November 12, 2005
The team made our best showing yet at the East Coast Invitational on November 12. After a hard-fought opening loss to Washington Renegades A Side (final score 0-16), the Ironsides rallied against New York Gotham Knights A Side for a 5-0 win in sudden death overtime. Then, after a very short break, the team returned to the pitch to defeat Suffolk Bull Moose 19-0 to secure second place in the tournament. And, oh yes... we won the boat race tournament. Up next... the IGRAB Boat Race World Championship at the Bingham Cup next spring.



Boston Ironsides fall to Mount Washington 39-10

October 22, 2005
The ever-popular Bull Moose squad made the trip down from Attitash, NH for our annual match at Moakley Field. We love these guys, but rugby is rugby and we still really knock each other around on the pitch. The Ironsides came out a little flat in the first half and quickly found themselves behind 29-5 (with a great try for the Ironsides off a penalty by George, who has now scored 4 tries in three weeks!). Play intensified a little in the second half with the defense really stepping up, only allowing Moose two tries. Add a try by Travis and you have the final score of 39-10.

The drink-up – as always – was a lot of fun. In fact, I believe there is a photo of the Moose guys mounted in a particular piece of "equipment" at the 'Rod. Perhaps you've seen it circulating on the internet.

It should be noted that the Ironsides were the first team to score against Bull Moose this season; they've shut out all their other opponents. They're a great team, and – even though rumor has it they're moving up to Division 3 next year – we're hoping to set up at least a frendly with them in the spring. Thanks for a fun match guys!

P.S. We beat them in the boat race. Twice.



Boston Ironsides defeat Yale Grad 40-0

October 15, 2005

Moakley Swamp

Mother Nature is an Ironsides fan. The team plays good rugby in the rain, and this match was no exception. With flood warnings in effect amidst a steady, soaking deluge, the Ironsides faced Yale Grad at Moakley Swamp. We started out with a lot of unrestrained passion – Seth kept imploring us to "settle down." After 40 minutes we had opened up a 10-0 lead, but the Grads were hanging tough and really sticking it to us, threatening to punch into the try zone on several occasions. Coach John, during his halftime remarks, echoed Seth's on-field comments and reminded us to channel our energy into smart play. We finally settled down in the second half, and it worked... we scored 6 more times! Final score: 40-0 Ironsides.

Some highlights: Doctor George, who scored his first try last week against Atlanta, notched two more, and Tony – yes, prop Tony – rumbled about 40 meters for his first try. (There's nothing like a good prop try to get everyone cheering.) British Dave also recorded his first score with the Ironsides. [Other people scored as well, but I lost track of who got what... sorry!] Congratulations to everyone on a great effort, and especially to Hurricane Ophelia for earning man-of-the-match honors.

Izzy earned his first Yellow Card, which Ophelia's Muse saw fit to immortalize in verse, with a little help from the referee's official match report:

October 8, 2005
"Ironsides" conditions (raining and muddy). 4:15 pm kickoff. Atlanta scored first (3 pts off a penalty) but the Ironsides responded with 17 unanswered points, in large part due to very aggressive defense. Most of our points came off tenacious play – we were strong in the rucks and mauls, stole a couple of lineouts and our scrum really started working well. Captain Seth's observations:

August 27, 2005
All the Ironsides veterans heaved a H-U-G-E sigh of relief when they awoke early Saturday morning to find bright sunlight streaming through their windows. It was certainly a far cry from last spring's hypothermia-ridden affair. Captain Seth led the troops, including a seven newbies — yay newbies! — through a morning workout, including some fitness drills and rugby fundamentals. Then after lunch and some more drills, the Fall 2005 Ironsides played a rousing game of, you guessed it, kicking tennis. Afterwards we all headed to the Alley for some pints, pizza and silly songs. (Coach John, who was last seen sprawled on the floor of Boston Bowl recovering from a wedding-induced hangover, will rejoin the team on Monday... we hope!)

This is really shaping up to be a great fall season, which starts with our first match at Berkshire Men's in just two weeks. Don't worry, if you missed the bootcamp, you can still join the team! Just show up at one of our practices. See you there!



Bull Moose 32, Ironsides 17

June 4, 2005
The Ironsides took a 3 hour trip northward to play Bull Moose in picturesque Attitash, New Hampshire. To give you an idea of the setting, here's their pitch:


The Ironsides started off a bit tentatively in the 80+ degree heat and were outscored 22-5 in the opening half (despite a great drive for scrumhalf James' first try). After a bit of a tongue-lashing from Coach John at halftime, the team really picked up the intensity. Lock Izzy notched his first try, James added another just as time expired, and Prop Scrubs had an inspiring 50-meter rumble downfield that fell just short (causing Cruise Director Russ to yell some unmentionables from the sidelines). The Ironsides outscored Bull Moose in the final frame, but ended up losing the match 32-17.

