Ruggers Open Tourneys

The Harvard and Radcliffe rugby football teams compete for two prestigious titles this weekend.

Harvard will host the Beanpot, while Radcliffe travels to Hanover, N.H. to compete in the Ivy tourney.

The Crimson, the defending Beanpot champion and the decided favorites, hopes to make it two out of three titles for the spring season. The team has already captured the New England Invitational, but was upset by Dartmouth in the Ivy League Tournament earlier in the season.

"In the fall, we beat each of them [Northeastern, Boston College and Boston University] pretty handily," President Peter November said. "If we play the way we usually play, we should win."

This tournament, as with all the other spring competitions, is "mostly for bragging rights," Backs Captain Andrew Pinkerton said. But the Crimson also has additional motivation. This will the last tournament for the Crimson's graduating seniors.

Pinkerton said the Crimson continues to adjust its game as the season goes along. "We've been working more on an outside game, trying to take the burden off our forwards. It's hard for them to give 100 percent in two games," Pinkerton said. "There will be a change of emphasis. It will be a more open running game."

The Ivies will be the first tournament for Radcliffe this spring. As such, the Black and White knows scant little about its opposition this weekend.

But based on the team's performance this spring, Radcliffe stands a good chance of copping the Ancient Eight crown. Last Thursday, the Black and White held nationally-ranked Boston College to a 0-0 tie.

"We have to play as a team and play with the same intensity as we did against BC yesterday," senior Valeria Scott said.

The team's talent lies in its depth and experience. "We don't have a very strong kicking game but our fowards are very strong. Our scrumming is quite good and our wings are excellent," junior Sarah Varela said.

Scott said that the team's main challenge will be to handle the ball well. "We have to trust each other." Scott said. "With 30 people on the field and only one ref, it can get very confusing. We have to think on the same plane to win."