McGill schools Dartmouth in rugby preseason opener

MONTREAL – McGill University opened its men's rugby preseason on a winning note Saturday, posting a 28-14 victory over Dartmouth College at Percival Molson Stadium.

The Redbirds built a 21-0 lead in the first half with tries from four different players, then sealed the result with a late score in the 80th minute.

Second-year wing Harry Corkum of London, U.K., a mechanical engineering major, touched down in the 12th minute to put McGill on the board. He was followed by James Mason, a sophomore centre from Paris, France, who crossed in the 28th minute. Veteran No. 8 Ian McDowell, a 25-year-old PhD candidate in neuroscience from Montreal, added a try six minutes later. All three early markers were converted by fullback Martin Laval of Montreal, a graduate student in management, giving McGill a 21-0 advantage at the half.

Dartmouth replied with back-to-back tries from Gjergji Bacuku, converted by Ethan Knight, to narrow the gap to 21-14 midway through the second half. But McGill answered in the dying moments when Nicolas Tissier, a 20-year-old outside back from Oakville, Ont., scored in the 80th minute. Education sophomore Shun Hutmo added the conversion to close out the scoring.

McGill begins regular season play in the RSEQ conference when the Redbirds play host to visiting Carleton on Thursday, Sept. 4 in a 7:30 p.m. kickoff at Molson Stadium. The game is being billed as "Rugby for Community Safety Night).

(COACH'S COMMENTS TO FOLLOW)

MEN'S RUGBY SCORING SUMMARY

McGill 28, Dartmouth 14
(Aug. 30, 2025 at Percival Molson Stadium, Montreal, QUE)

FIRST HALF:
McGill: TRY (Harry Corkum), 12'
McGill: CONVERT (Martin Laval), 12'
McGill: TRY (James Mason), 28'
McGill: CONVERT (Martin Laval), 28'
McGill: TRY (Ian McDowell), 34'
McGill: CONVERT (Martin Laval), 34'

SECOND HALF:
Dartmouth: TRY (Gjergji Bacuku), 48'
Dartmouth: CONVERT (Ethan Knight), 48'
Dartmouth: TRY (Gjergji Bacuku), 55'
Dartmouth: CONVERT (Ethan Knight), 55'
McGill: TRY (Nicolas Tissier), 80'
McGill: CONVERT (Shun Hutmo), 80'