NO!! For you troglodytes that are fans of a certain NHL team on the wrong side of the Hudson, I am NOT referring to them.  FIE!!  A pox on you.  I just have one thing to say:

19-94 (clap . . . clap . . . clap-clap)

Nev-er-more (clap. . . clap . . . clap-clap)

I, of course, was referring to the Drew University Rangers.  Drew University, a.k.a. The Harvard of NJ, THE preeminent small Liberal Arts university in NJ.  For the most recent Pugby Palooza, Drew University was a most gracious host.  Enough of the fake turf of recent weeks.  Saturday, under a glorious, sunny Spring day, we played on the traditional rugby pitch at Drew University.  The Drew Rugby Club is over 50 years old.  Luminaries of the past were present on the pitch and off.  Legends coming back to play included Greg Gordon, Barry Friedman, Chris “Joe”/”Big Papi” Walsh, Paul Cortellesi, Mark Anderson, Ralph “Long Island Ralph” Sorrentino, Logan Thomson, and Mister X.  I, “Eggplant”, also played.  Tom Tani, who has developed a reputation as the “Nigel Owens” of ref-fing, served as the Sir.

The crowd was standing room only.  They really had no choice, as there were no viewing stands.  No matter, the non-stop action would have brought them to their feet anyways.  Past legends who have lost their intestinal fortitude, or cojones, or both, included Ken Siegel, Chipper Nolet, Steve “Loader”/”DingleDad” Thompson, Greg Leuser, Eric “Moon” Lutzker and Charlie Russomano.  I had my own cheering section of Jake (Morris U18 Alumnus) and his daughter Ava.  Ava is only 16 months young, but is looking forward to early drop-kicking lessons from David Knox.

The game started at 11:00 LRT (local Rugby time).  Due to the resodding of the Drew Softball outfield, the field was wide and short.  “Appropriate for Olde Boys” noted many on the sidelines.  Morris/Drew would take the pitch against NY Motley.  David Martin started for NY and Tom dutifully checked to make sure Dave was carrying his SIP card.  The Motleys would score first, cherry-picking a Morris pass for an easy try.  The scoring would not stop on either team.  Back and forth action ensued.  When the grass clippings settled, Morris had won their 2nd game in a row by a score of 41-29.  Scorers for Morris included “Famous” Seamus, Uncle Tom, “Not Skinny” Andy, Aussie Mick, and Cal.  The last try was scored by young Chamberlain Wilt.  This prompted the Mayor to say, “If your son scores on the pitch, his mom scores off the pitch”.  As we go to press, there is no update from Father Bill on these events.  Normally Omar is known for kicking (and more kicking), which never lead to anything.  Maybe it was due to his coaching the Drew 7’s team this Spring, but this time he attempted a grub kick that actually worked!  From the 22M, he bounced one into the try zone that Seamus only had to flop on for the score.  Aussie Mick would add several conversions.

When it was over, we would retire to the try zone to watch the Drew Men’s club play with themselves.  Normally they do this in their dorms, but today they did it in front of everyone with some spirited 7’s play.  Back by popular demand, Big Al cooked jambalaya.  The beer was provided by Fort Nonsense Brewing Company, the brewing pride of Denville, NJ.  https://www.fortnonsensebrewing.com/ .  The Benedict Amber Traitor Ale drew rave reviews.

On a somber note, after the match, the Drew Men’s and Women’s Clubs would take up a collection to benefit Kundai Marowa, a team-mate who died much too soon.  Thanks to the donations of all in attendance, over $500 was raised to benefit Mental Health research.  If you were not in attendance, but would still like to contribute, please consider a donation through the following link:

https://ifundraise.nami.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=donate.event&eventID=505&referrer=WEBTD

In closing, I would like to thank Drew University for the chance for all us Drew Rugby alumni to return to our old stomping grounds (literally for some of us).  The field was perfect and a great time was had by all.

By Ralph Scoville

Posted in Masters