Blues

Oxford claimed their ninth successive victory in this fixture but they were made to work hard for their win in one of the most competitive Varsity Matches in years. Going into the final quarter just two points separated the teams but a final flurry by the Dark Blues saw them rattle up 16 points without reply to seal the contest 24-6.

Wet conditions made handling difficult and both sides put in sterling defensive efforts but the superior kicking game of Oxford gave them a distinct edge. The Cambridge defence was tested in the opening five minutes and held firm but then they lost possession deep in their own half and their opponents took full advantage with a try from John Wylde.

Midway through the half the game was held up for 15 minutes when two Oxford players were injured in a clash of heads. On the resumption Cambridge launched their first attack but could not find a way through a stern Dark Blues defence.

Oxford went further ahead when Will Taverner crossed in the corner following a scrum which Cambridge were convinced should have been their put in. Just before the interval Oxford were reduced to 12 after wing Louis Claxton had been shown a yellow card for an attempted trip.

Still, at 8-0 the Light Blues were still in the contest although they were unable to take advantage of their numerical superiority. But after interval they enjoyed their best period of pressure and it took a terrific try-saving tackle from Marco Hiscox to deny them.

The Oxford defence was finally breeched when a speculative kick to the line was eventually touched down by Will Birch. George Griffiths converted to make it 8-6 and the real possibility of an upset was on the cards.

But this was as close as they got. Oxford stepped up their game and ran in tries through Hiscox, Nick Dodds and Mark Giza with Conor Williets converting two to wrap up the contest.

Oxford prop Phil Maffettone was named man of the match for a sterling effort up front. It was a fitting end to the American’s final year at Oxford having missed out on a Blue last year due to sustaining a broken leg the week before the Varsity Match.

Teams

Oxford: Conor Williets; Louis Claxton, Maciek Peplinski, Will Taverner, John Wylde; Mark Roper, Nick Dodds; Sven Kerneis, Angus McCance, Phil Maffettone, Marco Hiscox, Will Henshall (capt), Mark Giza. Interchange: Reilly Knight, Alex Pentecost, Ed Harris, Jordan Ayling, Harry Martin, Matt Wilson

Tries: Wylde, Taverner, Hiscox, Dodds, Giza Goals: Williets 2

Cambridge: Craig Winfield; Oliver Gnodde, Matt Brady, Sam Parker (capt), Casper Ramsay; Richard Bowen, Will Birch; Caleb Darwin, Sam Henry-Pressling, Tom Wilson, Miles Huppatz, George Griffiths, Matyas Molnar. Interchange: Henry Biddlecombe, Gerard Lyons, Tom Bewes, Hilary Foord, Jorge Albert

Tries: Birch Goal: Griffiths

Referee: Liam Rush

Maroons 

For the first time in nearly five years, Reserve Grade Varsity took place between the Oxford and Cambridge 2nd XIIIs on a fresh February evening at Shelford RFC. Having had a very strong season in both the league and cup, the Maroons were favourites over Cambridge 2s coming into the game, but with conditions allowing for some fast-paced rugby and with both sides geed up on Varsity adrenaline there was everything to play for.

The first half belonged to Oxford who ran in 30 points without an answer on the scoreboard from Cambridge. Tries from Jonny Wood, Aron Hegedus and Harry Williams (amongst others) capped off strong attacking shape from the Maroons whilst Martin and Harris put in excellent defensive efforts to keep Cambridge from crossing the try line.

However, with the half time whistle and the dipping of the sun below the horizon, the momentum shifted in Cambridge’s favour who capitalised on lapses in discipline by the Oxford defence. Powerful runs from Sam White carried the Cambridge side into touching distance of the try-line, before the attacking physicality of Cambridge proved too much for Oxford as the ball was bundled over the line. Despite a further goal-line scramble from the light-blues to take them to double figures and depleted resources on the Maroon’s bench, Oxford were able to regroup, playing with the attacking shape and defensive discipline that had given them the lead at half time. With a set of 3 converted tries to finish the game, Oxford won the half and with that the 2018 Reserve Grade Varsity in an encouraging advert for rugby league at both universities that will no doubt get the excitement going for the 1st XIII Varsity at the HAC in March.

