More than a Game: HBS “Old Boys” Take on Student Ruggers
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| Serious fun: Old Boys returned from around the world for their annual match with the HBS Rugby Club Photography by Ben Staples |
It is said that soccer is a game for gentlemen played by barbarians, whereas rugby — a grueling physical contest that puts its unpadded players at the mercy of opponents' flying cleats, elbows, and free-form tackles — is a game for barbarians played by gentlemen. But there was nothing gentle about the hard-fought match between the HBS Old Boys alumni rugby team and members of the current HBS Rugby Football Club on a drizzly Sunday last October.
“You want all the players in the scrum tight together and low to the ground so their combined strength is like one force,” Old Boys' president Steve Watson (MBA '77) explained while taking a breather from the action on a muddy field behind Harvard Stadium. “The lower you are, the more effective you are in pushing the other side off the ball.” To the uninitiated, a scrum looks like a more anarchistic version of the American football line of scrimmage, with both teams entwined in a brawny pushing match that ends when the oval rugby ball is kicked backward out of the scuffle and into play. To enthusiasts who know what to look for, the scrum is just one exciting aspect of a game that breeds camaraderie, high spirits, and long-term friendships.
“We have some guys on our team who are in their early 60s who've been playing in these alumni games for thirty years,” noted Jerry Shafir (MBA '84), vice president of the Old Boys team, who was sidelined for this year's annual fall match due to a back injury. Tall, fit, and a trained rugby referee, Shafir celebrated his fiftieth birthday playing with the team in Oxford, England, last spring. “Our two annual events are a dinner and game with HBS students in the fall and a spring holiday to somewhere enjoyable — such as Barcelona, Hawaii, the Bahamas, France, or Portugal — when our families come along. We're going to Vancouver next spring.” Sharif noted that Jim Ashton (MBA '72), one of the first to bring his children on tour, this year brought along his first grandchild, a testimony to the close ties that have formed around the sport.
Although their spirits and most of their bodies are still willing, the alumni group is actively recruiting more youthful teammates to level the playing field. “We need a nucleus of younger guys to come in and take charge,” explained Chuck Hill (MBA '68), one of the senior members of the alumni team. Julian Coulter (HBS '03), the Irish-born captain of the current student team, said he is working to stir up interest among his classmates. “The Old Boys are a great bunch of guys, and I'd like to help them continue this tradition,” said Coulter, before joining members of both teams for one of the most cherished traditions, the postgame festivities.
Neither the weather nor the final score — Students 23, Old Boys 3 — could dampen the alumni team's spirits. “Of course I'd rather win,” admitted Ian Fraser (MBA '83), who flew in for the weekend from England with teammate Clive Minihan (MBA '81) and their wives. “But the real reason we came is to see our old friends.” Alumni ruggers interested in the Old Boys team are encouraged to contact Steve Watson (swatson@mba1977.hbs.edu) or Jerry Shafir (jshafir@mba1984.hbs.edu).
— Deborah Blagg
