Rugby Squad Drops Norwich Behind Solid Defensive Effort

Forward Ned Kuntz scored on an up and-over play with only two minutes remaining to turn a tight 15-13 contest into a rout as the Crimson A rugby team rolled on to a 25-13 victory over an out-classed Norwich Academy squad Saturday at Soldier's Field.

Norwich, a Vermont military school which usually boasts one of the premier rugby teams in New England, was unable to stop the potent Crimson scoring attack in the first half and fell behind 15-0 as Doug Quimbey and Mike Winn scored two unanswered tries, with Gary Bonds adding a penalty kick and two conversions.

But Norwich bounced back just before the intermission to turn what looked like a walkaway into a 15-10 contest, and then added a penalty kick early in the second half to narrow the Harvard lead to 15-13.

The game then remained scoreless until Kuntz raced down the field with two minutes left, and, about to be tackled by two defenders, threw the ball up and around the pair while he ran by them and collected his own pass in the end zone to ice the game.

Kuntz then scored a second try with one minute left to provide the final margin.

"That last half was pretty tense. It was a good thing our defense was hot," forward Hank Lauricella said last night. The win ups the A team's slate to 7-2.

Meanwhile, the B team took a quick 12-0 lead over Norwich and then hung on for the victory despite a torrid Norwich rally in the second half which narrowed the final score to 12-10.

Norwich defeated the C team in the third and final contest of the day by a 6-4 margin.