The Dartmouth men's rugby team finished its regular season undefeated in Ivy League play, besting Brown 36-15 on Saturday. After the weekend action, the Big Green will take on Yale in the first round of the Ivy League Championship.
The Big Green opened up the game more slowly than usual, as the ruggers struggled with undesirable weather conditions. Although the team posted a 12-0 initial run against a physical Brown defense, Dartmouth had trouble building up momentum, and a Brown try late in the first half narrowed the Dartmouth lead to seven.
The Big Green made multiple mental errors that could have been costly. Brown, however, was not able to capitalize on those mistakes, allowing Dartmouth to stay on top.
"We came out with the attitude that we were supposed to beat Brown," team captain Sam Edandison '10 said. "They came out hard and ready to play, and we didn't."
After the half, a try by Chris Downer '11 opened the lead to 14, but Brown was able to respond quickly with a try of its own, cutting the lead to nine. By the middle of the second half, Dartmouth was able to gain control of the game. Consecutive tries by Edandison and captain Matt Dinger '10, which came within minutes of each other, followed by Downer's second score of the half, were enough to put the Big Green ahead by 26. Brown attempted a comeback, scoring once more, but was not able to overcome the large point differential.
"It was really satisfying to complete our undefeated season, but we made some mistakes that we are going to have to learn from," Downer said.
Edandison said the team will be having more intense practices to prepare for the upcoming game. The captains want to set the tone for practice by giving it a more game-like feeling, he said.
By instilling a sense of urgency that has been lacking in their overwhelming victories, Dartmouth will be able to work on more than just the physical approach to the game, he said.
"It all comes down to mentality," Edandison said. "We haven't made it yet, but sometimes we play like we have."
Although Dartmouth's win against the University of Pennsylvania last week secured the team's first-place seed and home-field advantage in the Ivy League tournament, the Big Green had to wait for the result of this weekend's Yale-Harvard game to identify its opponent. Yale, with a loss to Harvard, dropped to the fourth seed, and will therefore be Dartmouth's first challenger.
The last time the Bulldogs went head-to-head with the Big Green was in September, when Dartmouth notched a 62-8 victory.
Downer, however, said Dartmouth will not underestimate its opponent.
"As far as we are concerned, it is a clean slate," Downer said. "We played Yale early on in the season, and because this game is so important, we aren't going to take them lightly." If Dartmouth can claim the overall Ivy League championship, the team would be the first Ivy League seed heading into the Northeast Rugby Union territorial playoffs next month, and second in the Northeast.
Moving forward, the Big Green will have to deal with the pressure of single elimination, as any loss from this point forward will end Dartmouth's fall season. The strong team bond is motivation for the younger members to play their best for the seniors on the squad, Downer said.
"I know that we want to win for them," he said. "We want to help the '10s end their careers in a successful manner."
The seniors, meanwhile, are confident that their season will not be ending anytime soon.
"I don't feel any added pressure," Edandison said. "I feel like we are going to make it. We have a team that is committed to each other, committed to rugby and committed to winning."
Dartmouth will take on Yale this Saturday at the Corey Ford Rugby Clubhouse. The game is scheduled to begin at 11 a.m.
