Big Green Back in Action at Granite Cup
After taking on two of the toughest teams in Canada last weekend, Dartmouth Men’s Rugby will look a little closer to home for opponents this weekend as part of the Granite Cup. The one-day tournament will be held Saturday, Sept. 10th at the Corey Ford Rugby Clubhouse in Hanover, and will feature some of the tougher opponents from New Hampshire and Vermont. As a result The Big Green’s 2nd and Development sides, both of which are taking part, will certainly have their work cut our for them. Then again this is nothing new for the Granite Cup, which has become quite a local rugby tradition over the decades. Originally played in the spring, the tournament has moved to the fall in the past few years so that more teams can compete with their full sides. As a result, the quality of play has only increased, in the process helping grow the college game in the area.
This year’s edition will kick off at 9 am on Battle Field when Dartmouth’s Development team takes on the 2nd XV from Saint Michael’s College. The winner will advance to the Men’s Tier II championship, where they will take on the winner of Plymouth State versus Keene State, which will be played at 10 am on Battle. The championship match will be held at 12 pm on Brophy Field, while a consolation match for the two losers will be held simultaneously on Battle. Meanwhile, Dartmouth’s 2nd XV will kick off at 10 am on Brophy against the 1st XV from Saint Michael’s. The other semifinal matchup between the University of New Hampshire and the University of Vermont will be held at 11 am on Battle. The winners of these matchups will decide the Men’s Tier I championship at 2 pm on Brophy, while the two losers will play a consolation match at 1 pm on Battle. Amidst all this action, a women’s tournament will also be held concurrently, with teams from Dartmouth, UNH, and Plymouth State competing in a round-robin format. The Corey Ford Rugby Clubhouse can be found located at 9 Reservoir Road in Hanover, 1.8 miles north of the Hanover Inn, off of Lyme Road. Dartmouth will next be in action Friday, Sept. 16th at 5 pm when they take on traditional Northeast rivals Army in West Point in their final preseason match before opening Ivy Rugby play Sept. 24th at Cornell.