Though Leavitt and Barker agree that rugby evoked images of drinking and rowdiness in the past, the club has worked to change that perception. Its athletes take on community service projects as a team, for example, and while the team used to have kegs at games in the 1980s, it's now officially "dry."

A strong alumni support group has kept the team well funded and organized.

The passion for the game has also motivated players to take more control of organizational and administrative responsibilities for the club. The players must secure transportation to games, fields for games and referees. The president balances a tight budget under the supervision of Wentzell and the alumni association. And the team relies heavily on alumni to provide the bulk of the funding.

The sort of rugby fraternity often extends beyond the field. Coach Leavitt, who resides in Aspen, Colo., travels to Cambridge twice a year for several months to coach.

"The alumni are great and very supportive of the team," Wentzell says. "They are passionate, and have helped the team return quicker from its ('98) setback."

The alumni organization, The Friends of Harvard Rugby, pays for the team to travel to away games in a large bus that carries the entire team and coaches.

"They pay for our coaches and other important things that the team could not do without," Davis said. "We feel more linked to the alumni than we do to the school."

--Staff writer Robert A. Cacace can be reached at cacace@fas.harvard.edu.