Man of the Match: Bageaux Martin

Blues

They say the sun always shines on rugby league, and such was the case on 3^rd March as the morning rainclouds cleared just as the spectators rolled off the buses from Oxford to come watch the Rugby League Varsity Match, hosted at the Honourable Artillery Company grounds in the heart of the City of London. Oxford were the clear favourites, going into the game on the back of a strong season for the Blues with only four defeats across all competitions. Additionally, there was a clear psychological edge knowing that the last seven Varsity Matches had been won by the Dark Blues.

Soon after kick off, captain Jordan Ayling (Magdalen) led from the front and sliced through the Cambridge defensive line to score under the posts within the first five minutes. His range of passing and ability to really attack the line from half back would trouble the Tabs for the entire game and would prove difficult to stop. Soon afterwards, it looked as if the Dark Blues would run away with it again as some good shift after fifth tackle allowed Matt Brady to cross in the corner, a Varsity try to cap off a great season for the flying winger.

Credit must be given to Cambridge as they then rallied and started to grow into the game, scoring in the corner at the other end and giving them only their second try in the last six fixtures and then putting up a fight in the middle of the park where the 800-strong crowd kitted out with varsity songbooks loved the shots flying in from both sides. Eventually the Oxford class began to show and tries from Ayling again and Joe Cullen out wide gave them a 24-4 lead at half-time.

After a scrappy start to the second half, further scores from Ayling to secure his hat-trick as well as Williets, Woyton and Taverner led to a final convincing scoreline of 48-10 to the boys in Dark Blue with the skipper converting all the tries. The Varsity win was a real testament to the work the boys have put in week-in week-out to prepare for BUCS games and also to the strength in depth of the squad, as there were many second team players in the Mighty Maroons pushing for those varsity spots. It was also an excellent finale to what will be known as the Dan Garbutt era for OURLFC, as the inspirational head coach is stepping down after 13 very successful years with the club. Despite changes in coaching for next year, based on the performances by players at this year’s Varsity the future looks bright for the club.

Oxford: Conor Williets; Matt Brady, Harry Sturgess, William Taverner, Joseph Cullen; Mark Roper, Jordan Ayling(c); Sven Kerneis, Zachary Keane, Joseph Mash, Marco Hiscox , Daniel Smith, Jake Langmead-Jones Interchange: Nick Dodds
Reilly Knight, Michal Woyton, William Henshall, Robert Bartlett, Angus McCance,

Scorers
Tries: Ayling (3), Brady, Cullen, Williets, Woyton, Taverner Goals: Ayling (8)

Cambridge: Craig Winfield; Ryan McDonnell, Miles Huppatz (c), Sam Parker, Sandy McCleery; Jack Fernon Thomas Davidson; Ned Bransden, Sam Henry-Pressling, Hamish Oliphant, Henry Biddlecombe, Callum Slatter, Jack Bowskill Interchange: Andy Camsell, Hilary Foord, Tom Wilson, Owen Male, Elliot Pulver

Scorers
Tries: Parker, Winfield Goal: Fernon

Referee: Matt Rossleigh

Att:706

Blues

Oxford recorded the biggest win in the history of this fixture, their 70-0 demolition of Cambridge making it seven wins on the trot in the annual Varsity Match at the HAC ground in the City. The Dark Blues captain James Clark notched up 34 points in a man of the match performance with scrum-half Jordan Ayling claiming four tries.

The promise of a more competitive Varsity Match proved just that as Oxford dominated every facet of the game. Although Cambridge had their moments, they never really threatened to break through a solid defence and have now gone three years without scoring a try.

The opening exchanges did hint that things may be different this year with some good defence by the Light Blues. However, after nine minutes a searing break by Jake Langmead-Jones was finished off by Ayling and six minutes later he ran through some poor defence for his second with Clark converting both for a 12-0 lead.

Cambridge worked hard to get back into the game but when they were in good attacking positions they were all too predictable and never really threatened to open their account. In the last 16 minutes of the half Oxford really cut loose. Conor McCleary touched down, Ayling completed his hat-trick and Clark scored twice and added three conversions for a 34-0 scoreline at half-time.

Any thoughts of a second half revival were dismissed in the opening minutes when Clark crossed for his third try. The one-way traffic continued for the rest of the half with tries from Jack Holmes, Sven Kerneis, Will Henshall, Michael Woyton and Ayling. Clark ended the game with 11 conversions from the 12 tries.

For Cambridge, second row Oliver Brewster worked tirelessly in both attack and defence for the whole 80 minutes and didn’t deserve to be on the losing side.

