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Dartmouth ruggers visit England for the spring breakand get some pointers at Rugby, home of the sport
In preparation for a challenging spring schedule which will include eastern powers Army, Boston University, Harvard, the Old Green, the Boston and Albany Clubs, and the Ivy League tournament, 23 "Dartmouth ruggers toured England over spring break. Though the top quality of the competition and the fact that Dartmouth had not played outdoors since November were to prevent the Big Green from returning with a winning record, the tour proved to be an extremely valuable learning experience.
The team arrived in England on Tuesday, March 15, and proceeded to Oxford. Wednesday's game versus Oxford University's Balliol College was to provide the Green with it's only tour victory. Twice coming back from deficits, the Green displayed the integrity and defensive prowess which have become team trademarks. Balliol tallied first on a penalty kick to take a 3-0 lead. But excellent backfield running, capped by a perfect pop kick by Dave Gibbons '82, allowed pursuing wing forward Matt Haley '83 to touch the ball down in the try zone for the Green's first points of 1983 and a 4-3 lead. Scrumhalf Bob Duncanson '83 made good on the conversion and the Green led 6-3.
Some strong Balliol running accompanied by good scrum pursuit allowed them to score a penalty try late in the first half, and a successful conversion put the English team on top 9-6 at the break. But as so often happens, the second half belonged to the Big Green. Good coordination between the backs and scrummers paid off as sophomore prop Dave Story took the ball from hooker Jim Calmas '84 for a try and a 10-9 Dartmouth lead. Duncanson's second successful conversion upped the lead to the 12-9 final score, and the Big Green dominated the match from there on, nearly scoring on numerous occasions.
A second night of singing and pub-visiting with the Balliol hosts allowed the ruggers to further acclimate themselves to their British surroundings before taking off for William Shakespeare's birthplace, Stratford-upon-Avon, where they could recover while celebrating St. Patrick's Day English-style. Though the pubs closed at 11:00 p.m., the Green ruggers were able to convince "Mom," the hotel manager, to keep the hotel bar open until the small hours.
Friday brought the team to Rugby, birthplace of the game, for a reunion with fall-term coach Bill Mattocks and a match against one of the Midland's better rugby teams. In Rugby the Dartmouth men were overwhelmed by the tremendous hospitality displayed by members of the Rugby Lions, who seemed eager to repay the hospitality they received when touring Minneapolis and Chicago last summer. Friday tours and the Saturday morning match were followed by a sit-down dinner, a television viewing of Ireland's 25-15 defeat of England in International Play, and a most enjoyable songfest, all within the walls of Rugby's spacious clubhouse. Immediately thereafter the Big Green were entreated to a second consecutive night of "Rugby Pub-Crawling," an activity apparently common to most English towns.
The game itself found Dartmouth on the short side of the 32-9 score, but proved to be highly instructive as the much more experienced Rugby side eagerly shared their knowledge of the game. The first half was actually quite close. Jim Calmas' try and Bob Duncanson's conversion brought the Big Green to 8-6 before another Rugby try gave them a 12-6 halftime lead. In the second half, however, the Lions began to roll, and aided by numerous Big Green penalties, were able to achieve the misleading score. Dartmouth's only scoring success in the second half was a beautiful penalty kick by Duncanson, but overall the spectators were treated to a very enjoyable and hard-fought match.
Though the ruggers would gladly have remained in Rugby for the duration of the tour, the itinerary dictated otherwise, and they proceeded to London for the final three matches. Sunday afternoon brought much rain, a quagmire for a pitch, and a defeat for the tired Big Green at the hands of a much hungrier University College of London XV. U.C. London exhibited better ball control and passed the ball out to the wings better than did Dartmouth, and came out on top by a 20-0 count. The flyhalf-inside center combination of Jim Mitchell 83 and Dave Robertson '84 put in a valiant effort, and fullback F.X. Jacoby repeatedly kept the opponents at bay, but in the end the Big Green were defeated at their own game in the scrum.
Rain unfortunately cancelled the scheduled match with Rosslyn Park, but a new fixture with Central London Polytechnic Institute was arranged for Wednesday afternoon. Driving winds and rain on a nearly grass-free pitch prevented Dartmouth from utilizing their normally effective kicking game, but strong open field running by scrummers Ed Simpson '85, Bob Goldman '83, and Mark Hausmann '83 repeatedly brought the Green within scoring range. The scoring drought continued and Dartmouth fell by a single try, 4-0, in the most discouraging match of the tour.
With the opportunity for a winning record gone, the side proceeded to Twickenham the next day for its toughest match against the Harlequins Football Club XV. The ruggers held their heads high while falling prey to the Harlequins' amazing speed and pursuit. The Big Green only began to play evenly with their opponents late in the game when the Harlequins had built up a substantial lead. On the verge of being shut out again, Dartmouth reached deep down to produce their lone score of the afternoon. Following a deep kickoff by Dave Robertson, the Green pack barged through the line to cover the ball. Matt Haley took the ball from Bob Goldman and ran the final few yards for the try. The consistent scrum play of prop Mike Schneider '83 and second row Joe Hewitt '85 finally began to pay off as the backfield worked the ball to outside center Raoul Socher '86, who came within inches of scoring before being tackled by three Harlequins. The final whistle ended a 44-4 game, and the Big Green chalked it up to learning from some high quality rugby players.
In London the Dartmouth team was again treated to some true rugby hospitality, the hallmark of the sport. Coordinated by the gracious efforts of Dartmouth rugby alumnus Tom Rucker '63, the ruggers stayed for five nights with various Dartmouth hosts in London, providing an easy network for communication and transportation. An active social schedule including a Gulf Oil-sponsored luncheon at the Rugby Club of London and a post-game party with the Harlequins still allowed the team to partake of some of London's theatrical and tourist attractions, not to mention numerous pub-crawls in pursuit of celery and the perfect lager. The team returned to America a much closer group, mentally and physically prepared for success in the spring. The Dartmouth Rugby Football Club will not be happy unless it returns from Providence with the Ivy League championship firmly in its grasp.
The Dartmouth rugby side photographed in Hanover last fall with Coach Bill Mattocks fromRugby, England (extreme left). Most of the players shown made the trip to England.
Back Captain Bob Duncans on '83 (right) feeding the ball out of the scrum to his backfield.
