Proper alignment is especially important while playing 7s because one blown position often leads to a try. But taking the final two games of the tournament in hand, the concept seems to be coming together.
“I think that we were really disciplined in staying in our alignment, getting the ball to space, and then having the support there where it needs to be,” said Collins. “So we were able to keep possession most of the game, every game, it felt like, which was awesome. And that means you get tries on the board.”
ARMY 26, HARVARD 10
Collegiate women’s rugby has some pretty clear tiers: national contenders, conference contenders, and club teams. Army is at the top. The team from West Point put on a clinic by blanking Harvard 21-0 in the first half, stifling its northern neighbors.
But the Crimson did show some resilience at the end, scoring two tries in the second half that would propel them to two unblemished games to finish off the tournament. Most impressive and encouraging about the result was the dynamic try to close out the game in which all seven Harvard players passed around the ball on the pitch. The concept of spacing was turning from an abstract concept to a systemic facilitator.
HARVARD 26, NORWICH 12
In a rematch of play from last week, the Crimson displayed early tournament jitters against the Cadets. Acting as medicine, Norwich broke into the box score first with a try and would continue to pressure Harvard going into the halftime locker room.
“That was a tough game at the start,” Collins said. “We let up two pretty soft tries, but we had total confidence in our team. We had seen them last weekend and we knew that we could come back and beat these guys. And I think that we really stayed composed and stuck to our structures, and we were able to stretch the field, attack the holes, and score, you know, four unanswered tries.”
Once again, the team from Northfield, Vt. was a wake-up call—which the Crimson dutifully answered. Harvard would put up 16 unanswered points and moved on to fight a stronger battalion.
HARVARD 31, BROWN 5
Facing the hosts of the tournament, Harvard make sure to make itself right at home. The blowout victory to start the day, along with its strong performance against Dartmouth, makes the team primed for a good performance at Ivys.
Indeed, the Crimson let up five points each of its two games last year against Brown at the league championship. But the Bears can easily turn into bulls, as they routed the Crimson 36-0 at the Varsity 7s Championships.
Harvard is in the driver’s seat. It just needs to keep moving forward.
—Staff writer William Quan can be reached at william.quan@thecrimson.com