The Yale University Rugby Football Club

Yale Dominates Princeton in First Ever Ivy League Match

Yale traveled to Princeton for the first regular season match of the new Ivy League Rugby Football Union. After a solid preseason of work, the boys were ready to perform, but the day started poorly for the team off the initial kickoff. Yale made a mental mistake by kicking to touch after bringing the ball back into the 22m. After conceding two penalties, Princeton was able to secure a 5 m lineout and their forwards were able to work the ball into the try zone. This put Yale down 7-0 after just three minutes of play. A few minutes later, Yale was able to put together some good phase ball and score a try in the corner. After some good handling and a strong run by winger Matt Lacasse Õ10, the captain Pat Madden Õ10 scored in the corner and full back Ryan Vandersloot Õ11 was able to convert the kick to tie the match at the 10 minute mark. For the rest of the first half, Yale was able to keep Princeton pinned in its own half. Winger Matt Lacasse Ô10 and fullback Ryan Vandersloot Ô11 were both able to scores tries in the corner, neither of which were converted. Yale went into the half leading 17-5.

The second half started better for Yale as winger Will Alexander Õ10 was able to finish off a nice sequence of passes and score a try 3 minutes into the second half. The rest of the half was similar to the first, with Yale maintaining a field position advantage. To PrincetonÕs credit, they battled hard in the second half with some good strong forward running out of the loose. Princeton was able to capitalize on a couple Yale penalties and slot a penalty kick to start to close the gap. YaleÕs defense held strong and was the highlight of the day. Yale was able to poach some key ball as Princeton was mounting its comeback. In the 25th minute, flyhalf Sam Cartmell Õ10 was able to make a strong run and finish a try under the posts which was converted by Vandersloot. Finally, in the 39th minute, Captain Pat Madden was able to score the last of 6 tries on the day and once again Vandersloot converted.

Final Score: Yale 36 - Princeton 10

The key to YaleÕs performance was strong defense and minimizing turnovers. Yale made a few mistakes which almost cost them scores, but the boys we able to recover well. Yale also committed 17 penalties on the day, which is far too high a number.

The B-side played well also. They battled hard and played some good rugby at times. They were victim to several rookie mistakes, which is too be expected. The team played with tremendous heart and held strong on defense. But in the end, the rookie mistakes caught up to them and Princeton was able to keep the boys pinned in the own half for much of the match.

Final Score: Yale 3 - Princeton 8

A special thanks to Princeton for hosting a great after match social. The food was great and the atmosphere even better. Once again, Princeton showed that it is one of the classiest sides in the Ivy League Rugby Football Union.