Ruggers Host 16-Team Tourney

The Beasts of the East are a bit edgy these days.

After years of dominating the New England Rugby Football Union, perennial powerhouses Harvard, Dartmouth and Brown appear to be losing ground to the traditional underdogs.

And the New England Championships this weekend at Soldiers Field may show just how far the underdogs have come.

"Forget about Dartmouth and Harvard," Crimson Coach Martyn Kingston said. "Any one of the eight teams can get to the finals."

Harvard (2-2 overall, 2-1 league) squares off with Southern Connecticut in its first-round contest Saturday at 11 a.m. If the Crimson wins, it next faces the winner of the Connecticut-Dartmouth match-up at 3 p.m.

A loss in either contest would eliminate Harvard from the final on Sunday--and a chance to win back the national championship it last captured in 1984. Only tomorrow's finalists will qualify for the Eastern Championships in the spring.

Although Dartmouth is ranked number two nationally and number one in the East, it barely squeezed out a 23-15 victory over Harvard on its home field in Hanover, N.H., and has had several close calls this year.

An additional eight squads will participate in the College Plate Competition, a consolation tournament also taking place at Soldiers Field this weekend. The Plate teams were eliminated in New England Union play.

All told, 16 teams will highlight a weekend featuring over 10 hours of rugby competition.