Oxford: Jack Holmes (Worcester College); Conor McCleary (Brasenose College), Will Henshall (Wadham College), James Clark (capt, Brasenose College),Matthew Brady (St Peter’s College); Mark Roper(New College), Jordan Ayling (Magdalen College); Sam Bainbridge (St Catherine’s College), James Smith (Kellogg College), Jake Langmead-Jones (Worcester College), Michael Woyton (Worcester College), Mark Giza (Queen’s College), Gareth Davies (Wadham College). Replacements: Alex Babb (St Peter’s College), Yoni Dennis (Wadham College), Sven Kerneis (St Peter’s College), Dan Smith(Somerville College)

Tries: Ayling 4, Clark 3, McCleary, Holmes, Kerneis, Henshall, Woyton Goals: Clark 11

Cambridge: Marcus Clover (Trinity College); Rupert Thompson (Corpus Christie College), Oliver Lewis(Downing College), Jack Claydon (St John’s College), Sam Parker (Sidney Sussex College); Jack Fernon (St Edmund’s College), Craig Winfield (capt, Selwyn College); John Cormie (Hughes Hall), Sam Pressling (Trinity College), Tom Wilson (Girton College), Kyle McCormick (Sidney Sussex College), Oliver Brewster (King’s College), Tim Hillel (Downing College). Replacements: Dave Rowlands (Corpus Christie College), Will Chisholm (Sidney Sussex College), Corey Robinson (King’s College), Adam Bartlett (Downing College)

Referee: Nick Bennett

Att: 782

Blues

Oxford handed out another thrashing to Cambridge in the Varsity Match held at the HAC in the heart of the City. This was a record breaking sixth successive victory, the longest winning sequence in this annual event since it’s inauguration in 1981.  The Light Blues have scored just one try in the last four years, and rarely looked like adding to that tally in a largely one-sided affair. Oxford were far more organised and assured, taking the chances that came their way.
The opening exchanges were pretty even, which promised a much more competitive game, but once Oxford opened their account in the seventh minute there was only one side in it. That try came from centre Chris Mansfield who came steaming on to a short ball and proved unstoppable on his way to the line.  James Clark converted and he was on target five minutes later when his side forced a goal line drop out, which saw centre Charlie Davies go over down the left. Cambridge squandered a number of promising positions with handling errors and their opponents made them pay. Calum Lomas scooted over from dummy half following terrific break from  Yoni Dennis and the barnstorming prop then crashed over from short range. Clark converted both for a 24-0 lead at half time.

Oxford increased their lead early in the second half, a neat offload by prop Will Key set up a good attacking position which resulted in wing Josh Marshall collecting a high kick to the corner by Crawford Matthews and touching down. Hard working loose forward Mark Giza then touched down after a strong 30 metre run and Mansfield collected his second minutes later, a 60 metre effort following a slick move which began deep in their own half.
Cambridge had a number of promising attacks but their execution of final plays was poor. Hooker Dougal Balfour came within inches of opening their account but he was denied by some good defence.
Oxford wing Connor McCleary wrapped things up with a sparkling 60 metre sprint up the left hand touchline before crossing under the posts.

Mark Giza was named Man of the Match.

Oxford: W Henshall; C McCleary, C Davies, C Mansfield, J Marshall; C Matthews, J Clark; W Key, S Steinert, L Bentley, G Davies (c), T Bradley, M Giza. Interchange: C Lomas, Y Dennis, M Lewis, S Bainbridge, A Babb

Scorers

Tries: Mansfield (2), Davies, Lomas, Dennis, Marshall, Giza, McCleary Goals: Clark (5)

Cambridge: W Wynell-Mayow; A Evans, P Shotton, S Leisegang, E Smith; C Winfield, M Burrows; J Cormie, D Balfour, H Cozens (c), T Hughes, G Laing, J Greenan- Barrett. Interchange: M Commin, D Earnshaw, N Whatmore, S King, C Robinson Referee: James Jones

Blues

Oxford went ahead in the Rugby League Varsity March series with a convincing victory, equalling Cambridge’s record of five successive wins in the 1990s. The Dark Blues were always in control and despite some periods of dogged defence by their opponents, never looked like losing.

