Yale Ruggers Edge Harvard, 12-4

The Yale Rugby Club, sparked by a break away late in the first half, edged the Harvard ruggers here Saturday, 12-4, as the Crimson wound up a dismal season with a 28 record.

"Maybe we just don't know how to win too well." Sandy Robertson, president of the Harvard Rugby Club, said yesterday.

The Crimson drew first blood in the morning battle. Prop Tom Lapinski, capping a long drive down to the Yale end, broke over the goal line for a four-point try. An attempted tow-point conversion failed.

The Elis struck back late in the first half as a Yale forward broke through a crowd of Crimson-and-Elis and battled up to the Harvard goal before being tackled.

"The one breakaway was the big difference," Robertson said of the play.

Eli's First

The Blue put their first points on the board as an Eli look the ball from the scrum and scored. The point totals moved to 6-4 as Yale made the conversion successfully.

A sustained drive down the field and another tow-pointer after the tally accounted for the rest of Yale's points.

Robertson said yesterday that the frozen playing field had hampered both teams and slowed the pace of the game. "You couldn't cut," he added. Robertson credited the superior teamwork of the Yale backs for the Blue's comeback victory.

"It was a disappointing season, but it was fun." Robertson commented. "I don't think we ever played as well as we could have." He blamed shifts in personnel, as well as a lack of work and ability for the club's 2-8 record.

Only Victories

The Crimson gained its only victories in matches against the Old Maroon, a rugby club from New York City, and the Rugby Club of Portland, Maine. Its losses in the Ivy League wore to Princeton, Yale, Dartmouth, Brown, and Cornell.

It also was defeated by Beacon Hill, the Business School, and the Drogheda, Ireland Rugby Club.