Big Green WINS Ivy Rugby North Division!

Three weeks ago in Hanover, Brown was able to come from behind and tie Dartmouth in a 23-23 stalemate. Dartmouth Rugby refused to allow this to happen again, and payback was served Saturday on a sloppy field in Providence. Captain Michael Burbank ’13 called it  “the most complete game of rugby that we’ve played all season.” Dartmouth won with a final score of 28-5, securing the Ivy League Rugby North Division regular season title in the process.

Dartmouth began the game with a deep drive into Brown territory, protecting the ball and methodically advancing inside their opponent’s 22. The Big Green drew a penalty in front of the post and Madison Hughes ’15 slotted it through with ease to put Dartmouth up 3-0. The next score came soon after the first with the Big Green backs turning a broken play into an overlap, getting the ball to Kevin Clark ’14 on the wing for a try in the corner giving Dartmouth an 8-0 lead. But Brown was not about to let Dartmouth run away with the game, putting in a try of their own following a Big Green penalty in their own zone. The conversion was unsuccessful and Dartmouth went into the half with an 8-5 lead.

The second half started brilliantly for the Big Green, with Lawrence Anfo-Whyte ’13 stealing the restart in the air. Dartmouth was able to swing the ball out wide to Hughes who put away Justin Ciambella ’13 in the corner for a try. The conversion was unsuccessful and Dartmouth pushed its lead to 8. Brown then began to control some of the possession, but the Big Green defense was in top form, stalemating the Brown pack on their attempts to disrupt the Dartmouth line. Dartmouth continued to look dangerous with the ball in hand throughout the second half, and Clark again found space on the outside, using his speed to put away another try in the corner, giving the Big Green an 18-5 lead. Hughes added a penalty and Chris Banks ’16 showed his skills with a 40-meter line break try to close out the game. The 1st XV walked off the field with a 28-5 victory, the Ivy North title, and the #1 seed in the Ivy Rugby 15s playoffs in April.

Co-Captain Quinn Connell ’13 was thrilled with the victory saying, “We showed up at the start and everyone played a full 80 minutes of good Dartmouth rugby.” Connell credited the victory to excellent defensive play out of the forward pack and mistake free rugby from the backline.

The 2nd XV also found success against the Brown B-side. The Big Green dominated on the muddy field and saw tries from Wilson Chockley ’15, Ned Kinglsey ’14, Seamus Bellew ’16 and Chris Banks ’16 among others. The 2nd XV walked away with a 30-5 victory and an undefeated season. “Its really a testament to the strength of the team and the character of the guys that we have out here that we were able to field 2 full sides that went undefeated this season,” said Connell after the games.

Although the Big Green’s 15’s season is complete, there is still much more rugby to be played. The fall 7’s season kicks off next week with an Ivy North 7’s tournament on Saturday, October 27th at the Corey Ford Rugby Clubhouse in Hanover. The Ivy Rugby 7s Championships will be held at Princeton on November 10th. The winner will have an automatic bid to the USA Rugby National 7s Championships in College Station, Texas, on November 30th – December 1.

Scoring Summary

Dartmouth penalty kick Madison Hughes 3-0
Dartmouth try Kevin Clark 8-0
Brown try 8-5
Halftime Dartmouth 8 - Brown 5

Dartmouth try Justin Ciambella 13-5
Dartmouth try Kevin Clark 18-5
Dartmouth penalty kick Madison Hughes 21-5
Dartmouth try Chris Banks 28-5
Final Dartmouth 28 - Brown 5