MIT RUGBY FOOTBALL CLUB

On May 11, 2019, MIT traveled to Fort Adams in Newport, RI for the annual NERFU Cup tournament. MIT again traveled light, losing players to injuries, semi-formals, graduations, and project deadlines. MIT’s first match of the day was bright and early on one of the picturesque fields overlooking Benton Cove. MIT came out strong, controlling possession and making line breaks against New London RFC. Scrum-half Nolan, MIT’s 4th scrum-half in the last 4 games, played with a quick and aggressive style to keep New London on their toes.

On May the 4th, 2019, MIT traveled to the Union Point Sports Complex in Weymouth, MA to take on Boston RFC. The two teams were familiar with each other, having practiced together in the preseason. The familiarity did not affect the physicality of the match. The 2 teams faced off a year earlier, and a poor defensive effort from MIT led to an easy Boston win.

On Saturday, April 27, 2019, MIT traveled to Keene NH to take on Monadnock RFC. It was a battle of old vs. new in more ways than one. MIT were facing their old coach, Brad, with their new(ish) coach Evan. With over half of the team experiencing the symptoms of hodophobia, MIT were again forced to send out the beaver signal to call for help. The first person to respond was Old Greg, who made the short walk from the sideline as one of the team’s 2 super-fans. Next to answer was Jake S., who basically only came so he could take 2 long car rides with side-bae Steen.

On April 13, 2019, MIT welcomed Burlington RFC to Briggs Field on a beautiful spring day. Kickoff time was pushed back to 3:00 PM so Eric G. could work on his tan and watch some exciting ultimate frisbee action. Caleb S. took great joy in Eric’s early arrival, as Caleb showed up on time, at the correct field, and in the correct state for a change.

On Saturday, April 6, 2019, MIT hosted Boston Maccabi RFC at Briggs Field for their first home game of the spring. The Maccabis were coming off an impressive fall season where they had only lost 1 game and had qualified for the playoffs. The Maccabis showed early on why they are one of the top teams in the league. Their hard running forwards were breaking the gain line and sucking in MIT defenders. Their speedy fullback twice scored along the sideline, as MIT were having a hard time communicating and reorganizing the defense. Another Maccabi runner scored after a poor MIT tackling effort.

On March 29, 2019, MIT crossed the mighty Charles River to take on their Cambridge rival, Harvard Business School, at Mignone Field in Allston, MA. Despite the standard last minute rescheduling, MIT were excited to play a rare Friday Night Lights game, and the team showed up with over 25 players available for selection. Both teams agreed to rolling subs to ensure that everyone got some playing time in their first spring contest.