Ivy League Battle as Dartmouth Pushes Brown
Ivy League Battle as Dartmouth Pushes Brown
The top two teams in the Liberty Conference faced off Saturday with defending NCR D1 champs Brown at 3-0 Dartmouth.
The game was considered the major battle for 1st in the conference and it was exactly that.
It was a battle and Dartmouth brought a very potent attack to the game, but Brown came back to win it and also take the Ivy League title.
Brown scored in the first minute when quick hands and quick feet put wing Theo Romero into space. He outpaced his chasers and wrong-footed his opposite to race in from 55. Brown was on the front foot for a while after that and in fact had a penalty five meters from the Dartmouth line. Somehow the Big Green were able to survive that and when flyhalf Ethan Knight faked a clearance kick and instead ran up the sideline, Brown was caught napping as the #10 took his team to midfield.
Used to winning by wide margins, Brown passed up kickable penalties to take the lineout, but they couldn't finish.
Midway through the first half Dartmouth finally got on the board, taking the lineout after a penalty and powering through with the forwards. From close-in the Big Green sent it to center Max Schlager and he cut through to score. Knight converted for a 7-5 Dartmouth lead.
For Brown finally cooler heads prevailed when they got a penalty just inside the Dartmouth 22 and right in front of the posts and center Tito Edjua put it over.
Not long after Brown added to their one-point lead when fullback Inigo Langford cut up a fractured Dartmouth defensive line to gallop in from about 66 meters. Edjua easily slotted the extras and now Brown led 15-7. Edjua would add another penalty before the half ended.
The game was in danger of slipping away from Dartmouth and they probably needed to score next. Hooker and vice captain Jamie Phillips was instrumental in getting Dartmouth there, powering on for a massive carry and then, as his team got it close to the line, Phillips was one to to power over.
Knight hit the conversion to make it 18-14.
Now it was Dartmouth's turn to spend time in the opposing end and not get anything out of it. Knowing the score can be a strange thing, and the Dartmouth players can subtract; they knew they needed a try to get into the lead, but they passed up at least one shot at goal, and then undercut themselves with penalties of impatience.
Then about 25 minutes into the second half Dartmouth launched off a scrum in the middle of the field and on Brown's 22. They ran left, were stopped, and off a ruck where the ball was slow coming out Big Green flanker Nate Raath burst onto a pass from halfback Thomas McDevitt. He was wrapped up but just kept charging on. No one could stop him, and the flanker slammed his way over from 22 meters out. Knight once again was good on the conversion and Dartmouth had a 21-18 lead with less than 15 minutes left.
Raath them made a play at the other end of the field, forcing a holding-on penalty two meters from his own line to preserve the lead.
With the clock down to about six minutes left, Brown finally found what they were looking for. Some confident running out wide turned a defensive position into an attacking one. Some fancy footwork from Marco Lapierre set up flanker Cameron McAlpine for a weaving run that drew the attention of about six Dartmouth players, one of whom sustained an injury and was out of the play.
Quick ball from scrumhalf Charm Tuala and Edjua had an open road to the tryline. It was a crucial try for the Bears. Edjua converted, and Brown led 25-21.
There was time for Dartmouth, and when they got a penalty for an intentional knock-on with the clock past 40, this was their chance. Brown were penalized again but the next Dartmouth lineout saw the Big Green mis-time everything. Brown came up with the ball and kicked to touch to end the game. Brown escaped and are now 5-0 in Liberty Conference play.
"We knew it would be tough in the set piece and they may have edged us slightly in the scrums," said Brown Head Coach David LaFlamme. "Lots of guys had to step up and win some hard yards and put in big defensive stands."
For Brown, however, Langford was big for them, especially with that try almost out of nothing.
For Dartmouth, this was a winnable game.
"As a team we need to be more clinical inside the opposition's 22," said Head Coach Kyle Sumsion. "While we are disappointed by the outcome there was so much to be proud of and we are excited to take the learnings from this game. Brown is a quality side and when playing great teams you need to come away with points when you get inside your 22."
