As both teams filed out onto the Twickenham turf, it was fair to say that since the first match 136 years ago, things have certainly changed. Instead of a hastily arranged 20-a-side match in the parks as it was in 1872, the game is now played in front of thousands of cheering students, in one of the finest rugby stadiums on the planet. It is sponsored by a big name company, and is screened live on Sky Sports. The Cambridge side boasted three ex-internationals in the form of the recently recruited Dan Vickerman, former Australia lock, ex-New Zealand centre Mark Ranby and USA scrum-half Doug Rowe. Oxford on their part had the ever-recognisable figure of Anton Oliver in the front row, with Canadian international Stan McKeen adding support at flanker. Cambridge had received tutelage from current Wales assistant coach Sean Edwards, whilst Oxford had been treated to guidance from ex-England manager Brian Ashton. Whichever way you look at it, professionalism has most definitely come to the Varsity Match. It was refreshing therefore, that this years contest turned out to hinge on an outstanding performance from one of the youngest players on the field, who has never played a minute of professional rugby.
The game itself was played under a dreary grey sky, in bitingly cold conditions. Despite a successful season up until then, Steve Hill must have been feeling the pressure. After three consecutive defeats in this fixture for Oxford, the director of rugby may have seen this as his last chance to set the record straight. Although they came into the match in much better form than their light blue counterparts, Cambridge have developed a knack in recent years for saving their best performance for Varsity. However, from the kick off, Oxford seemed to have forgotten about their tag as under-performers in this match, scoring the first try after only 6 minutes. The ball was spread wide after several phases of play until it reached wing Tim Catling, who showed a fine turn of pace to take him past his opposite number, before crashing through the covering tackle of Richards, who will have thought he could have done better. Although unbeknownst to Cambridge at the time, the sight of the young Oxford speedster crossing the line was one which they would have to get used to throughout the rest of the match.
Cambridge didn’t take long to reply however, with Richards making up for his failings in defence by converting a well worked move in the corner. Despite Oxford being given multiple opportunities to build a lead through Cambridge infringing at the breakdown, Tom Gregory was struggling to find his range with the boot, missing a number of early shots at goal. As both sides began to settle into a rhythm, a clear pattern started to develop, with the quality of Oxford’s backs beginning to tell. In comparison, Cambridge, who have clearly suffered this season through the loss of Ross Broadfoot at fly-half, seemed unable to get going in the back line when faced with the Dark Blues’ tireless defence. They began to rely more and more on the strength of their pack, led by the experienced head of ex-Harlequins prop Jon Dawson. Dawson was in fact lucky not to find himself in the bin for 10 minutes after an overenthusiastic tackle nearly decapitated Oxford fly-half Ross Swanson. Although the opposition seemed to target Swanson, who was making his Varsity debut, they may have been better off concentrating on keeping the previous scorer, Catling, under wraps. This point seemed even more justified when the Pembroke man swept in his second try of the afternoon. However, Cambridge still did not learn their lesson, and the first hat trick for 74 years was completed before half time, Catling being the beneficiary of a fine backs move which opened up the gap for him to score from 15 metres out. With Gregory’s aim improving all the time, Oxford stretched the score to 28-10, and it looked like being a very one sided affair. However, a try from Conlan seemed to drag Cambridge back to within contention, before Peter Wright popped up with the ball at the back of a maul. The number eight showed surprising pace to outstrip the defence, before feeding the ever tireless Clarke, who had the legs to get him over the for the try. It was a stark contrast to the elusive running and blinding speed of the other Oxford tries, but only served to highlight the quality of the team from 1 to 15, and proved they were far more than a one dimensional side.
With the score at 33-15, Oxford seemed to take the foot off the gas. The players seemed to be already envisioning lifting the trophy, and the cry of “shoe the tabs” could be heard from a particularly excited group of Oxford Mexicans in the North Stand as they held their footwear aloft. Although they seemed to have been written off by the majority of the crowd, Cambridge proved once again that they should never be underestimated in this fixture. Two tries in quick succession from Wheeler and Wellwood made the score 33-29, and suddenly the Oxford supporters found themselves quickly placing their shoes back on their feet. Whilst it may not have done anything for the fingernails of the Dark Blue faithful, the contest benefited from the Cambridge revival, and the last ten minutes were as tense as any you are likely to see. Thankfully, the Oxford defence was able to repel the final Cambridge onslaught, until the ball was finally hoofed into touch to the delight of half of Twickenham.
With the first win in four years, joy and relief were etched equally onto the faces of the Oxford players, but none of them wore a grin as big as the man who had set Twickenham alight. At a time when the Varsity game is perhaps the most prestigious amateur rugby game left in the world, it seemed fitting that amongst all the international caps and the high profile athletes, it was a relatively unknown student like Catling who stole the spotlight and steered Oxford on their way to victory.
