Ruggers Staggered to 2-3 Season; Slow Start, Injuries Plagued Team

Last fall the rugby season got off to a low start but later picked up speed; this year it appeared the same thing would happen, but it didn't.

The Crimson first encountered the perenially strong New York Rugby Club, which clobbered them, 22-0. Chalking this defeat up to the large number of inexperienced players, the squad practiced feverishly and pulled together a fine fifteen which mashed Villanova 16-3. Co-ordination among the backs improved and the scrum bound better.

The Boston match, however, was a disappointment. Injuries and illness depleted Harvard's ranks, and the fifteen finally fielded proved unequal to the job. A poor three-quarter line coupled with ineffective tackling made the Crimson easy prey for the experienced international Boston Club, which walked away with the game, 15-0.

The return of the injured and a week of hard practice primed the Crimson for Dartmouth. The Indians grabbed the lead, but beautiful play by wing forward Lee Freeman and wing Gage McAfee pushed Harvard ahead to an 11-8 victory.

Fall rugby's high point, the Princeton match (Yale has no fall rugger), was a minor catastrophe. Playing in the rain on the soggy field, the Crimson played without the services of its regular fullback. This handicap and an ineffective scrum left the Crimson lifeless as the Tigers triumphed, 16-3. The season ended at a disappointing 2-3.