Despite an impressive supporters contingent at Iffely Road, the Oxford Brookes rugby team was sent back up Headington Hill on Wednesday after failing to convert determination into points.
A strengthened Greyhounds team that mixed newcomers with capped Blues was woken into action by the Brookes' 15, just moments after kick-off when he converted a penalty to take Brookes into the lead. The response was not long in coming however, as Allfrey fed to Humphrey-Baker in midfield who made a trademark break, releasing Oxford's full-back to score in the corner. Shortly after, a chip into the corner set Jonan Boto up to dive in a second try, which was also converted successfully. Having found some momentum, the Greyhounds employed the catch and drive tactic, which resulted in third try, grounded by fresher Chris Davies and duly converted.
When Brookes finally reached Oxford's twenty-two the scrum half initiated a comeback, scoring a try just before half-time, taking the score to 21-10.
Returning to play, the pressure on the visitors was maintained after half-time, but a few careless handling errors prevented Oxford from scoring. An outside break leading to a try and conversion for Brookes' speedy full-back brought the scoreline closer, but Oxford's response was not slow in coming; Tomaszczvk burst through the defence to score under the posts. With the Headington crowd's jeering creating a home atmosphere for the away team, Brookes' had a few breaks in the latter part of the game, but the Iffley-based forwards remained dominant at both scrum and breakdown. The 'hounds will need maximum composure if they are to improve on the final score of 34-17 at the away fixture later this term.
