Rugby

The Dartmouth Rugby Football Club, which narrowly missed winning the national collegiate championship last spring, completed an unbeaten league season and with its 12-9 victory over Vermont on October 26 successfully defended its New England championship. In two other matches that weekend the ruggers defeated the University of Connecticut, 6-3, and Southern Connecticut, 16-6.

By taking the New England title the rugby club gained, for the third year in a row, a place in next spring's Northern Rugby Tournament. This is one of the steps toward settling the national championship.

The most nationally successful sport at Dartmouth, rugby operates as an independent club and depends upon its own players and alumni to finance its program. More than 90 students took part in men's rugby this fall, enabling the club to field A, B, C, and D teams. Most of the squad members took up rugby without any previous experience with the sport. Enthusiasm, good organization, and excellent coaching soon make skilled ruggers out of them.

Rugby this fall was coached by Wayne Young '72, former Dartmouth football captain, who took leave from his California law firm to help the club. Young is himself an enthusiastic rugger and has played in England, Ireland, and other countries where rugby is a popular sport.