Men's Rugby | 4/7/2018 11:57:00 PM

STE. ANNE DE BELLEVUE, Que. -- Berke Yalin scored a pair of tries, including the game-winning tally, in the final minute of play as McGill University rallied from an 11-point deficit for a 29-26 conquest over visiting Harvard to capture the Covo Cup in men's rugby exhibition, on a sunny but chilly afternoon affair, Saturday.

It was the sixth straight Cup victory for McGill, which improved to 22-14 lifetime in the almost annual competition which was initiated in 1974 to mark the centennial of the first 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.

The lead changed hands seven times in a thriller played at McEwen Field on McGill's West Island campus. The Redmen led 15-14 at halftime but Harvard rallied to take a 26-15 lead with 10 minutes remaining, only to see McGill come from behind with a pair of converted tries in the final five minutes.

Yalin, a six-foot, 220-pound fullback from Istanbul, Turkey, muscled his way across the goal line for the winning tally in the 79th minute. Earlier, the 23-year-old economics junior broke free for a huge 60-yard romp to the endzone to give McGill a 15-14 lead heading into halftime.

Alex Pantis, an economics and political science sophomore from Beaconsfield, Que., also tallied twice for the Redmen, giving his side a 5-0 lead at the 17-minute mark of the first half on a daring break down the sideline by Joey van der Sluys, a sophomore from Pierrefonds, Que., who tossed an overhead pass to Pantis for a 2-on-1 run into the corner.

Harvard responded just two minutes later with a converted try to take a 7-5 lead but Pantis put McGill ahead 10-7 at the 23-minute mark. The 5-foot-9, 225-pound fly-half ran down the left wing, shrugging off tackles to score in the corner again. The convert was missed on both of McGill's first two tries.

The Crimson regained the lead at 14-10 with a converted try in the 32nd minute but Yalin's near full-field run gave McGill a slim 15-14 advantage with five minutes remaining in the opening half.

Some 20 minutes into the second stanza, Harvard broke through to score another converted try for a 21-15 lead. They increased that to what appeared to be an insurmountable 26-15 advantage after an unconverted try, directly between the goalposts in the 75th minute of play.

However, van der Sluys, a second-year integrated nursing major, narrowed the gap to 26-22 with five minutes remaining, setting the stage for Yalin's last-minute heroics.

Tom Descubes, a political science and economics junior from Montreal and Jean-Pierre Nixon, a biology junior from Hong Kong, converted the last two tries, respectively, to assure the victory.

It was a happy conclusion to a McGill season that finished at 5-5 overall, including a 3-4 third-place finish in the RSEQ conference last fall.

The two teams had a post-game meal together at the Atwater Club, formerly known as the Montreal Badminton & Squash Club, followed by a reception at an elegant and stately old mansion in downtown Montreal, before Harvard headed back across the border to focus on preparing for their final exams.

SCORING SUMMARY
McGill 29, Harvard 26
(36th Covo Cup Game)

FIRST HALF:
1. McGill TRY by Alex Pantis (convert missed by Jean-Pierre Nixon), 17:00 (McGill 5-0)
2. Harvard TRY by #14-UNKNOWN (convert made), 19:00 (Harvard 7-5)
3. McGill TRY by Alex Pantis (convert missed by Jean-Pierre Nixon), 23:00 (McGill 10-7)
4. Harvard TRY by UNKNOWN (convert made), 23:00 (Harvard 14-10)
5. McGill TRY by Berke Yalin (convert missed by Tom Descubes), 35:00 (McGill 15-14)

SECOND HALF:
6. Harvard TRY by UNKNOWN (convert made), 60:00 (Harvard 21-15)
7. Harvard TRY by UNKNOWN (convert missed), 70:00 (Harvard 26-15)
8. McGill TRY by Joey van der Sluys (convert made by Tom Descubes), 75:00 (Harvard 26-22)
9. McGill TRY by Berke Yalin (convert made by Jean-Pierre Nixon), 79:00 (McGill 29-26)


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: McGill won 29-26

SOURCE:
Earl Zukerman
Communications Officer
Athletics & Recreation
McGill University
514-398-7012