Rugby Splits With Bulldogs; UMass and Dartmouth Tilts Still to Come
By by STEVE VLADECK, Staff Writer
This weekend, the women's rugby team met with mixed results, with the A- and B-sides splitting a pair of matches against Yale University.

The A-side dominated the first 20 minutes against Yale, courtesy of a try by Kieran Collins '03 and a conversion by Jeanne O'Neil '01.

"I think they only entered our end once or twice," said Backs Captain Jill Brennan '01. "Our scrums plowed straight over theirs, and our rucking, which has improved immensely, was superior."

After the Jeffs scored, however, Yale used speed on the outside to wear down the Amherst defense. "We had trouble forcing their runners to the inside so that we could tackle and consolidate," said Club President Lily Edwards '02.

Yale scored a pair of tries on the outside before the Amherst defense hung on, anchored by Katherine McMullin '01 and Gina Scribner '04.

The Yale defense kept the Jeffs from cutting into the Bulldogs' lead, and the A-side found themselves with a loss. For the B-side, the outcome was much different. Thanks to a pair of tries from Anna Savage '04, one from Emily Stark '04, and a fourth from Scribner, the Jeffs dominated the Yale B-side.

"They were unbelievable," said Brennan. "Precise, confident and, best of all, incredibly high-spirited."

In all, it was another successful weekend for the Jeffs. "We all had a really good time playing with each other," said Edwards. "Despite A-side's loss, we enjoyed playing good rugby, and B-side was amazing."

Next weekend, the Jeffs head across town to battle the University of Massachusetts. The squad returns home the following weekend to host Dartmouth College on Memorial Field.

Issue 05, Submitted 2000-10-04 16:15:39