Oxford opened the scoring after four minutes when a strong run by Oakley Cox down the left saw the winger touchdown. Jake Whittaker converted and was again on target minutes later when they forced a goal line drop out and George Sismey-Durrant took a pass from Jack Barber to score.

Cambridge launched their first real attack after 14 minutes but despite forcing a goal line drop out themselves and then being awarded a penalty, could not turn the pressure into points. Oxford had been repeatedly warned about their tackling technique and when Ben Claxton put in a shoulder charge, the referee had had enough and sent him to the sin bin.

The Light Blues still couldn’t take advantage and just before Claxton’s return Oxford increased their lead when Marcus-Alexander Neil, a hard working second row, crossed. Whittaker again added the extras to make it 18-0 at the break.

There was more steel in the Cambridge tackling after the interval and for the first 20 minutes the game developed into a midfield battle but going into the final quarter Oxford moved further ahead. Winning a scrum in a good attacking position they moved the ball smartly to the left where Cox forced his way over in the corner for his second try.

Whittaker was unable to convert but was soon back on target when the scrum-half put Neil over for his second try.

Cambridge briefly threatened to open their account when a couple of strong runs saw centre David Sparkhall go close but Oxford finished strongly.

Powerful bursts from Abeku Nelson down the right created opportunities for winger Joe Davies to touchdown twice with Whittaker rounding off a fine performance by converting both.

He was later named as man of the match and awarded the Bob Mahuta Trophy.

Oxford: J Barber; J Davies, G Sismey-Durrant, J Clark, O Cox; J Baker, J Whitaker; B Reavley, J Smith, Luke Jagoe, G Davies, M-A Neil, B Claxton Interchange: A Hamilton, Y Dennis, L Bentley, A Nelson

Tries: Cox 2, Davies 2, M-A Neil 2, Sismey-Durrant Goals: Whittaker 6

Cambridge: J Tennison; S Roberts, D Rynhoud, D Sparkhall, S Rylands; A White, E Linford; A Devane, J Henderson, H Cozens, T Hughes, O Brewster, M Commin. Interchange: F Bromley, G Laing, O Holmes, C Winfield

Referee: T Mather

Blues

Varsity 2013 saw the Dark Blues of Oxford and the Light Blues of Cambridge renew hostilities in the unfamiliar but suitably atmospheric location of the Honourable Artillery Company Ground in Moorgate, London on Friday 8th March. With the overall series between the sides sitting at 16-15 in Cambridge’s favour with one draw, Oxford hardly needed more motivation to try and extend their winning run in the fixture to four consecutive matches. A narrow pitch and drizzling conditions did not suit the Dark Blues’ game plan but the team were not fazed as they stayed relaxed, trained and prepared for the showpiece fixture just like any other.

All the pre-match hype had been at risk of distracting the players but the focus and quiet intensity showed throughout the day, including the lengthy walk out from the changing rooms to the pitch, put paid to any hopes of a slip-up. Oxford’s determination was shown immediately from the kick-off as, for the second match in succession, Jake Whittaker, who delivered one of the finest kicking performances in Varsity history, banged the kick-off dead to set up a goal line drop-out as the first touch of the ball. The passion and fire of the Oxford players was visible to all present, as they celebrated this opening fervently, roaring their superiority into the despondent faces of the Cambridge players. After this introduction, Varsity delivered the massive carries and huge hits that its frantic initial stages inevitably provide. With Cambridge unable to recover from the setback of failing to field the kick-off, sustained Oxford pressure meant that pivot and Club President, Jack Baker, glided through a gap that appeared in the Cambridge defence to open the scoring and delight the Oxford players.

The tricky handling conditions saw the nervy opening stages plagued with handling errors, preventing Oxford from settling in to their usual free-flowing style of rugby. Fortunately, the fitness and ferocious defence, which this team had been built on, came to the fore and the Dark Blues asserted a physical dominance over proceedings which they refused to relinquish throughout the afternoon, with Luke Jagoe, James Smith, Ed Bonnell and Billy Saundry all excelling in the middle of the park. With errors and strong defence continuing to prevent either side from scoring as the first half continued, a lapse in communication saw Oxford’s normally consistent defensive shift fail to materialise and some fortunate handling allowed the Cambridge winger a smart finish in the corner, scoring the Light Blues’ first and, as would turn out, only points since 2011. With both kickers having missed their conversions the scores were deadlocked at 4 – 4 midway through the first half. Cambridge, however, made a hash of the following kick-off, again presenting Oxford ideal field position to exert continuous pressure with barnstorming runs from centres Olly Jones and Ross Williamson. Oxford began to settle into the game and this pressure was converted into points as the ball was worked wide by Baker and Whittaker in typical fashion, presenting fullback, John Bremridge, with the opportunity to slide over in the corner. The try energised the Oxford side who sensed the opportunity to turn the screw against their opponents, flagging as half-time drew nearer. Swinging the ball from side to side and with the back three of Bremridge, Mckenna and Barber working diligently to set up strong field position, smart work from hooker, Smith, saw him hit Tom Cole, running one of his famous lines which have been such a force all season. The former Maroon has been a revelation in the Blues set-up this year and his pace and power proved too much for the Light Blues as he burst his way over the line with three men attempting to hold him back. As half-time was signalled, the Dark Blues led 16 – 4.

