Elder Ruggers Reign Supreme at Yale Rugby Alumni Weekend
At the end of this year's Yale Rugby alumni weekend, there was only one conclusion to be made: The men and women ruggers of the Bulldog tradition only grow better with age.
The current undergraduates were handed a thorough trouncing by the more than 100 alums who gathered to participate in the annual Yale Rugby alumni celebration on April 27, with alumni sides winning all three matches of the day.
Great Turnout!
This year's festivities brought the largest turnout yet. The alumni represented years that stretched as far back as the Class of 1967, with some attendees hailing all the way from Hong Kong, Dubai, and Shanghai. They met for beers at Anna Liffey's on Friday night, then gathered Saturday morning for a presentation on the future of the men's and women's teams. After that, ruggers of present and past headed to the field for an afternoon of good-old-fashioned rucking, scrumming, and tackling. The day concluded with a banquet dinner in the Hall of Graduate Studies, a round of singing, and further festivities at the men's rugby house.
On the men's side, in the game of the recent alumni versus the Yale men's rugby current A-side, the alums won 29-24 in a physical match with a lot of back-and-forth. It was the closest score yet in the history of the "Walbridge Wager" series, and the undergraduates continue to lead the series 3-2.
But no such balanced score existed for the men's side of, ahem, a more seasoned vintage. In their match against the undergraduates' rookie class, the NOBS— short for "Nasty Old ..." you get the idea! — won 17-5, with tries scored by Warren Heffelfinger '89, Dave Bateman '80, and Tim Shriver '81.
"Experience, treachery and mass will beat youth and talent most of the time," proclaimed Ralph Bosch '77, president of Friends of Yale Rugby.
His sentiments also captured the theme of the women's match. The graduated ruggers beat the current undergraduate players 33-12. The alumnae dominated the game through the first half and well into the second, with tries scored by Yoshi Shapiro '11, Kathleen Lawler '09, Martine Powers '11, and Adrienne Spiegel '12. In the last 10 minutes of the match, however, emphysema began to kick in, and the WOMBs — short for "Worn Out Mean ..." you get the idea! — ceded two tries to the undergrads.
Freshman players also received first-hand experience with the infamous wrath of tackles from Alexandria Gillon '11, who took time off from her rugby pursuits in Shanghai to put the undergrads in their proper places.
The weekend of revelry was coupled with some serious talk about the future of the two club teams and fundraising goals for the coming years, as well as historical lessons about the sport's rough-and-tumble beginnings on the New Haven Green. And then, of course, there was singing.
"It should also be noted that the men fully acknowledge the complete dominance of the women in the singing portion of the festivities," Bosch said.
The ladies of Yale Rugby couldn't be more touched by the sentiment. Right back 'atcha, fellas!
Written by Martine Powers '11