Five losses in the fall season is a lot for the Harvard rugby club, all right.

Men's Rugby

1987 record to date: 1-3-1

(Ivy tournament this weekend)

That colorful club, which captured the national championship in 1984, seven consecutive Ivy League titles from 1978-'84, and has gone undefeated twice, finished with a 4-5 record during the fall season.

But all is not so bleak with the ruggers.

"We have a lot of guys back, and they know the game really well," Co-Captain Scott Roberts said. "We finished third in the Commonwealth Cup, and had a close one-point loss to the English side (Trinity 4-3), so all signs point to a pretty strong showing this spring."

So far this spring, Harvard has played a beefed up schedule and more than held its own. However, the biggest obstacle has been poor weather conditions, forcing the ruggers to stay inside. They have only had one day of practice under the sun.

During spring break, the Crimson toured the Bahamas Islands, a trip the ruggers credit with the recent turnaround in their play.

"The tour really brought us together as a team," Roberts said. "Playing the foreign sides really gave us a new perspective."

The tour and the difficult schedule, Harvard Coach Martyn Kingston said, is an effort to peak for the Ivy League tournament, which is next weekend. Since winning the Ivy title in 1984, the Crimson has finished runner-up to rival Brown the past two seasons.

This past weekend, the Bruins edged the Crimson, 23-17, in the New England Invitational Tournament in Providence, R.I.

A real key in the Crimson drive is the continued development of the forward pack. The pack, which Kingston rates as one of the best in the New England area, has come on strong in the last month and has begun to exert itself.

"The pack is doing very well," Kingston said "It's still one of the best in the East."

A pleasant surprise for the club has been the addition of varsity athletes from other sports. Three Harvard football players have joined the team, and all saw action over the weekend.