Starting the second half with the message to cut out simple, preventable errors but to otherwise carry on with more of the same, Oxford rarely looked troubled as the game progressed. Match-day reserve, Ali Shipman, called in at the last minute for the incapacitated Oakley Cox, fresh off the back of five tries in the Maroons Varsity and winner of last year’s Bob Mahuta trophy, caused few surprises when he powered his way through the Cambridge edge defence with his first touch of the ball. Grinding and solid defence saw Cambridge become increasingly frustrated as their handling continued to let them down and the game slipped ever further out of their grasp. Tom Hiron and Ben Reavley delivered characteristically strong performances both with ball in hand and in defence, their freshness off the bench enabling them to shine as the match wore on. In the final stages, two smartly taken interception tries from Jake Whittaker and Ali Shipman saw the Dark Blues put the result beyond doubt, increasing the margin between the sides to a level reflective of the supremacy which their defensive play and fitness had merited. As the final whistle blew, the Dark Blues could be satisfied with their 32 – 4 margin of victory and reflect on a hard-fought and well-earned result against a much-improved Cambridge side. For the entire 80 minutes, loose forward, Ben Claxton, turned out a game-winning attacking and defensive performance exceptional only to those who are not used to seeing him play.

Captain Hugo Fearon’s organisation and leadership saw him shade the voting for the Bob Mahuta on the day but if Claxton plays his third Varsity in 2014, the man of the match accolade is surely only one of many that deservingly await. With celebratory lemonades out of the way, clear heads returning once more and haircuts returning to normal, talk has already turned to Varsity 2014.

The opportunity to win a fifth Varsity in a row and take the lead in the overall series for the first time since 1985 is already proving exciting for the squad. With eleven returning blues from the 17-man squad, the re-emergence of stalwarts of the 2011 vintage, the return from injury of those unable to play in this year’s match and a number of quality players in this year’s Maroons squad who will seek to push for selection next year, 2014 looks set to be a bright year for OURLFC and will undoubtedly see the club reach new heights.

Oxford: Bremridge, McKenna, Jones, Williamson, Barber, Baker, Whittaker, Jagoe, Smith, Fearon (C), Bonnell, Saundry, Claxton Substitutions: Hiron, Cole, Reavley, Shipman Tries: Baker, Bremridge, Cole, Shipman (2), Whittaker Conversions: Whittaker (4)

Blues

Varsity: the opportunity for the Blues to deliver a season-defining performance that would cap off a hugely successful year both for the team and for the club as a whole. The Blues had been showing all the signs of peaking at the right time, producing easily their best rugby of the season in recent weeks as Varsity drew near and enjoying a hugely focused and productive pre-Varsity camp over the final weekend in February. The impressive strength in depth developed at the club over the last term in particular meant that every member of the final Varsity squad had been pushed all the way to be at the best to secure their spots, and everyone was eager for the opportunity to prove themselves on the biggest stage at the Twickenham Stoop. The teams’ respective results over the course of the season might have led to the Oxford side being installed as comfortable pre-match favourites, but there was certainly no hint of complacency among the players, all of whom knew that the relevance of recent form can be greatly diminished in the intense cauldron of a Varsity match.

