Courtesy of Tony Munene

The first iteration of the iconic Yale-Harvard athletic rivalry — back in 1875 — was not the game of football we know. Instead, the rivals played rugby.

On Friday, nearly 147 years since the iconic clash, the Bulldogs triumphed over visitors Harvard 31–26 in another men’s rugby thriller. It was the first between the two rivals since the Bulldogs joined the Liberty Rugby Conference in 2022. Due to Harvard and Yale competing in separate divisions since the move, the game was officially billed as an exhibition match, yet both put forth fierce competition in their bid to secure the Cormack Cup. 

With their victory, the Bulldogs took home the coveted trophy for the first time in four years.

“The game is the epitome of rugby at Yale — we’ve been preparing for the game for the whole year,” wide forward Tony Munene ’25 told the News. “Except for the playoffs, it’s literally the most important game of our season.”

The Bulldogs began the game with an aggressive push as they stunned Harvard with two successful tries, each worth five points, within the first 12 minutes of the game. Scrum-half Jack McClelland ’25 and No. 8 Liam Varela ’25 made superb runs to start Yale off ten to nothing. 

Thereafter, the Bulldogs shook off nerves from two consecutive missed conversions and followed up with clinical offense. In the following ten minutes, the Bulldogs completed three tries alongside successful two-point conversions, blooming the lead to 31–0.

“We have 17 seniors on the team,”  said captain Henry Large ’23. “They are never going to play [against Harvard] again. So a lot of emphasis was on us seniors and how important the game was for us. That shaped our training leading up to the game and our attitude during the game. We gained a lot of positive momentum in the first half from scoring again and again and again. On top of that, we were playing with the wind in our back during the first half, which helped us, especially with kicking.”

“At half-time, after talking about tactics and strategy, we got in a circle and listened to every senior say what the game meant to them,” Large said. “When it was my turn, I said, this is a day we’re never going to forget, so let’s make sure we have no regrets.”

The Bulldogs would go scoreless for the rest of the game. The team’s intense offensive tired the Blue and White out faster, explained Munene, and exhaustion set in towards the end of the first half. On the other hand, Harvard recovered from their initial shock to end the half on a strong note with a successful try around the half-hour mark. 

The teams entered half-time with the score reading 31–5 in favor of Yale.

The second-half kicked off with the momentum in Harvard’s favor. The Crimson continued to chip away at the deficit, scoring a try and conversion within ten minutes. Seven minutes later, Harvard scored a try and a conversion again, putting them within striking distance. 

With less than five minutes to go, the Crimson made it a one-score game at 31–26. Despite the narrow margin, however, the Bulldogs kept their cool to hold on for victory.

“Obviously, when you’re up there — you’re winning against your biggest rival — you’re on top of the world,” Isaiah Wright ’24 said. “We were feeling good. I think what happened to us was that we got a little bit ahead of ourselves. We let off the gas for a little bit, which we shouldn’t have. It was heartbreaking to see the comeback. But ultimately, we decided it was really important to us to win the game and everyone stepped up to get the dub.”

Large commended his team for their mental fortitude and gave credit to the team’s substitutes for injecting the side with energy off the bench. Likewise, he highlighted the support and electric atmosphere from the home crowd of almost 300 people at the Yale Rugby Field. 

Wright added that the victory was more special due to the fact that the team beat their biggest rivals during family weekend in front of friends and family.

The Bulldogs hope to carry their form forward for the remainder of their season. Currently, the Blue and White are tied for fourth in the Liberty Conference with a 2–2 record. Their objective is to win their two remaining games to secure a playoff berth, with a loss ending their season.

The Bulldogs will play at Columbia on Saturday, Oct. 15 and will finish their regular season at home against the University of Connecticut on Oct. 29.

The Cormack Cup is named for legendary Yale rugby coach Malcolm Cormack.