After a huge win over a strong Army side last weekend, the DRFC set its sights on Northeastern and a celebration of 70 years of rugby, friendship, and fond memories both in Hanover and beyond. Festivities kicked off with alums looking on at Friday’s practice and sticking around for a reception at the clubhouse. Saturday morning touch games featuring B side, development players, and alumni served as an appetizer for the main course, a match against a talented pack of Huskies.
Captain Mike Weir ‘22 kicked things off and in a matter of minutes Dartmouth had pushed their way within the 22m line. Seeing space in the corner, Weir sent a grubber skipping past the goal line to be collected by Ulysses Brenzel ‘25 for the first try of the game. Mike converted despite a stiff breeze. Northeastern responded at the other end, converting on a penalty kick. The next try was the first in a series displaying the incredible chemistry between Weir and Co-Captain Jasper Green ‘22. Mike drew a big hit, offloaded over the top, and Green tore through the gap for his first try on the day. Weir dialed in another conversion. Switching things up, the next DRFC try came off a gritty maul surging across the line, ball safely tucked in Co-Captain AJ Meyer’s hands. Weir did his thing, the alumni-swelled crowd roared, and on we went. The Huskies punched back with their own try and conversion bringing the score to 21-10. In response, the men in Green stormed back up the field for Meyer and his boys in the maul to charge across the line just below the alumni tent perched on the hill above Brophy. The men headed into the clubhouse for halftime ahead 26-10.
The Big Green struck first in the second half with a steal from Camden Parker ‘22 that set up a quick ball from Abe Kamara ‘25 to Jaime Chuidian ‘23 breaking through the line. Chuidian swung it wide to Brenzel all alone in space for a 25m dash to the line and his second try. Keeping their foot on the throttle, a tackle by President Will Frohlich ‘22 set up Quinn Heyneman ‘23 for a strip then recovered by Meyer. AJ drew three men and distributed to Chuidian streaking up the left side for a try. Weir accounted for the windy conditions and curved the ball in for another conversion. Straight back to it, a Big Green lineout deep in NE territory left the defense bunched. Weir popped it off his hip to Green who broke through 3 tackles to stride in for another try for the DRFC. Weir, cool as ever, converted. Still hungry and chomping at the bit, the Huskies put away another try of their own with a successful conversion by a talented kicker. Progressing into the later stages of the game, competitive tensions flared, leaving NE down a man, but highlighting the degree to which each member of the DRFC and NRFC has his teammates’ back. Taking advantage of the man-up situation, Weir saw space in behind, chipped over the top, and seemingly tireless Green collected his hat trick to make it 50-17. But why stop at three? Jasper struck again just minutes later when a heads up play from Anticev and good footwork from Weir put Green through the line to break two tackles and be dragged down just over the line. Weir slotted the conversion to end his terrific shift on the day. Big Green’s final score came from, you guessed it, Jasper Green. Whacking on to a pop pass from Frohlich, Green turned his man and secured his stunning 5th try of the day, converting it himself. The pack of NE Huskies stayed hungry til the bitter end and finished the game with a try and conversion of their own to bring the final whistle. At the end of 80 minutes, DRFC 64 – NRFC 24.
Some key takeaways from yesterday include the effective mauling, Weir and Green’s chemistry, and the continued success of younger players stepping into big games. While pleased with delivering a win for our outstandingly supportive alumni, the men of the DRFC will look to continue to raise the standard by eliminating unforced errors and nailing all set pieces in preparation for Harvard on the road next weekend. The effective use of width by the men from Northeastern and their fight all the way through 80 minutes made for an excellent match to commemorate 70 years of Dartmouth Rugby Football Club, and we can’t thank them enough for making the trip up to Hanover. Following the match, DRFC members young and young at heart met to swap stories, honor friends that have moved on, and look to the future of a club that has meant so much to us all. An absolutely huge thank you to everyone who came together for this weekend and those who made it happen behind the scenes. It was one we will never forget.