MIT RUGBY FOOTBALL CLUB

Earlier in the season, Monadnock came down to MIT for a well-played, fun match that ended up very well for MIT (final score 62-0, MIT). However, MIT were taking nothing for granted as they made the trip up to what turned out to be a beautiful, soft pitch surrounded by mountains and trees, still with a lot of autumn color. It was a good bit colder than Cambridge, so after a long warmup MIT looked to come out hard and fast, and keep the temperature up for the duration. The early game saw a lot of penalties, but also a lot of hard, well-contested play.

The two remaining undefeated teams in NERFU DIII clashed on a bright fall day in what would prove to be a very exciting match. Both teams came out hard- MIT put in an early try. It seemed like defense would rule the day until after a lot of hard rucking and tackling on both sides, Saratoga were able to go wide for a few quick tries. MIT came back fired up in the second half, attacking hard and keeping defensive pressure up. MIT’s efforts were rewarded with a few tries and the lead.

MIT drove out to Springfield on a crisp, sunny afternoon for a hard, well-contested match against the Springfield Rifles. The first half was characterized by good defense on both sides, though the MIT backline was able to break through for a quick try early. Springfield’s large, experienced pack gave MIT trouble in the scrums, but MIT were able to stop them in open play. The second half continued to be a defensive battle with good hits both inside and out in the defensive line.

MIT made the drive up to Rutland, VT to beautiful weather and a really nice pitch. Both sides came out hard, with Rutland threatening early but MIT’s defense held its ground. After more hard, physical play MIT were able to put some points on the board via solid scrums and good back line play. MIT took advantage of some overlaps and opened up Rutland’s defense for three tries (two converted). A converted penalty kick on top of that made the score 22-0 in favor of MIT going into halftime.

MIT went across the Charles to Harvard’s fields on a beautiful September day to square off against rival Harvard Business School in their Fall 2010 season opener.