Rugby Players Aiming For St. Louis Games

The team has no official coach, its members pay dues "which mostly go for parties." "But," continued the Harvard Rugby Club's captain, junior Paul Buddenhagen, "the informality does not mean that we are not serious about the game."

The club takes the game seriously enough to pay its own way out to St. Louis, where it will begin a week of competition on April 3. Harvard will face four of the 12 clubs in the St. Louis Rugby League. In addition, games are scheduled with an all-star team from the St. Louis League and the University of Missouri.

Buddenhagen and senior Dan Gleason, president of the club, will lead the 20-man team. "Fifteen guys play on each side, and there are no substitutions," Buddenhagen said, "but someone always gets hurt so we need some spares."

The 20 players from both the College and the grad schools were picked from 70 who appeared at the first practice three weeks ago. "The players are really good athletes," Buddenhagen said. "All have played before, and many have played for several years."

Buddenhagen is reasonably optimistic about the team's chances. "Three or four years ago, Harvard was the best around. For the last couple of years we've been around 500 or better. We should do about the same this year.

The Harvard Rugby Club will begin regular league play in the Eastern Rugby Union the week after its spring trip. Ivy League teams from Brown, Yale, Dartmouth, and Princeton are also in the ERU. Harvard will face Yale in its home opener April 15.