Despite the defeat of the Blues side at Twickenham on the 6th of December, there is still plenty of rugby to look forward to in Hilary term; with Cuppers to follow the conclusion of the league campaign. And with many games cancelled at the end of last term, due to both the weather and commitments to the ‘College Varsity’ match, the competition is looking far more open than it has in previous years. However, it seems some things never change and Keble are once again looking strong at the top of college rugby. They have three games left this season, and if they manage to maintain their form from last term there are few who seriously doubt that the league trophy will once again be theirs. The excitement in the top flight mostly rests on the potentially four-way battle to be the ‘best of the rest’, with St. Catz, Teddy Hall, Christ Church and Magdalen all in the hunt. It is St. Catz that currently have the upper hand however, with a game in hand over both Hall and Christ Church. A challenge from Magdalen looks least likely, they are the furthest adrift and will also be struggling to deal with the loss of their South African outside half, Alastair Brown. Newly promoted Trinity/LMH look likely to go down, but a poor run of results from any of the other sides could see them survive. Looking to Division Two, and St. Peters are looking set to return to the best six of college rugby, only dropping one point in their first three games. The battle for the second promotion spot could well come down to the Wadham vs. Pembroke match in the first week of term. This crunch game will prove crucial to deciding their fates, and demonstrates the importance of the draw that Wadham secured against a strong St. Peters side last term. Meanwhile, the decent of Corpus Christi/Sommervile continues; they are yet to win a game in the third division, and following on from a very poor first season, things are looking bad for them. Casting our eyes to the very bottom of the table, Brasenose and Hertford are propping up the rest of the league, both still seeking their first win at the bottom of the fourth. There remain many exciting games, across all four divisions, this season in the league calender. However the high point of Hilary Term comes with the the return of the University players and the beginning of Cuppers, which we all hope will prove a true showcase of the talent on show across the colleges. There are several teams capable of mounting a strong challenge, and while it is hard to look past Keble for the title, there are opponents both traditional and new that will be looking to topple them. The draw will be made directly after the end of the league season, and we’ll have to wait until then to see when the big games will be. The battle for the Plate looks to be as wide open as it is every year, with it impossible to narrow down the potential winners. Throughout the term, there seems to be much to look forward to in Hilary for both the players and supporters of college rugby.by Jack Marsh
