A-side vs. Brown
Fairfield 11 – Brown 24
Despite the loss, I am extremely proud of this team's performance, and more importantly, the
way they conducted themselves throughout the entire contest. Coming into a game on our first
2-game losing streak in recent memory, it would've been very, very easy for this team to not
perform. However, these players turned in an intense week of preparation in order to give their
very best against the defending national champions. More importantly, it was an opportunity to
improve from their poor showing against Brown last fall.
In short, Fairfield earned Brown's respect, and the respect of many others who continue to
neglect these players' efforts and quality play. A 14-point deficit was all but erased thanks to
the brilliance of Henry Novicki '26, who slotted 2 penalty goals and an unconverted try. He
accounted for all the team's points and scared Brown by playing "over" them with constant
kick-and-chase and strong counter-attack. Patrick McHale '27 continues to put the league on
notice with his elusive runs and defense that punches well above his weight.
John May '25, filling in for injured Chris Giunta '25 and Juan Sturla '24 as captain, played
inspired rugby for 80 minutes against a world-class set piece. Patrick Burke '25, gritting through
nagging injuries all season, played masterfully at fullback for the first time in his career. He
showed his Gaelic Football skills with his composure in fielding kicks and his awareness to kick
to space. Shane Baffa '25 also punched above his weight as he had to move to inside center,
and in-between Novicki and McHale, Brown barely broke the lines.
Ultimately, Brown's set pieces, as they always do, led the way for their victory. At this level,
their set piece is world-class. Our boys gave their best fight, but it was simply not enough. While
Brown won the set piece battle and eventually the game, the physicality battle belonged to
Fairfield! Mike Fitzgerald '26, Adam Deitrich '24, and Sean Vernon '24 led the way as Brown,
whose roster features players from England, Singapore, Portugal, and other countries around
the world, became frustrated and flustered as these Fairfield just kept hitting them and
applying pressure all night long!

Currently, Fairfield sits at 2-3 in regular season, 3-3 overall, and hosts Dartmouth for its final
regular season contest. While we need a lot of help to make the playoffs from other teams, our
first task is to end the season on a positive note by beating Dartmouth and spoil their playoff
hopes. Dartmouth will be looking to avenge its lost in the conference 3 rd /4 th place game last fall,
and Fairfield is excited to host Big Green on Grauert this Saturday!
B-side vs. Brown B
Fairfield B 29 – Brown B 31
As I've said before, the only other team in our conference who takes their B-side as seriously as
we do is Brown. And, this was evidently clear as this game was a heated contest that
demonstrated high skill and high rugby IQ.
Ian Thomson '27 again controlled the territory with his foot and his command. Frank DelPonte
'24, Gavin Maher '26, and Trigg Ciccone '27, all scored tries in the first half, and led Fairfield to
a comfortable lead going into the second half.
Brown, refusing to give up, played a full 80-minute game, while Fairfield simply did not. Thomas
Morales '27 laid the hits for the entire game, but just one player does not win games. The
excellence of Brown's set pieces showed in this game as they lifted the pressure in the scrums
and the lineouts late in the game to win penalties, gain territory, and score tries.
Handing Fairfield B-side, its first lost since Fall 2021 against Northeastern, Brown came back
from a multi-score deficit to win the match in the final minutes.
Fairfield looks to recover against Dartmouth, another team who takes its B-side seriously and
who is hungry for two road wins.

Match Reports submitted by Austin Ryan, Director of Rugby/Head Coach, Men's Rugby