HRFC vs U.E. Santboiana
| Type: | Exhibition |
|---|---|
| Location: | Away |
| Date: | 3/21/2009 |
| Time: | 2:00 (Barcelona Time)PM |
| Outcome: | Loss |
| Score: | 39-14 |
After a day acclimating to the Barcelona climate and culture, the HRFC played its first game of the 2009 Spring Tour against U.E. Santboiana’s developmental team. U.E. got off to a quick start, punching in two early tries out on their left wing. Flanker Connor Heard ’12 suffered a moderate ankle sprain in an early ruck, and Patrick Holkins ’09 subbed in to make his long-awaited return to competitive rugby. Despite a big defensive push from the Harvard pack, U.E. managed another two tries before a sneaky drop kick ended the first half.
U.E. opened the second half with yet another quick try, but Harvard’s own Quenton Craddock ’09 answered by powering through the entire Spanish pack for a fantastic score. Jonny Miller ’10 stepped up for the good kick, and the momentum finally shifted to the Cambridge squad. Dave Renteln ’11 ran one in for a score after some skillful ball handling from outside center Dan Deighton ’10. Renteln’s hard tackling and speed on the breakdowns proved a challenge for the Spanish squad throughout the game, resulting in one of the California sophomore’s best performances to date.
Nick Torres ’11 came in for Patrick Holkins in the last few minutes of the game, and immediately made an impact on a huge double-hit with Jeff Overall ’11. The Harvard back line strung together an impressive run of phases to keep up the pressure in U.E. territory. Unfortunately for the Crimson, U.E. had the final say with another breakaway try in the last few minutes and sealed the game 39-14.
The game was followed by a dinner and awards presentation in the U.E. Santboiana clubhouse, where the two teams exchanged plaques, traded shirts, and crossed the language barrier for some well known rugby songs.
