Columbia takes Four Leaf Tournament

On Saturday, March 27, the Columbia University Rugby Football Club stepped foot on an American rugby pitch for the first time all year, eager to show off the skills they had honed in France and Italy on their spring tour the week before. The Four Leaf 15s on Randall’s Island proved to be the perfect test for them, with a competitive mix of former Metropolitan New York rivals, new opponents from Pennsylvania, and one all-too-familiar Ivy League foe from New Jersey.

By the end of the day, CURFC had trounced them all on their way to a 4-0 record and the Men’s Collegiate Championship title, finishing the day with an 81-18 aggregate score. The first match of the day for Columbia came against Seton Hall, whom they had last played in the fall of 2007. The 8:30 AM starting time of the match undoubtedly helped to explain the sluggish start of CURFC, who could manage only a slim lead through the first half. During the second half, however, Columbia began to show the electricity on offense that had been a revelation in Italy, led by the daring runs of fullback Conor Russomanno (SEAS ’11) and the strength of #8 Bobby McMahon (CC ’12), who seemed to have learned only one French phrase while in Paris: “Je suis le tren!”

Despite the closeness of its matches with Seton Hall traditionally, it was clear on this day that Columbia could only defeat itself, but this Columbia team does not lack the poise to win the games that it should. The final score was 19-7.

The next match came against Marist, another former MetNY rival, who apparently had defeated Seton Hall handedly when the two teams had last met. It would not matter to Columbia, who by now was firing on all cylinders and could not be stopped by anything other than the clock. Despite the 20-minute halves, Columbia accumulated tries and penalty kicks from every direction on its way to a dominant 27-0 victory. This win meant that Columbia won its pool at the tournament and would go on to play the winner of another pool in the semifinals. This team was Clarion, which is located not far from Pittsburgh. The sons of miners and farmers no doubt, Clarion proved to be a tough, physical opponent, and both teams hit each other with reckless abandon- the exact type of hitting that had sent the Italians cowering. An early penalty conversion by fly-half Luis Garcia (CC ’10) gave CURFC a 3-0 lead, and the rest of the game was spent protecting this lead, highlighted by a fierce try-line stand that saw Clarion send their bruising forwards into Columbia’s pack time and time again, with Columbia not giving an inch- or having an inch to give. Notably, this pack was truly a mix of young and old, with Pat Hess (SEAS ’10) leading the front row and two rookie flankers- Greg Fontela (CC ’11) and Peyton Bell (CC ’13)- playing with reckless abandon after an injury sent off CURFC’s starting #7.

Ultimately, Columbia beat Clarion at its own game, with 3-0 being the final tally. In the championship, Columbia got its wish and faced off against Princeton, against whom they had lost three times in the past three years, once in humiliating fashion and twice by less than a try. Especially for the two four-year seniors, prop Alain LeFevre (SEAS ’10) and inside center Paul Wallace (CC ’10), a victory would prove especially satisfying- another Ivy League scalp to add to their collections, along with Brown, Penn, and Cornell, whom they had defeated at one point or another during their time at Columbia.

The rest of the Columbia squad was doubtlessly thinking not of their legacy at Columbia but instead of the upcoming Ivy League season, and these underclassmen seemed extremely eager to send a message to their Ivy rivals. No matter the motive, each Columbia player came out determined and before long it was clear that CURFC was the better team on this day. Playing on a wider field than before, Columbia’s backline was smooth and swift, with both wings scoring tries, Kudzanayi “Special K” Dzvairo (CC ’12) on the right and Zach Bull (CC ’10) on the left. This backline play was no doubt enabled by the flawless set pieces run by the forwards, led by the second row of Thomas Timberlake (CC ’12) and Tyler Halpin-Healy (CC ’11).

When the final whistle blew, the score was 32-8, and Columbia celebrated with its coaches, Hayden James, BJ Weber, and Leo Purtill, as well as numerous other supporters on hand, including Lew Fischbein (CC ’72) and former coach Marc Porter.