McGill Rugby Tour
There's a lot to say about this trip that we did over the weekend of October 20-22. It's a McGill-Harvard tradition that dates back to the 1800's. Had a great time. One of the unique things about this trip is that the McGill guys each billet one (or more) of the Harvard guys, so we spend the weekend enjoying their hospitality, crashing in their apartment, getting to know their life in Montreal etc. Really a nice touch to the weekend.
We won the match, as we always do, but it was REALLY close this time. Had some great social times as well, Friday night we arrived late (11pm or so) but McGill had a huge reception waiting (for hours) for us, but were great sports. Took us out on St. Catherine that night, then again to Crecent St. Saturday for dinner after the game, and finally "Tokyo Bar" for the Saturday night festivities, where I managed to arrange a meeting with my friend Raif's sister Duygu (whom I travelled in Turkey with this past summer) and a few of her friends who have come to our rooftop parties in the past.
I've been writing for the school newspaper this year for some of our rugby matches, so I'll include material from that endevour to describe the game itself. All in all though, a fantastic time.
Rugby … a la Montreal
HBS Rugby defends title in annual match versus McGill MBAs
By Glenn Parkinson (OH)
Contributing Writer
MONTREAL - Renowned for their flair and irrepressible joie de vivre, the inhabitants of Canada’s French-speaking province (Quebec) were dealt a melancholy blow on October 21st as the HBS Rugby Club defeated McGill’s MBA students 10-7 in their annual fall classic.
The trip to Montreal is a highlight of the fall season and an enduring tradition, celebrating North America’s first ever intercollegiate rugby match played between McGill University and Harvard College back in 1874.
While the HBS side has a deeper bench and arguably more experienced players than McGill, these advantages were all but nullified by the water-logged pitch which seemed to have recently been covered in a fresh layer of topsoil. The tour would again be known as “the dirtiest weekend of the season.”
With a thick layer of mud providing some welcome cover for the dubious personal hygiene of the forwards, HBS dominated the first half of play. However, some questionable refereeing robbed the Harvard men of scoring opportunities, most notoriously the disallowed try by Craig “Cannon Ball” Canton (NJ), and the half closed with neither side managing to put points on the board.
The second half started with Harvard scoring early on a beautiful try from Carter “Diehard” Gaffney (NB), giving the boys from Boston a 5-0 lead. McGill answered back quickly with a try of their own however, which was converted successfully to give the Canadians a 7-5 advantage.
Back-and-forth play continued, with the forwards crashing hard up the field while trying to control a slippery ball. Play was made more challenging as the uniforms became completely covered in mud and at times indistinguishable.
As the clock wound down and John "Anger Management" Doran’s (OB) feedback to the referee became less and less constructive, it looked as though McGill might win their first match in the long and storied tradition of the October classic. HBS still had some fight in them however, and after a strong push in the dying minutes brought them to within meters of the try zone, Neil “Green Giant” Campbell (ND) picked up a loose ball out of the maul and scored the winning try on what turned out to the be final play of the game, to give Harvard the 10-7 victory.
Rookie sensation (and Paul Hogan understudy) Mark “Iron Ribs” De Ambrosis (NF) was awarded “Man of the Match” honours by McGill for his outstanding play at Fly Half.
After several hours of cleaning up, HBS and their gracious McGill hosts explored the bountiful nightlife of Montreal. Academic considerations were never far from their minds however, and after meeting several friendly locals at the Montreal nightclub “Tokyo Bar,” a lively discussion ensued as to how one might model the numerous encounters as a portfolio of real options.
After a long drive home and with their French phrasebooks safely stowed away for another year, the lads can now focus on the final match of the regular season, versus MIT on Sunday October 29th, 1:00pm. A victory will ensure a playoff berth for the team, the first in several years.
In an unrelated story, Sam Gray (OI) recently participated in the Men’s Health Urbanathalon, finishing third in his age category. The Harbus first broke the story three weeks ago, and internet traffic accessing the MBA Class Card application surged 12% on the news. Gray was unavailable for comment.
The Harvard Business School RFC wishes to thank team sponsor Anglo Irish Bank, APAX Partners, Tommy Doyle's, Sierra Nevada, and Magners Original Irish Cider for their generosity and continued support.
