World MBA Rugby Championships - Duke University, NC

The weekend of April 7th-9th was the much anticipated (and grandly named) "World MBA Rugby Championship", held at Duke University, Chapel Hill, North Carolina.

Harvard is always a favourite to win, but we usually seem to run into one of two problems: University College, Dublin (Smurfit School of Business) or the Richard Ivey School of Business (Western Ontario). This year it was Smurfit that knocked us out in the semi-finals, but seeing as they're undefeated in the last 3 years of the tournament (the only years they've participated) we should feel good that we kept them within 3 points, and in fact led most of the game.

A number of questionable calls certainly contributed to the defeat, as did the fact that only a small fraction of their players are actually business school students, though every team has an outsider or two. Great tournament overall though, easily the highest quality rugby we've played all year.

As this tournament was packed into two days, and is the most important of the year, the socializing was kept to a respectably low level. But since that is a relative measure, we certainly managed to get out for a beer or two.

Late night dinner upon arrival in NC. (Individuality is shunned when we socialize as a team). Inevitably, there's a commonwealth table or to. Pictured are Captain Carl "Lavos" Lavin (England), Next year's Captain Flint "Iron Side" McGregor (South Africa), and Sam "Turbo" Gray (England).

[Not pictured: Welsh, Canadian, and Australian players].

The neckties of the HBS RFC.
(Quan Nguyen, Scott Pasquini, me, Saul de La Guardia, Kevin Releford).
Night before the tournament, Rod Thompson and I.
Inevitably, there are a few scrapes... (Oliver Corlette)
...and bruises. (Steve "Winky" Emerson)
Preparing for a line out against a tough Irish squad
Getting a read on the play
Traditional Jersey swapping at the end of the tournament. (Me, Pascal Ambrosie, Chris Webster, Irish girl).
The Yale rugby team.