Dartmouth University VS
Saturday March 16, 2024 - 5:36 PM
Saratoga Jockeys lived up to pre-tournament expectations by defeating Dartmouth College 17-14 to win the Bermuda International Sevens college division at the National Sports Centre’s North Field on Saturday in Bermuda.
Playing for the first time in the annual event, the select side made up of under-23 college students from the United States and England, came in as one of the favorites.
Tries in the finals came from the tournament MVP Luca Holloway and Austin Gordon as well as a Rory Naylor conversion won it for coach Lain Zembek’s Saratoga Jockey's side. Luke Morrow scored two tries and the same number of conversions. The other Dartmouth try came from Tevita Moimoi. Tevita, a captain on the Dartmouth Football team, is getting his first taste of rugby. Look for big things in the future from this impressive student-athlete.
Dominic Wareing, the Dartmouth coach, expressed his disappointment about losing in the final.
Read more about the Dartmouth experience in Bermuda 2024 »
"It’s a little bit disappointing to finish second and it’s always bittersweet for us to make it this far, play so well, and then lose out in the last play," Wareing said.
"That’s sevens rugby, I'm proud of the efforts and the way we hung in there and fought, so we’re excited for the rest of our season."
Dartmouth Green Team vs. Saratoga Jockeys Rugby Club (Championship)
In the tournament championship, Dartmouth’s Green team played the Saratoga Jockeys Rugby Club. This looked set to be a riveting matchup as the two teams had played earlier in the tournament, a match that ended in a nail-biting 12-12 tie. The game certainly lived up to those expectations. Saratoga’s #6 scored the first try of the game at 3:30, putting Saratoga out to an early 0-5 lead (the conversion kick was missed). Dartmouth answered right back a couple minutes later as, at 5:15, Luke Morrow made a line break and sped past the defense to score a try. Morrow converted his own kick to put Dartmouth ahead 7-5. That would be the score at the half.
Dartmouth came out of the half with a ton of energy, ready to win a championship. This positive energy quickly translated to performance on the field, as Tevita Moimoi barreled over several defenders to score a try, which Luke Morrow converted, increasing Dartmouth’s lead over Saratoga to 14-5. Saratoga came storming back though, scoring 2 tries, at 11:30 and 14:00, flipping the lead over to Saratoga 14-17. This led to a dramatic ending, with Dartmouth set to receive the kick with time for just one more play.
Saratoga kicked the ball straight out of bounds, allowing Dartmouth to start this final possession at midfield. Dartmouth methodically marched down the field, getting down to Saratoga’s 22-meter line, but then a pass was knocked on by a Saratoga player, giving Dartmouth the advantage. With this advantage, Captain Danny Locascio got the ball in his hands, found a break in the defensive line, and made his way down to the try zone. Locascio appeared to score the game-winning try, but the referee controversially made the call that the ball was held up, preventing the try and giving Saratoga the win. There was further controversy regarding whether Dartmouth should have then got another chance with the ball, as many players were under the impression that the ref had called for an intentional knock-on (which would mean in this case that Locascio’s run wouldn’t negate the advantage) but that turned out not to be so. It was a frustrating way for the tournament to end for the Green team, but it took nothing away from the boys’ great performance up to that point and will certainly serve as motivation for the Men in Green to dig deeper as they head into their next phase of the season.