Rugby Club Overcomes Columbia, B.C. Behind Solid Effort by Forward Line

The Harvard rugby club opened its 1975 reason on a good note Saturday with three out of four victories at Boston College Stadium.

Teamwork was the key in all three, as the A team came from behind to defeat Columbia, 12-7, the B team rolled over Columbia, 12-0, and the C team best B.C.'s D team by an 8-4 margin.

However, the D team dropped a tight contest to the Boston Rugby Team's more experienced C squad by a score of 4-0.

Near the Wire

Behind, 7-4, with only five minutes to play in the contest, Mike Win and Jim Boland each scored a try (worth 4 points apiece) to lead the Crimson A squad to victory.

Walter Herbert, filling in for club president Dave Wagner, who broke his leg in the first half, then added a two-point conversion to ice the victory.

The club jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the first few minutes to play, but Columbia scored on a penalty kick to narrow the gap to 4-3, and then on a try to take a 7-4 lead at the half.

But the forwards, who had been hampered by the extremely muddy field, began to play a ball-control game, and the teamwork paid off.

Steve Saxon, Joe Whatley and Mike Jemison each scored one try to propel the B team to an easy 12-0 victory over the Columbia B squad. "We simply outclassed said outgunned them," wing Kevin Ward said yesterday.

The forward line, which has usually been the strong point of the team, played a consistent game, and did an exceptional job in winning most of the scrums and line-outs.

But the backs were the real standouts Saturday, as the fine passing and well-balanced attack of Saxon, L. Whatley, Jemison, Ward and Joel McCafery led to three easy scores.

Although only one member of the C team, fullback Gary Bond, had ever played an intercollegiate game before, the C's were able to overcome a much bigger and more experienced B.C. squad by a score of 6-4.

Hank Lauriceffe gave the Crimson the lead by scoring a try early in the game. But B.C. tied it at four apiece a few minutes later.

However, Tom Bernhard and Rob Rubin combined for another score midway through the second half to provide the winning margin.

Again a balanced attack, this time led by Bond, Lauricella, Bernard, Rubin, Richie Sherman and Jim Presley, was the key.

With the D team, inexperience was also the problem. The only score of the game came on a play where the team thought that the ball was dead and provided no opposition.

For the first time, the club has a coach this year in Harry Lent, who played rugby for the Boston Rugby Team for seven seasons.

The result was that the passing and ability to work together was much better than it has been in the past.

"I thought that the teamwork, especially in the A and B games, was about the best I've seen here, which is especially important when you consider that it was our first game," Hank Lauricella said yesterday.