Light Blue is the Colour

Hopperational details
Date & Venue	Thursday 7 December 2017 at Twickenham
Result	Oxford University 10 Cambridge University 20
Competition	The 136th Varsity Match
Hopstats	Third time I have been work-free on a Thursday to get to this fixture.  Not a new stadium for the list as I have also been here for Schools Finals days and several internationals.
Context
Results-wise, Oxford have had the better season, but Cambridge arrive in good shape after their warm-up victory at Grange Road over the Steele-Bodger XV (see recent blogpost).  Weather forecast for the afternoon was thankfully better than the horrendous morning but conditions will be tricky for amateur players.  My friends and I noted these conditions from the warmth of breakfast at Bill’s in Richmond followed by several pints, lunch and more pints at the Prince’s Head on Richmond Green.
In one sentence
Closer than the score suggests, but a deserved win for the Light Blues.
So what?
Cambridge lead 63-59 with 14 draws since the fixture was first played in 1872.
Match Report
This is a retrospective I-was-there post.  It was great to see Selwyn’s Buchan Richardson starting at Number 8 and even better when he touched the ball down in the corner in the early minutes.  However, first impressions were confirmed when the video referee (or whatever they are called) ruled it out.  This was going to happen three times to Cambridge as light blue followers wondered whether missed opportunities would be back for haunting purposes later on. Mediocre snap captures the ball and Richardson's hand but fails to prove that he was tackled into touch The first half was dour in difficult conditions.  Each side spent long periods in turn encamped in their defensive 22, with only the occasional penalty or other error giving a chance to break out.  Both defences held well, but with Oxford looking faster and more fluent in the passing game. The deadlock was broken by Cambridge scrum-half and man-of-the-match Chris Bell.  The pack pushed Oxford back at one of their own scrums and Bell went through for the try.  The relatively easy conversion was missed in Twickenham’s notorious conditions.  Oxford captain Conor Kearns landed a penalty, and Cambridge missed one. The invisible referee with the TV set also ruled out two more scores for Cambridge before the half-time whistle came with the score at 3-5 and the result very much in the balance.  To be fair, the decisions looked correct.  Cambridge captain Charlie Amesbury was held without grounding the ball, and Jake Hennessey had received a forward pass.  It looked as if this game would come down to impact subs and fitness in the last quarter. Mike Phillips restored a five-point margin with a Cambridge penalty before a long delay for an injury to forward Andrew Hunter.  Maybe that enforced break meant that there were fewer errors due to fatigue in the closing stages.  Oxford made their substitutions earlier.  Cambridge missed a good chance when the last pass of a cross-field move went astray before Archie Russell scored in the corner to give some breathing space at 3-13. Oxford came back strongly and Will Wilson finally breached the Cambridge line for a try, converted by Kearns and so the margin was back to only 3pts at 10-13.  It was going to be a tough 15 minutes. Fortunately it was Cambridge’s turn to be on the attack, and their pack delivered the winning score with a drive from a line-out, getting the ball to full-back Amesbury to go over the line.  Phillips converted to give a ten-point lead and there was insufficient time for Oxford to close that gap, especially now some clean-shirted fit-and-ready light blue subs were in the defensive pack. This was an effective rather than an effusive performance by Cambridge, but this is a big occasion in the student rugby calendar and the result matters more than the style.  If I am not plucked back into science teaching by then, I’ll be back next year.
Ground Pix
The lower tier is used and the atmosphere is not unlike Non-League finals day at Wembley.
Match Pix
What Next?
Follow @GrahamYapp on Twitter for details!  Nothing definite in the diary, and decisions at this time of year are often last-minute because of the weather.

Light Blues Blow It

Hopperational details

Thursday 9 December 2010 at Twickenham, Oxford University 21pts Cambridge University 10pts in the 129th Varsity Match.

This match in one sentence

Technical note - looks like Oxford have an overlap here The first points of the game - a penalty to Oxford Oxford piled up some early points and Cambridge made too many unforced errors as they tried to fight back, so the result was never really in doubt in a disappointing game.

So what?

Oxford narrow the historical gap and only trail by 7 (54-61 with 14 draws) in the long history of this fixture.

Who caught the eye on the pitch?

The Cambridge scrum was dominant enough to get a second-half penalty try after a series of confrontations near the Oxford line.  However, two forward passes in the backs wasted two golden opportunities and there were several other unforced drops and knock-ons.  Oxford took their chances and deserved the win.

This match had the same effect on my pulse rate as …

… the gradual reddening of fluffy white clouds as the sun heads off into the sunset (as it always does).

A snippet from the programme

“The School of Hard Knocks is a rugby development programme using rugby as a tool to develop life skills, as well as introducing young people to a new sport and encouraging physical exercise.  This school term alone, over 300 children have been involved in the programme … participants are given a year’s membership of their local club to enable them to continue their skills after the formal end of the programme.”  England’s Andy Gomersall presented the prizes for the schools taking part on the day.

What I learned today

Fuller’s ESB has a nutty 5.5% alcohol content.  The name probably means Extra Special Bitter and not Enterprise Service Bus or Empire Strikes Back.  The 2pm kick-off time for this fixture means that this is the one day of the year when I commune with an ante meridiem pint.

Modus Hopper Random Talking Point

The attendance for this fixture has been slowly declining over the years, and this time only the lower tier of Twickenham was open for around 24,000 of us.  At one time, other than the internationals, this was one of the very few rugby union games that could be viewed live on TV.  It is now, perhaps like the Boat Race, struggling somewhat to keep its relevance for the wider audience. Twickenham is a fine stadium and much improved since the 80s when the simple act of recycling the aforesaid Fuller’s ESB (or similar) needed the athleticism and courage of a front-row forward.

What Next?

The original plan was a Friday night hop to Wellingborough Town but this was scuppered by a cancelled train from King’s Cross followed by a long delay on the M1 Northbound.  However, Saturday’s Hopperation was a success and details follow shortly!