Now the Harvard rugby team knows why it ran all those wind-sprints in September.

Despite an arduous schedule that had the Crimson playing three matches in three days, Harvard showed its stamina and skill this past weekend, winning the New England Championships in Worcester.

With wins over Amherst, Connecticut and Brown, Harvard claimed the championship and asserted itself as a favorite for next month's regional finals that will be held in Cambridge.

The Crimson didn't send any major messages to the rugby world in Saturday's opening game, but it did emerge with a 7-3 win over Amherst.

The Lord Jeffs showed little respect for the favored Crimson, as the game remained tied at three until late in the second half. Harvard fullback Lauren Rose revived his teammates and dispatched Amherst late in the game when he scored the game-winning try that put the Crimson up by four.

"It was a pretty uninspired showing by us," said Harvard Captain Jim Barker. "It was very early in the morning, and we really didn't have our act together."

Wake-Up Call

The team found its act by that afternoon, however, as it easily handled Connecticut, 32-13.

Despite the fact that the Crimson was playing its second game of the day, it showed little sign of fatigue as it outran a husky Connecticut squad.

"We were in much better shape," Barker said, "Our fitness proved to be pretty important. Our backs handled the ball much better than in the Amherst game, and that was a big factor."

The Crimson's fitness proved valuable once again on Sunday as Harvard wore out Brown and took the New England title back to Cambridge.

The Bruins had the wind at their backs in the first half, and they parlayed it to a 3-0 advantage after one half. In the second half, however, Harvard claimed the wind and the momentum, completely dominating an exhausted Brown team.

The Crimson scored five unanswered tries in the final frame en route to a 30-3 rout. Harvard set the tone early in the second half, as Dave Houston took the ball deep into Brown territory and spun the ball out to his backs as he was tackled.

When the dust cleared after the loose phase of play and after Harvard reemerged with the ball, three Brown players remained on the ground.

After two Bruins were helped off the field, the Crimson seized the momentum from the play to ignite the scoreboard. Captain Soren Oberg led the way, scoring two tries.

Harvard won't be able to dwell on its achievements of last weekend for long, as it entertains Dartmouth today at Soldier Field and hosts McGill next week.