The rugby team's habitual lack of depth was dredged considerably yesterday by a change of heart in the Administrative Board.

The Board's earlier refusal to allow undergraduates on the side more than two days of excused class absences had dimmed prospects of the team's April tour to Berkeley. But Dean Watson informed club president Art Ticknor yesterday that the appeal for an extra day had been granted. The squad will now definitely play two games with the University of California next April 21 and 23.

Schedule Impossible

The appeal was based on the impossibility of scheduling the two matches necessary for subsidizing the tour within the limited period. A further consideration was that the higher weekend air fares would add over $400 to the team's traveling expenses on a curtailed trip.

The squad's first game is now scheduled for Saturday, the final day of the Californian High School Band Contest. Leading Californian high school Bands will be a feature of the rugby game's half-time festivities.

This game will be the first played by a Crimson team on California soil since the varsity football team opened its '49 season with a 44-0 loss to Stanford. Since then, the Yacht Club has twice sailed to second place in the Intercollegiate Dinghy Championships hold in Newport Harbor, Calif.

As the Bears' rugby team usually calls itself the football team in the fall, some forecasters consider the Crimson will be in second place again next April. The fact that in rugby a touchdown counts for only three points, however, reduces the likelihood of a 44-0 score. By a strange coincidence, the Bears consider Stanford to be their main rivals on the rugby field, and plan to use the Indians as part of their preparation for the Crimson.

Turnabouts

But neither side will be quite devoid of footballers on April 21, as several of last year's varsity are planning to turn to rugby this spring. Jerry Marsh, '54 quarterback and veteran rugger, will lead a law school contingent that may include several ex-Elis, and All-Ivy tackle Orville Tice will be back for his second rugby season.

Other football players who are considering rugby include Captain Bill Meigs, third string All-America guard, Ted Kennedy, Jan Meyer, Jim Joslin, Tom Jones, Ash Hallett, Charlie Eaton, Terry Check, and John Maher.

Art Ticknor's pre-season neck injury will prevent his playing this spring, and Martin Lindsay's unhealed shoulder separation has cut the South African contingent to three: Lionel Bryer, John Chalsty, and Pat Latham.

Encouraged by the success of its California plans, the Rugby Club is now working on a visit to England during the '57-'58 Christmas vacation. The British Rugby Union has been approached, and is optimistic about its chance of sponsoring a visit by a combined Eastern Rugby League team that season.

And as a final triumph, 1956 will be the first occasion on which the H.A.A. has included rugby on its printed schedule of spring sports.