 punched in another try extending the lead to 12-0. As Dartmouth’s offense continued to create a number of chances a hard run from hooker Gordon Driscoll ’17 led to Dartmouth’s third try of the game giving the Big Green a lead of 19-0. Dartmouth kept its hot streak going as fly-half Dawit Workie recognized some open space and sent a kick flying into the try zone, connecting with Max Parker for his second try of the game and putting Dartmouth up 26-0. However, Dartmouth was not done for the half and after receiving a great offload from Hayden Aldredge, Dawit Workie turned on the jets and went 70 meters for his first try of the game. Dartmouth closed out the half up 31-0.

The second half started out a bit slower for the Big Green as Brown got its first opportunity of the day, scoring a try and getting on the board at 31-5. Dartmouth was quick to respond as some nice passing led to winger Jesse Brown’s first ever try giving Dartmouth a 38-5 lead. A few minutes later, fullback Max Parker took one to the house, diving into the try zone for his third try of the game and extending the lead to 45-5. Brown bounced back quickly with a try of its own, however a missed conversion held the score at 45-10. With a solid lead and only 15 minutes left, Dartmouth was not done. Using some fancy feet, Dawit Workie was able to create a 2 on 1 and dished the ball out to Hayden Aldredge who scored his first try of the game and gave Dartmouth another 5. Brown responded with another try cutting down the Dartmouth lead to 50-15. Shortly after, Ollie Engelhart kicked a grubber to himself and downed one in the corner putting up Dartmouth 57-15. Just before time expired wing Luke Bienstock broke through the Brown defense and went 40 meters for the final try of the game and sealing a Dartmouth victory at 64-15.

Dartmouth B side faced off against Brown after the end of the A side game and easily handled the Bears winning 60-0.

Dartmouth will travel to Yale next week in hopes of going 3-0 in the Ivy League. Brown will host Harvard.

Dartmouth Scoring

'6 Dartmouth try Jack Badenhausen '19
'6 Dartmouth conv Dawit Workie '17
'8 Dartmouth try Max Parler '17
'20 Dartmouth try Gordon Driscoll '17
'20 Dartmouth conv Dawit Workie '17
'26 Dartmouth try Max Parker '17
'26 Dartmouth conv Dawit Workie '17
'35 Dartmouth try Dawit Workie'17
'50 Dartmouth try Jesse Brown '17
'50 Dartmouth conv Dawit Workie '17
'58 Dartmouth try Max Parker '17
'58 Dartmouth conv Dawit Workie '17
'67 Dartmouth try Hayden Aldredge '17
'75 Dartmouth try Ollie Engelhart '18
'75 Dartmouth conv Dawit Workie '17
'79 Dartmouth try Luke Beinstock '20
'79 Dartmouth conv Dawit Workie '17

Brown Scoring

'43 Brown Try - John Landers - 5
'65 Brown Try - Nkanyiso Nzimande - 5
'73 Brown Try - John Landers - 5

Pregame: Optimistic Brown Travel to Dartmouth

Brown travels to scenic New Hampshire to take on Dartmouth College at their home Brophy Field, with the First XV kickoff scheduled for 12:00 noon and a developmental side match scheduled for immediately afterward. Both teams are 1-0 after their Ivy Rugby start this past weekend, though Brown holds a lead in the rankings due to a lopsided victory over UPenn.

Dartmouth has historically been a powerhouse of Ivy Rugby and their past games against Brown reflect that, with Brown failing to give Dartmouth much of a challenge since their historic tie game during the 2012 season. Brown's starting XV from that 2012 game have only now all left, but the new team is very optimistic about the upcoming season. Bruno is starting four freshmen alongside their seasoned veterans and the team is showcasing new levels of energy and athleticism, especially coming off a strong win to start the season. Dartmouth will pose an immense challenge as always, but Brown feels more confident and prepared than ever.