M. Ruggers 2nd in Daytona Beach Bowl

Paul Simon spent his spring break on tour, playing to rave reviews from Phoenix to Worcester.

Limiting its Tidal Wave Tour to Daytona, Fla., the Harvard Rugby Football Club also earned kudos for songs--and tough play. The Crimson "A" and "B" sides finished second and third, respectively, competing in the Daytona Beach Bowl.

Also, to the opponents' chagrin, Harvard copped the song title.

But rugby was the reason for the trip, and the Crimson "spent a lot of time on the rugby pitch," according to club president John Nowaczyk. The two sides combined to play 10 games in five days, more than on any previous recess trip.

Cal-Davis, the eighth-ranked squad in the Pacific Coast Region, toppled the Crimson, 4-0, in the final game Friday. The match was the third contest between the two teams in three days, and the second in four hours.

Although the Harvard squad had beaten Cal-Davis, 18-6, in the teams' first meeting on Wednesday, the Beach Bowl utilized a double-elimination format.

When the Aggies beat the Crimson B-side for the second time in an injury-abbreviated game in the loser's bracket, the A-side rematch in the final was assured.

Since Harvard was undefeated entering the championship round, it needed to win only one game to take hold of the winner's trophy. One-time loser Cal-Davis, conversely, was faced with handing the Crimson two straight defeats.

It was not an insurmountable task, however.

Harvard, lacking size, had shuttled many of its forwards between the "A" and "B" sides. The prop position, especially, was undermanned. Vito Sperduto and Matteo Pesci played in the B-side match until the heat and cramps ground them down.

Friday, this lack of depth hurt the Crimson terribly. After falling in the first game, 20-3, the squad only had 45 minutes to prepare for the second game.

"In the first game we were tackling and running pretty tentatively," Nowaczyk said. "But we came out pretty fired up for the second game, and we shut their push down."

Cal-Davis, in a forward-dominated game, controlled much of the set-play. The line-outs and initial rucking rarely went Harvard's way, but defense, on both sides of the ball, ruled the day.

The backs' play, traditionally a Crimson strength, was undercut by the windy weather and the steamroller style of the Aggies unit.

The game's only points, tallied on a try with 10 minutes remaining in the first half, were the result of a prolonged Aggies' push, and took advantage of the only Crimson defensive lapse.

Lauren Rose was the Crimson's high scorer, with five tries from his backfield position. Junior Rich Winakur, only available for the first three days, tallied eight of nine kicks for eighteen points.

The Road To The...

To reach Friday's tourney final, the Crimson A-side totalled Alabama on Monday, sneaked by Cortlandt State (NY) on Tuesday and downed its California foe the following day.

The B-side, finishing third, collared the Tree City Vikings and Central Connecticut before falling to the Aggies twice.