W. Ruggers Get Set for Ivy Tournament

The Radcliffe rugby club enters the Ivy League tournament this weekend on a cold streak.

The Black-and-White will open its season Saturday at the Ivy League tournament in Connecticut despite not having played a game this spring.

"We're going in pretty much cold," junior rugger Val Bogdan said.

Radcliffe had counted on a tune-up match against MIT today, but the slick Engineers cancelled at the last minute when they discovered they had only 10 players.

"It will hurt us a little bit [not having played a game]," Bogdan said, "but we're an experienced team, and we'll try to schedule a game with the Beantown rugby club."

In contrast to the depleted MIT team, the Black-and-White boasts two full sides for the first time since 1985.

Fourty-five players dot the preseason Radcliffe team roster. There were about 20 players on the team during the fall.

"This is the biggest group we've had in years," Co-Captain Cherie Silvera said. "Things are looking good."

If the last three years are any indication, the Black-and-White will meet Dartmouth, the league's two-time defending champion, in the championship game. The Ivy champion is decided in the annual Ivy Tournament; it is not given to the team with the best regular-season record.

"They are our arch-rivals," Silvera said. "We almost beat them in the fall, and we have a good chance."

In addition to the Ivy title, Radcliffe also will participate in the first-ever New England tournament for women's rugby.

"This should be a big month for us," Co-Captain Eliza Schwarz said.

A key for the Black-and-White is the return of Kerri Heffernan, who coaches the squad on a volunteer basis.

"She pulls the team together," Bodgan said. "It's a more serious atmosphere with her around."

Another key has been the influx of new players. Two of the new players, Andrea Eror and Alex Williams, are expected to contribute greatly if Radcliffe ends up meeting Dartmouth.

The Big, Big Green

The last time Radcliffe met Dartmouth, the Big Green utilized its size advantage over the Black-and-White. In out of bounds situations, Darmtouth chose lineouts over scrums to tip the ball over the smaller Radcliffe ruggers.