We won the match, as we always do, but it was REALLY close this time. Had some great social times as well, Friday night we arrived late (11pm or so) but McGill had a huge reception waiting (for hours) for us, but were great sports. Took us out on St. Catherine that night, then again to Crecent St. Saturday for dinner after the game, and finally "Tokyo Bar" for the Saturday night festivities, where I managed to arrange a meeting with my friend Raif's sister Duygu (whom I travelled in Turkey with this past summer) and a few of her friends who have come to our rooftop parties in the past.
I've been writing for the school newspaper this year for some of our rugby matches, so I'll include material from that endevour to describe the game itself. All in all though, a fantastic time.
Rugby … a la Montreal
HBS Rugby defends title in annual match versus McGill MBAs
By Glenn Parkinson (OH)
Contributing Writer
MONTREAL - Renowned for their flair and irrepressible joie de vivre, the inhabitants of Canada’s French-speaking province (Quebec) were dealt a melancholy blow on October 21st as the HBS Rugby Club defeated McGill’s MBA students 10-7 in their annual fall classic.
The trip to Montreal is a highlight of the fall season and an enduring tradition, celebrating North America’s first ever intercollegiate rugby match played between McGill University and Harvard College back in 1874.
While the HBS side has a deeper bench and arguably more experienced players than McGill, these advantages were all but nullified by the water-logged pitch which seemed to have recently been covered in a fresh layer of topsoil. The tour would again be known as “the dirtiest weekend of the season.”
With a thick layer of mud providing some welcome cover for the dubious personal hygiene of the forwards, HBS dominated the first half of play. However, some questionable refereeing robbed the Harvard men of scoring opportunities, most notoriously the disallowed try by Craig “Cannon Ball” Canton (NJ), and the half closed with neither side managing to put points on the board.
The second half started with Harvard scoring early on a beautiful try from Carter “Diehard” Gaffney (NB), giving the boys from Boston a 5-0 lead. McGill answered back quickly with a try of their own however, which was converted successfully to give the Canadians a 7-5 advantage.
Back-and-forth play continued, with the forwards crashing hard up the field while trying to control a slippery ball. Play was made more challenging as the uniforms became completely covered in mud and at times indistinguishable.
As the clock wound down and John "Anger Management" Doran’s (OB) feedback to the referee became less and less constructive, it looked as though McGill might win their first match in the long and storied tradition of the October classic. HBS still had some fight in them however, and after a strong push in the dying minutes brought them to within meters of the try zone, Neil “Green Giant” Campbell (ND) picked up a loose ball out of the maul and scored the winning try on what turned out to the be final play of the game, to give Harvard the 10-7 victory.
Rookie sensation (and Paul Hogan understudy) Mark “Iron Ribs” De Ambrosis (NF) was awarded “Man of the Match” honours by McGill for his outstanding play at Fly Half.
After several hours of cleaning up, HBS and their gracious McGill hosts explored the bountiful nightlife of Montreal. Academic considerations were never far from their minds however, and after meeting several friendly locals at the Montreal nightclub “Tokyo Bar,” a lively discussion ensued as to how one might model the numerous encounters as a portfolio of real options.
After a long drive home and with their French phrasebooks safely stowed away for another year, the lads can now focus on the final match of the regular season, versus MIT on Sunday October 29th, 1:00pm. A victory will ensure a playoff berth for the team, the first in several years.
In an unrelated story, Sam Gray (OI) recently participated in the Men’s Health Urbanathalon, finishing third in his age category. The Harbus first broke the story three weeks ago, and internet traffic accessing the MBA Class Card application surged 12% on the news. Gray was unavailable for comment.
The Harvard Business School RFC wishes to thank team sponsor Anglo Irish Bank, APAX Partners, Tommy Doyle's, Sierra Nevada, and Magners Original Irish Cider for their generosity and continued support.
The critical pre-game breakfast
Trading grooming secrets created a special bond between Craig Canton (NJ) and Carter Gaffney (NB).
A dirty job indeed.
Rafael Sotta (NF) and Alan Ricks (Design School) know there’s dignity in a hard days work
The not-so-functional but brilliantly located field in the heart of Montreal
John Doran (OB) reluctantly shares old tennis stories with a spell-bound audience.
Editor's Note: He actually wasn't, but it's hilarious to claim that he was...and I got tons of kudos on campus for this joke. John was actually a legitimate Tennis Pro (Davis Cup showings & all) and he may be prone to mentioning it from time to time...
The sweet taste of victory, chased down with good Canadian beer
Gratuitous shot of the author (not included in the newspaper)
posted by Glenn @ 9:17 PM
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