Erupting to score 171 points in the first two games of the inaugural Ivy League season, the Dartmouth men's rugby team crushed Cornell, 91-3, and Columbia, 80-0, this weekend.
Also playing its season-opening match this weekend, the Big Green women's rugby squad fell to the University of Massachusetts in an offensively frustrating 25-0 shutout.
In previous years, the Big Green men competed in a Northeast regional league against teams such as the University of Connecticut, Boston College and Army, facing Ivy competition only in the annual Ivy League tournament. Now, the team will face other Ivy teams in regular season, in-conference action.
An explosive Big Green men's offense paired with a flawless defense to shut out the Columbia squad on the road this Sunday, scoring 80 unanswered points.
Chris Downer '11 helped solidify Dartmouth's dominance of the Lions as he intercepted a pass at the end of the first half. Downer ran the ball back 60 meters to earn a try.
Men's rugby spokesman Tay Stevenson '10 described as a "pretty devastating way to score on a team."
With four tries each, Will Lehmann '12 and Paul Jarvis '12 also contributed to the Big Green's offensive outpouring against Columbia.
"We were sharper for the Columbia game, which made sense since it was the second game," Derek Fish '12 said. "Still, we're trying to be a bit more physical. We lost a lot of key decision makers from last year, but we have the tools to be successful."
Jumping ahead early against Cornell on Saturday in Ithaca, N.Y., the Dartmouth men racked up 45 points in the first half.
The Big Red continued to struggle during the second half, never mounting a successful attempt at a comeback in the 91-3 loss.
Fish led the offensive surge for Dartmouth in the match, scoring 41 of Dartmouth's 91 points with five tries.
"Basically everyone was playing well as a team, and I was the benefactor of a lot of nice plays," Fish said. "Other guys put me in good position to score."
Various underclassmen, including Fish, are stepping up to fill roles vacated by graduated players, according to Stevenson.
"Fish went from one of those guys who was a reserve player to someone who is a sure starter who is making big plays for the team," Stevenson said. "The '11 class has taken huge steps and, in the last matches, made huge strides of growth. We're still waiting to see what the '13s are going to give us."
Stevenson also said that the spirit of the men's rugby club has not been affected by the loss of important seniors.
"Dartmouth rugby is a tradition that never graduates," he said. "Part of playing rugby is having the mindset that you will never let the guys you are playing with down. That is where the true spirituality comes from. We don't have pads to protect us, we only have each other to protect us."
Looking forward at the rest of the season, the men's rugby team will attempt to procure its third consecutive Ivy League championship.
The women's rugby team, meanwhile, will look to rebound after a 25-0 loss to UMass.
UMass started attacking immediately during the match, scoring its first try off the opening kick-off.
"[UMass] came out really strong, which maybe we weren't quite ready for in the first five or 10 minutes of each half," captain Meghan McDavid '10 said. "That is where they really scored a lot of their tries."
Dartmouth entered the second half of the game trailing only 10-0, but could not muster the offensive force required to close the gap.
"We worked really hard, but weren't able to put [the ball] in the try zone," McDavid '10 said.
McDavid also said she recognizes the need for improvement and the continued development of underclassmen as the season progresses.
"We do have some experience on the team, but we also have a lot of younger players who haven't played A-side," she said. "We are working together to put the strongest back line out on the field, but we have a lot of heart and some good skill work. We are still building the team."
Both men's and women's action continues on the pitch Saturday as the Big Green women will face Brown in Providence , R.I., and the Dartmouth men confront Yale in a charged home opener at noon.
"We obviously want to continue winning," Stevenson said of the men's team. "We hope to bring a new excitement on Saturdays to the campus, and hopefully begin a new tradition of people coming out and watching Dartmouth rugby."
