The rugby season kicked off on Tuesday with the clash of champions Keble, perennial giants of college rugby, against last season’s runners-up St Catz. There was never much doubt that this hierarchy would be observed in the result, and a final score of 48-7 to Keble was fully deserved. There were a lot of new faces in the line-ups, with both camps plagued by pre-season injuries, but Catz undoubtedly walked off the field with a headache, while the champions are perhaps pondering the pleasant problem of who to leave out of the next game.
Catz kicked off well, immediately moving to a line-out near the 22-yard line, but Keble reared over them to snatch the ball and take play back into central field. This established a pattern for much of the game, with Catz keen to encourage set-pieces in order to try and limit Keble’s flowing possession, lacking the penetration themselves to challenge on the move. Inside-centre Matthew Perrins made two good runs early on, driving back the Keble 5 and 13 respectively, but Catz still remained anchored in mid-field, a situation not helped when scrum-half Donaldson’s break was undone by a poor throw. Keble by contrast were looking smooth; their flanker quickly turned a Catz scrum with a well-timed run which their scrum-half exploited, ramming down Catz’ defence and leaving debutant Neil Carriel plenty of space to score under the posts, easily converted by Considine.
A second try soon followed. The hefty Catz pack once again won a scrum only to immediately concede. A superb individual run down the left wing by the Keble scrum-half resulted in a score at the far post, a harder effort which Considine could not convert, the first of 4 such failures. Catz could not get a grip on the game; their re-start was driven back by the Keble number 8, and the pressure resulted in a third try, converted to leave the score at 19-0 and the game by now looking like a foregone conclusion. It was at this point that Catz found some spark, at last capitalising on victory in the scrum when Perrins and Donaldson, by far their most assertive players, combined beautifully. Their run culminated in the latter landing a try under the posts, which he then converted.
Predictably however, Keble responded in kind, their open-side flanker popping up neatly to take a decorous try. The same player soon after made a clever break, passed to the sizeable number 8 who belied his bulk in deceiving the Catz outside-centre, and fed for Jamie Littlejohns to claimed a personal second. The score at half time read 31-7, and matters deteriorated further for Catz when their captain did not return, injured with slight concussion.
Catz were scrambling desperately
The second half started in similar vein; Catz were scrambling desperately along their 22-yard line, the Keble open-side flanker and scrum-half maintaining fluid threatening movement, eventually resulting in a typically competent move between three players and another try. As before, Catz responded well when others might have just conceded defeat; there followed for the first time a period of sustained pressure on Keble, who conceded several penalties (perhaps excusable start-of-season rustiness) and were pinned back to their own 22-yard line until finally their fullback sped the ball back to the centre, and Ouldridge and Littlejohns took Keble once more to the Catz line.
Both teams were by now flagging; neither Rose nor Donaldson could capitalise on decent runs, and play was getting scrappier. It remained only for Ouldridge and Littlejohns to combine again to set up Heinrick for Keble’s eigth and final try, which Considine converted on the final play of the match, a fitting end for a smooth performance. Keble walk away satisfied, and will be formidable with a full squad; Catz too showed promise, but relied too much on a few individual play-makers.
They will look forward to weaker opposition.
