Harbus

Issue date: 5/5/08 Section: Sports

Thirty-nine Harvard ruggers set off last week for the wilds of North Carolina to compete in the MBA Rugby World Cup, hosted by Duke's Fuqua School of Business. Twenty-two men's teams and twelve women's teams from around the world converged on five fields just downwind from a large sewage treatment plant to battle it out for the coveted title of World Champion.

Harvard fielded two sides against stiff competition. The Harvard A's opened against the Thunderbird School of Management. It was a good tune-up game, with HBS jumping to an early lead on with dominant forward play and good runs by the backs. Jeff "Hot Pants" Miller (KSG) scored early with a long run after several solid phases. Chris "Built like a Brick Outhouse" Trimble (KSG) was the next on the board after plowing through several Thunderbird backs. Brendan "Dancing with the Stars" Whitworth (OJ) broke away, under the watchful eyes of his parents, for the third HBS try. The scrappy Thunderbird team hung on and threatened several times, but finally fell before the relentless onslaught, 31-7.

In the late morning, ominous rain clouds made good on their threats and drenched the fields. Several times, an exodus of Rugby players huddled in increasingly pungent vans while Mother Nature turned the fields to mush. When the rain cleared, the remaining games became less about elegant playmaking and more about smash-mouth, in-your-face rugby.

The next game saw the Harvard A's playing against friendly Canadian rival McGill University. Barely a few minutes into the opening drive, Liam "Happy Leprechaun" Patrick (OC) blew past the hapless defenders to score on a breakaway, though he was far from the last to see the try zone. Following a long run by Dave "Big Pappa" Fielding (OD), Trimble pushed in. The shutout included scores by Sean "The Tofu Monster" Eldridge (NE), Jeff "Back-Shaver" Todd (HLS), "Randy "Silent but Deadly" Goldstein (ND), and Evan "The Ball Architect" Engstrom (HLS). Harvard was dominant in its scrums and lineouts, and the backs attacked on both offense and defense for the entire game.

The Harvard B's opened against highly seeded Stanford and fought a tough, back and forth battle. Scrumhalf Joe "Sgt. Slaughter" Kim (OA) played aggressive defense, regularly bringing to ground behemoths twice his size, while Tim "Irish Thunder" O'Rourke (OD) cut several punishing runs through the defense. The game came down to its final minutes, with HBS finally being overcome 12-0 by a tough Stanford side who finished fifth in the tournament.

Continued...

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