The Blues were calm and assured, quietly confident that if they executed their gameplan with the efficiency and precision that they had demonstrated in the previous few weeks they would be in a fantastic position to retain the K J Lee Trophy. The unity of the club could be clearly seen in the Blues’ determination to win the match not just for themselves, but for their colleagues in the second team, the Maroons: Cambridge’s withdrawal from the reserve grade Varsity match owing to their failure to raise a full side – robbing the Maroons, themselves playing sparkling rugby league all term, of a showpiece finale to their own season – had been additional fuel to the fire for the Blues. Oxford’s mantra since their pre-Varsity camp had been “Be The Storm”, a reference to their desire to impose themselves and their brand of aggressive and expansive rugby on their opposition from the off, being proactive rather than reactive. This plan bore fruit as early as the second minute: after Josh Halstead, Oliver Nash, and Alex Hamilton had set the tone with some bone-rattlingly big hits, the Blues won possession from a Cambridge knock-on and pivot Hugh McCormick found Marcus-Alexander Neil, the Oxford captain breaking a weak attempted tackle to score. McCormick converted nonchalently to extend the Ox ford lead to six points. Soon after, Cambridge were awarded a penalty in the Oxford half, only to find themselves driven back a full ten yards by more ferocious Oxford defence. The Blues were dealing well with Cambridge’s limited and predictable attack, and what few Light Blue forays there were towards the Oxford line were undone by poor final kicks. Commentators for Sky Sports, already sensing the scale of the mismatch between the two sides, were moved to describe the Oxford side as “bigger, faster, and stronger” than their Cambridge counterparts, and – as if to prove their point – loose forward Josh Halstead intercepted a wayward pass and broke half the length of the pitch, fending away one would-be tackler with a hand-off of monstrous proportions. Oxford were awarded a penalty that put them deep into Cambridge territory, and the ball was worked wide to Halstead who offloaded to the onrushing Robbie Cowan for the fullback to score the second Dark Blue try of the day. McCormick again added the extras: Oxford 12, Cambridge 0.

Oxford were again celebrating me re moments later as McCormick and Neil reprised their earlier double act, McCormick darting through a gap in the Cambridge defence and giving Neil an easy run in under the posts. Another successful McCormick conversion put Oxford eighteen points ahead, and the game was barely a quarter of an hour old. Having raced into such a commanding lead, the Blues refused to allow themselves to take their foot off the pedal, instead continuing to mine their rich vein of form for a further flurry of tries. A number of huge tackles from Neil, Halstead, Nash, second row Tom Sneddon, and Nigerian prop Obiora Agbim epitomised the tenacity that went in to the Oxford defensive sets, and in attack McCormick and fellow pivot Ben Calverley were pulling the strings with aplomb. On sixteen minutes, Calverley ghosted through an enormous hole in the Cambridge line before feeding wing Larry Knight for the try. Again McCormick b isected the posts with his conversion, 24-0 the scoreline. That was to be the first score of an eight-minute first-half hattrick for the electric Knight. For his second, Neil combined with Calverley, the pivot again putting the wing away; Knight’s pace was simply too much for a Cambridge right side that had been repeatedly torn to shreds in the first twenty minutes. McCormick was unable to make the conversion from the wide angle. Scarcely a minute had passed when Knight was in for his third. After brilliant work in the build-up from Halstead, McCormick, and centre Matt Henshaw, the ball was worked to Calverley, whose kick Knight chased down to score despite conceding a substantial head start to his opposite number. The conversion drifted just wide again, but that could probably be overlooked with the score now 32-0 to the Dark Blues and the Sky commentators predicting a cricket score. Cambridge were then granted a brief respite from the Dark Blue try-scoring onslaught; indeed, they ground out a couple of opportunities for themselves – first knocking on over the tryline after a kick had been fumbled by the Oxford defence, then being held up over the line after a powerful drive, before wasting the foundations for a sustained attack by throwing a forward pass. It was, however, back to business as usual on 35 minutes, Oxford regaining their poise and mounting an attack through a break from winger George Darrah. Henry Waite, on at pivot, broke the line and offloaded to prop and former captain Paddy Boyle. Boyle crossed the whitewash with ease – but not before humiliating the last defender by selling him an outrageous dummy pass. Waite was unsu ccessful with the conversion, and half time came with Oxford leading 36-0.

