Dartmouth Comes Up Short, 10-17 v. Rutgers

On their second match of the weekend, the Big Green 1st XV found themselves squared off against a physical Rutgers team Sunday morning.

Physical Rutgers Side Proves a Challenge

Coach Alex Magleby ’00 summed up the weekend stating that this sort of match experience “was what we were looking for in our development at the moment--a physical and fatiguing game after a physical game,” referring to the match played on the previous day by the same group of athletes. “I hope we are able to take lessons from this, and hats off to Rutgers for playing a good game and giving us the opportunity to push ourselves. It’s what we came down to do.”

Dartmouth was first to score, with co-Captain Chris Downer ’11 carrying the ball into the corner of the try-zone after a multi-phase attack. The corner placement made it difficult for kicker and outside center Derek Fish ‘12, and the score remained 5-0. Rutgers answered soon with a try of their own, carried in by eight-man Eric Rubenstein, after a heavy vertical attack game that put the tiring Dartmouth pack under pressure. This time the kick was good, and Rutgers led Dartmouth 5-7 going into the half.

The second half started with Dartmouth receiving the ball, but the Green struggled to maintain possession in the lineouts and scrums with any regularity and control. Meanwhile Rutgers was able to gain territory with possession, again relying on a good vertical game, and a series of multiple scrums on the gain line led to another try against Dartmouth by scrum half Eric Rubenstein. This along with a successful conversion put the score at 5-14. Dartmouth responded by picking up the pace of play, capitalizing on the fairly frequent penalties against Rutgers. Scrum- half Will Lehmann ’12 had a 50-meter line break, which was finished off by a good offload and a carry through several Rutgers defenders by flanker Tim Harsch ’11. Again, corner placement made the kick a challenge for Fish, and the score remained 10-14 with the clock winding down in the second half. With increased determination, Dartmouth chased after possession, but physical play by the Rutgers attack kept the ball largely out of Dartmouth hands. Multiple penalties gave Rutgers a chance to go for points, and after a couple of missed attempts Rutgers fullback Erik Danaman was able to put the ball through the posts for a final score of 10-17.

After the match the disappointment was clear on the Dartmouth side of the field. However, it was just as clear that the game delivered a clear mandate to the new Dartmouth team, which has been working hard to make a clean break from the upsetting end to the fall season. “We weren’t as focused as we were when we went to face Delaware”, said Co-Captain Chris Downer. “I think we got caught off-guard, and that’s a great learning experience for this new team to go through now, before the fall season”. Meanwhile, the 2nd-XV was able to find success against Rutgers’ B-side, coming up 12-5 in an equally competitive game as the match that preceded it.

First score of the game went to Ryan Milligan ’11, who went wide after a quick-tap transition led to several line breaks and rucks. Rutgers answered with a try of their own after a penalty was called against Dartmouth near the 5m line, putting the score at 5-5 at halftime. In the second half, the seconds matched the Rutgers side in physicality, and a beautifully taken line-out led to a wide attack ploy that found freshman Owen Scannell ’13 on the wing, who carried it in for the try, putting the final score at 12-5.

As Dartmouth Rugby heads home to rest and regroup after the weekend’s Mid-Atlantic matches, they will also be preparing mentally and physically for their first overseas contest in recent memory, versus a touring side from the University of Toulouse on Wednesday. The match will be played on Brophy Field in Hanover, at 5:00 PM.

Contact: Charles Grant, Press Secretary, Dartmouth Rugby
Email: Charles [dot] L [dot] GrantDartmouth [dot] edu