Bull Moose played really great, classy rugby – the ref remarked that it was one of the cleanest matches he had seen in a very long time. And the drink-up, of course, was fabulous. Captain Seth called it "a great day on a great pitch with a great team," and that covers it nicely. What a fine bunch of gentlemen.

Ironsides 17, MIT 10
New London 38, Ironsides 0
The Ironsides met at 7:00 am on a rainy Saturday morning to head down to Marshfield, MA for the Second Annual South Shore Anchors Round Robin Tournament. The tournament's first match (at 9 am!) was Ironsides vs. MIT. Powerful, driving scrums were the order of the day. Hooker Eric's superb effort earned him Man of the Match honors, and determined play saw the team overcome two deficits, at 5-0 and 10-5. The club emerged victorious with a final score of 17-10, and we await our rematch with MIT in two weeks.

After an agonizing 5 1/2 hour break, the Ironsides faced off against New London, Connecticut in the lower division finals. After a strong first half (including yet another amazing try-line stand), the Ironsides kept the match to a two-try deficit; at halftime, the score was 12-0 in favor of New London, with the Ironsides driving hard just as the whistle blew. Unfortunately, it was clear that the early wake-up call and the consistently high level of play was taking its toll on the team, and fatigue started to set in during the final minutes. Nevertheless, the Ironsides played hard right up until the end. Final score: 38-0 New London.

Afterwards, at the drink-up, several players from other teams remarked that the Ironsides were incredibly improved since the tournament last year. Both MIT and New London are in NERFU Division III (Ironsides are Division IV) - so this was a really great showing against some high-level opposition. We look forward to returning to the tournament next year - and kicking some serious butt!!!

April 16, 2005
On a beautiful spring day in the City of Brotherly Love, the Boston Ironsides defeated the Philly Gryphons 5-0 in the Ironsides' first match of 2005. Determined play and intense "swarming D," coupled with a relentless offensive onslaught, helped the Ironsides take the early lead. An inspired try-line stand in the second half held an extremely talented Philly crew scoreless. Congratulations to newbie Scott for earning Man of the Match honors, to veteran Marshall for scoring his first try (finally!), and to ALL the newbies for putting forth such a fine effort. Also, special thanks to the Gryphons for being such great hosts... again!

(with apologies to Coach John and British Dave)
Oh the weather outside was frightful... but that didn't stop some 30-odd ironhearted Ironsides from taking to the pitch on April 2, 2005 for our Spring Bootcamp! Despite the monsoonish conditions, everyone had a great time. Special thanks to Coaches John and Josh for guiding us through the flood! Everyone warmed up with pint and pizza at the Alley afterwards, accompanied by fresh-baked cookies from semi-retired Hooker Vince. We also voted on a club song.

We're now having outdoor practice on Mondays and Wednesdays at Clifford Field (see our Practice page for more information). Do stop by, won't you?

Facing some grim weather, the Ironsides got the chance to face Charles River C for the first time since being squarely decimated by them last year. With a lack of players for both sides (Ironsides with only enough for one side and Charles River with more of a B side) a shortened game was played. While the game was shorter in length, the Ironsides received excellent play from all members on the pitch resulting in some of the best offensive play they have put forth so far as a team. Rucking in the forwards was led by Timmy and rookie Izzy, a high-pressure defense was had from Joe and James and excellent support from the entire back line. At the end of the game the score was 0-0 with the Ironsides threatening along the River try-line but unable to punch it over as time expired.

Boston Ironsides hosted the fellow-IGRAB-member Gryphons Saturday, October 2. Playing on a wet field, the game was a muddy and physical contest. Despite previous losses to Philadelphia, Boston was able to put forth a solid effort and win 31-7. The Ironsides backline play was the highlight for the team as a very quick and constantly attacking line was able to dominate the Gryphons. Forward play was held fairly even with Philadelphia performing well in rucks and Boston winning or spoiling a large amount of line-outs. And of course a good time was had by all afterwards at the social events!

Boston - Friday August 20: The Ironsides raped and pillaged their way through an assortment of bars and nightspots in the downtown area in what has become a season-opening ritual, the Pub Crawl. Startled looks and frightened observers were the order of the day as the Ironsides mob moved from bar to bar, alternately "singing" rugby drinking songs and exhausting liquor supplies. Needless to say, everyone had a great time.