The story of the half could perhaps be summed up in two very telling statistics: Cambridge had missed twelve tackles by the half hour mark, and Oxford lead on successful offloads by thirteen to one. Cambridge had been unable to cope with the ruthless intensity of the Oxford defence and the potency and precision of their attack, and it was impossible to see any way back in to the match for them. Oxford head coach Dan Garbutt cannot have had to give too many more straightforward half-time team talks. Just as they had come flying out of the blocks in the first half, Oxford scored almost immediately after the resumption. The kick-off was fumbled forward by Cambridge, and from the resulting set Calverley broke the line and put replacement forward Ben Fleet in under the posts. That Calverley could find the space that he did was testament to the quality of the lines being run off him to fix defenders; Oxford’s shape in both attack and defence was impeccable throughout, this try just one example of the benefits of such good structure. Waite added the extras, and at 42-0 down the Light Blues of Cambridge were reeling once more. They reacted well, however, forcing a handling error and pouncing on the loose ball to race away for their first score of the day on 48 minutes. The try seemed to galvanise the Cambridge team, who for the first time in the match started to string together full attacking sets. In the 55th minute, another dropped ball as Oxford looked perhaps to be a touch too ambitious on an exit set saw Cambridge run in their second try. The Oxford players remained confident, though; it was, after all, only their own uncharacteristic errors that had cost them tries. As if insulted by the fact that they had allowed their opponents to get off the nil score, the Dark B lues came back immediately with a classy try of their own: Nash drove hard up the middle of the pitch, the ball was worked wide to Calverley, and Henshaw went over in the corner. Waite converted for 48-10 and Oxford were back in full control of the game. The Light Blues must have felt the fates were conspiring against them when Calverley’s over-hit kick rebounded off a post and into the grateful arms of centre Oliver Jones. Fortunately for them, Jones was unable to free his arms from the tackle to effect a potentially scoring pass.

It would not, however, be long before the Cambridge players were once again congregating beneath their posts to ruminate on another Oxford try: after 63 minutes, hooker Hamilton darted around the side of a ruck before offloading to Nash for the rampaging prop to score. McCormick returned to kicking duties to slot the conversion, and at 54-10 the Dark Blues had equalled the record winning margin in Varsity history – with plenty of time to add to their tally. It was not all champagne rugby, though: the Oxford players showed their willingness to put themselves about in the tight exchanges and mix it with their opponents when necessary. Even the angelic-looking Jones got in on the act, indulging in some exuberant groundwork that attracted some stern words from the referee. Darrah, while unlucky not to get the quality of opportunity that Knight did on the opposite wing, was a rock under a number of tricky high balls, and you would be hard-pressed to identify anybody in Dark Blue who didn’t put in a performance they can be immensely proud of. By this point in the match it was clear that Oxford were looking to enjoy themselves with the result long since secured, and they capped a fine performance with an eleventh try – Halstead dextrously offloading to McCormick, who scythed through the defence and completed a fleet-footed run in. He conver ted his own score, and with 71 minutes gone the score was now 60-10. There was time for Cambridge to sneak a late try from a one-yard burrow round the play-the-ball, but it will have been scant consolation to a team comprehensively outplayed in every department. That narrowed the gap back to a record-equally 44 points, but the record might still have been Oxford’s had Calverley managed to find a pass in the game’s final play after a Halstead offload reminiscent of Sonny Bill Williams at his best. At the final whistle Oxford were triumphant by sixty points to sixteen, having scored a phenomenal eleven tries. Ben Calverley was named Man of the Match, but any one of a number of outstanding performances could have been rewarded with the accolade. The Dark Blues retain the trophy they won in such dramatic circumstances last year, and find themselves in an admirably strong position as they look ahead to next year’s match. Cambridge, on the other hand, face a period of considerable soul-searching as they seek to uncover a recipe for revival after such a resounding defeat.

Blues

A disastrous opening 16 minutes saw the Blues narrowly failing to score and the Light Blues going on to score a point a minute!

However, as the half progressed, the Dark Blues steadied the ship, stuck to their game plan, and clawed their way back into the game. Two unconverted tries were just reward for their efforts.
The second half saw Oxford at their best. Their attack was clinical and defense awesome.After half an hour the score was a comfortable 26 – 16. Cambridge looked totally demoralised. Demoralised, that is, until they scored. It was now Oxford’s turn to be on the back foot as the seconds dripped slowly away.
With 40 seconds left on the clock Cambridge narrowly failed to score, the ball going dead. Instead of meandering for a 20 m restart, the Dark Blues rushed to the restart and gradually forced their way downfield where, at the death, they scored the final try!

A thoroughly enjoying game to watch and a great advertisement for the TGG (The Greatest Game).