Men's Rugby | 11/16/2018 11:59:00 PM
CAMBRIDGE, MASS. -- Freshman
Liam Pantis of Beaconsfield, Que., tallied three tries as McGill University outwitted, outlasted and outplayed Harvard 46-33 in a wide-open 37th Covo Cup men's rugby game played at Roberto A. Mignone Field near Boston, Friday night.
The combined 79 points made it the highest scoring Covo Cup game ever, surpassing the 71 points scored in the 2012 contest, which McGill won 41-30.
The lead changed hands four times in a thriller that featured 13 tries -- eight by McGill -- and no penalty kicks. The Redmen led 36-33 with less than 10 minutes remaining, then scored twice in the final seven minutes to put the game out of reach.
Freshman
Karl Hunger, also from Beaconsfield, and
Ryan Robb, a junior from Wilton, Conn., added two tries apiece, while freshman
Benjamin Russell, a native of England, had one.
Elliot Esposito-Menard, a management sophomore from Madrid, rounded out the McGill scoring with eight points, all on conversions.
"High quality 'touring' rugby was played as both teams attacked with vigour," said McGill head coach
Ian Baillie. "There was a lot of ball running and the conditions were perfect for it. Our boys made us and the attending alumni very proud, bringing home another win against Harvard."
McGill has now won seven straight Cup victories over the prestigious Ivy League school and owns a 23-14 lifetime in the almost annual competition which was initiated in 1974 to mark the centennial of the first rugby-football meeting between the two storied clubs in 1874. The trophy is named in memory of the late
Peter Covo, a former multi-sport athlete at McGill, who went on to become a professor and rugby coach at the University.
"We hit the field with a ton of positive energy and from start to finish, we felt dominant on the pitch," said McGill team captain
Jessen Gibbs, an arts junior from White Rock, B.C. "Being the last career game for some of our players, this meant more than just a game to us. With the support of our alumni on the sideline, we gave it our all and were ultimately successful when the final whistle blew. A great finish to such a good season and with the Covo Cup in our hands, we couldn't be happier."
McGill finished their best season in recent years with a 6-2 record overall, including a 5-1 second-place finish in the RSEQ conference. Graduating veterans who played their final collegiate game included
Alex Pantis, an economics senior from Beaconsfield, plus
Hugo Liabeuf, a bio-resource engineering major from France,
Sayf Al-Omaishi, a fifth-year biochemistry major from Markham, Ont., and
Michael Modafferi, a mechanical engineering student from Laval, Que., who also serves as president of the team.
GAME NOTES: Mignone Field is a spectacular World Rugby Federation certified facility, that opened in 2016. The pitch features a synthetic infill Fieldturf surface that measures 114x168 metres. It serves as the home field to Harvard's men's and women's rugby programs and was previously the site of Jordan Field and home of the Harvard field hockey program.
SCORING SUMMARY
McGill 46, Harvard 33
(37th Covo Cup Game)
FIRST HALF:
1. Harvard TRY (unconverted) (HAR 5-0), 7:00
2. McGill TRY: Liam Pantis (unconverted) (5-5), 10:00
3. McGill TRY: Karl Hunger (convert by Elliot Esposito-Menard) (McG 12-5), 22:00
4. Harvard TRY (converted) (12-12), 27:00
5. McGill TRY: Karl Hunger (convert by Elliot Esposito-Menard) (McG 19-12), 28:00
6. Harvard TRY (converted) (19-19), 33:00
7. McGill TRY: Liam Pantis (unconverted) (McG 24-19), 39:00
8. Harvard TRY (converted) (HAR 26-24), 45:00
SECOND HALF:
9. McGill TRY: Ryan Robb (convert by Elliot Esposito-Menard) (McG 29-26), 48:00
10. McGill TRY: Ben Russell (convert by Elliot Esposito-Menard) (McG 36-26), 57:00
11. Harvard TRY (converted) (McG 36-33), 69:00
12. McGill TRY: Liam Pantis (unconverted) (McG 41-33), 73:00
13. McGill TRY: Ryan Robb (unconverted) (McG 46-33), 78:00
McGill Official Dress-list vs Harvard
| 1 |
P Antoun |
| 2 |
L Pantis |
| 3 |
A Pantis |
| 4 |
K Hunger |
| 5 |
M Nwabufo |
| 6 |
T Richards |
| 7 |
W Stone |
| 8 |
H Liabeuf |
| 9 |
T Dabell |
| 10 |
E Esposito-Menard |
| 11 |
S Al Omashi |
| 12 |
P Bourgogne |
| 13 |
J Gibbs |
| 14 |
A Knopp |
| 15 |
B Russell |
| 16 |
W Goodman |
| 17 |
L Brickman |
| 18 |
R Robb |
| 19 |
O Cumming |
| 20 |
D Havelock |
| 21 |
M Modafferi |
| 22 |
Z Hazan |
McGILL-HARVARD COVO CUP CHAMPIONS:
1974: McGill won 6-3
1975: McGill won 13-12
1976: Harvard won 27-0
1977: Harvard won 24-10
1978: McGill won 12-8
1979: Harvard won 16-0 (or 19-0)
1980: Harvard won 27-9
1981: McGill won 10-6
1982: McGill won 15-3
1983: McGill won 8-0
1984: McGill won 28-7
1985: McGill won 21-0
1986: McGill won 49-3
1987: McGill won 22-14
1988: Harvard won 9-7
1989: Harvard won (score unavailable)
1990: McGill won 35-0
1991: Harvard won 16-9
1992: McGill won 14-8
1993: Harvard won 14-9
1994: Harvard won 9-7
1995: McGill won 30-7
1996: McGill won 32-25
1997: Harvard won 17-14
1998: Harvard won (score unavailable)
1999: (no game)
2000: (no game)
2001: McGill won 45-7
2002: Harvard won 17-0
2003: McGill won 37-0
2004: (no game)
2005: (no game)
2006: Harvard won 10-7
2007: Harvard won 22-7
2008: (no game)
2009: McGill won 15-3
2010: McGill won 34-17
2011: (no game)
2012: McGill won 41-30
2013: McGill won 31-7
2014: (no game)
2015: (no game)
2016: (no game)
2017: McGill won 42-12
2018 (spring): McGill won 29-26
2018 (fall): McGill won 46-33
SOURCE:
Earl Zukerman
Communications Officer
Athletics & Recreation
McGill University
514-398-7012
