MIT RUGBY FOOTBALL CLUB

On Saturday, April 18, 2015, MIT faced off against North Shore RFC in the NERFU semi-final playoffs at Briggs field. MIT finally got some beautiful spring weather but still could not get off to the start they wanted. MIT turned the ball over early and were put under pressure as they had to defend in their own 22. MIT defended well and worked their way out of their half with the help of the leg of their star kicker John G. MIT and North Shore continued to feel each other out and the game remained scoreless for the first 20 minutes of the half.

On Saturday, April 4, 2015, MIT traveled to Waterford, NY to take on division II side Saratoga Rugby Club. It was another wonderful spring day in the northeast. The match was played on a rain soaked field that quickly turned to mud. There were also fierce winds blowing throughout the game which made for a cold, wet day for everyone. Saratoga started with the wind at their backs and got off to a fast start. MIT failed to match their intensity from the opening kickoff. MIT’s defensive line was slow and unorganized.

On Saturday, March 28, 2015, MIT kicked off their spring season with a dominant win over Division 1 side Portland RFC. MIT and Portland met on a beautiful spring day on the wonderful artificial turf at Steinbrenner Stadium. MIT showed no signs of rust as they exploded with intensity from the opening kickoff. MIT controlled possession in the first half and did not make a single handling error or miss a tackle, possibly aided by the perfect weather conditions. The scrums and lineouts were in mid-season form.

On Saturday, November 8, 2014, MIT defeated the Boston Irish Wolfhounds 18-17 at Briggs Field to complete their undefeated season. Coming off a bye week, MIT had 2 weeks to prepare for what would be their hardest test of the season. Coach Sean spent the time off watching his native All Blacks take on the USA Eagles in Chicago. Inspired by his team’s victory, he returned to practice barking defensive instructions to the All Beavers over the noise of light generators, helicopters, and MIT dormitory fire alarms.

On Saturday, October 25, 2014, North Shore RFC rolled out the red carpet to welcome MIT to their field in Lynn. Unfortunately, this carpet was covered in gravel and was on top of a manhole in the middle of the field. The rest of the field looked like an old pair of jeans that had been patched up too many times with all the wrong material. The field conditions were not a surprise to MIT. What was a surprise was MIT’s play at the start of the game. Coach Sean urged the squad to start strong after several slow starts this season.

On Saturday, October 11, 2014, MIT continued their unbeaten streak with a victory over Boston RFC. With the forecast calling for rain, Coach Sean took a page out of Shooter McGavin’s playbook and invited the team to “join him at nine o’clock on the 9th green.” The MIT players, much like Happy Gilmore, discovered that this meant practice under the sprinklers as preparation for the wet conditions. Fortunately on game day the rain stopped prior to kickoff and Thursday’s wet practice served as more of a soggy punishment than preparation for Saturday’s match.

On Saturday, October 4, 2014, MIT hosted Freedom RFC (formerly Seacoast RFC) at Briggs Field in a battle for first place atop the NERFU D3 standings. Both teams entered the contest undefeated. MIT set the tone early with rumbling runs from forwards Oggy and newcomer Alex. This set up John G for a penalty kick which he slotted through to put MIT up 3-0. Freedom RFC stormed back with a try of their own after some handling errors by MIT.