Get your Blues...! It's Varsity Match number 130...

Great piece in today's Guardian

http://m.guardian.co.uk/ms/p/gnm/op/sIK6rQk9Q4UVCktbR6AcaqQ/view.m?id=15&gid=sport/blog/2011/dec/06/university-match-cambridge-twickenham&cat=rugby-union

The 130th Varsity match at twickenham.

The Varsity Match 2011

Twickenham Stadium, Thursday December 8th

Kick-off: 2:00pm
Under 21’s Kick-off: 11:30

Tickets from £20 (adults) and £5 (school parties)




The Varsity Match pits Oxford against Cambridge in an annual struggle for rugby supremacy and inter-university bragging rights.

After 129 games across the years, Cambridge head the honours boards with 61 wins to Oxford’s 54. The scores’ tally is even tighter with the light blues leading by just 106 points after a century or more of clashes. The 2011 encounter promises to be as exciting as ever and you could be there!

To find out who’ll be singing the blues this year, order your tickets today and get yourself down to Twickers in time for the 2pm kick-off!

What’s more, with Christmas so close, the match also marks the starts of the party-season proper - and we’ll be celebrating in style!

So, whether you’re a supporter of one of the teams, a fan of first-class rugby, or simply looking for a great day out, the message is the same.

Oxford University skipper John Carter has given last season Dark Blues front five a vote of confidence to lead his side to a repeat of last season's Twickenham triumph over arch-rivals Cambridge in the 130th Nomura Varsity Match on Thursday, 8 December (kick-off 2.00pm). Carter has packed his pack full of experience as he tries to emulate last season's emphatic 21-10 victory and make it three wins in four years. As well as the same front five, Oxford will have openside flanker Louis Mather returning for another crack at the Light Blues and the skipper will win his second Blue after missing last season's game. The only newcomer to the Varsity Match in the Oxford pack is American post-graduate Derek Asbun, who was voted man of the match for his wonderful display in the win over the Major Stanley's XV last month. Yet for all their experience up front, Oxford have only one Blue behind the scrum in Sean Morris. He switches from centre to wing this year to allow Hong Kong international Sebastian Perkins to team up with former Newbury star Gavin Turner in the midfield. There are three more Blues among the Oxford replacements, taking their tally to 11, while Cambridge can boast three Blues in their potent back line, four up front and two more on the bench for a total of nine.


Jon Hudson (Lincoln)                                15        Tom O'Toole (St Edmund's)

 

Sean Morris * (Trinity)                                14        Paul Loudon * (St Edmunds)

Sebastian Perkins (St Edmund Hall)      13        Matt Guinness-King *

(St Catharine's, Captain)

Gavin Turner (Kellogg)                              12        Kristian Cook (Hughes Hall)

Cassian Bramham Law (Hertford)          11        Robert Stevens * (Jesus)

 

Tom Mitchell (Kellogg)                               10        Steve Townend (Downing)

Sam Egerton (Keble)                                 9          Don Blake (Hughes Hall)

Hamish Macdonald * (Wadham)             1          William Briggs (Magdalene)
Govind Oliver * (Green Templeton)         2          Nigel Conroy (Fac of Education)
Will Kane * (University)                              3          Stuart Brown * (Clare)
Karl Outen * (St Edmund Hall)                 4          Jason Kururangi *(St Edmunds)
Tom Evans * (St Hugh's)                           5          Scott Annett * (Clare)
Derek Asbun (Kellogg)                              6          Ben Martin * (St Catharine's)
Louis Mather * (University)                       7          Rob Malaney (St Edmund's)
John Carter * (Kellogg, Captain)             8          Dave Allen (Pembroke)

REPLACEMENTS

 

Anthony Connor * (Keble)                        16        Mark Murdoch (St Edmunds)

Lewis Anderson * (University)                 17        Frank Sanders (Magdalene)

Jason Law (Kellogg)                                  18        Sam Young (Emmanuel)

Jamie Durward (Kellogg)                          19        Ollie Wolfe (Christ's)

Ruairi O'Donavon (Exeter)                       20        Sam Hunt * (Girton)

Harry Guinness * (St Antony's)                21        Greg Cushing * (Ridley Hall)

Matt Janney (Oriel)                                     22        Mathonwy Thomas (St John's)

Jonathan Direen (Kellogg)                       23        Fergus Austin (Gonville/Caius)

 

Referee: Dave Pearson (RFU)     TMO: Dave Matthews (RFU)         * Blue

Looks like the Varsity match means little to anyone these days...?

The Varsity match is consistently one of if not the worst televised games of the year.

Pardon my ignorance, but what is a Blue and how do you get one?

Boomer, you get a "blue" by representing either Cambridge or Oxford University at sport, the Boat Race for example, or in this case the Varsity Match. Due to the shades used by the two Universities Cambridge are known as the Light Blues and Oxford the Dark Blues.

Personally, after having spent a few happy years living in Cambridge, I'm backing the Light Blues.

It would be a far more popular spectacle if it were held on a weekend like it used to be, but the already crammed rugby calendar can't make any room for it, shame really.

PJ. We are of a similar age, but I cannot remember it ever being on a Saturday. Fo as long as I paid any interest to it - probably from about 82-95 it was played on a Tuesday to a full Twickenham.

My interest died because it is not really a meaningfull contest and I no longer knew people involved with it.

Good work Oxford leading 13 - 10 at HT, but have been rather under the cosh the last 25 mins. Particularly at the scrum.

Oxford playing some great rugby this half.

18 - 10

It turned out to be a really good amatuer game - the skills weren't silky but the intensity was fantastic. Thoroughly enjoyed the match and a well desrved win for Oxford.

Yes me too, proud to see the results our way again.

LondonTiger wrote:PJ. We are of a similar age, but I cannot remember it ever being on a Saturday. Fo as long as I paid any interest to it - probably from about 82-95 it was played on a Tuesday to a full Twickenham.

My interest died because it is not really a meaningfull contest and I no longer knew people involved with it.

Twas always the first Tuesday in December til Sky got the rights.Used to enjoy it when I was a kid.Lost its way by the recruitment of Internatial players.The ethos/raison d'etre was lost long ago.And people moan about the Lions/BaaBaas!

Thanks PJ

Matt Guinness-King - quality name!

There is a British league for the universities right? These two, UWIC and Loughborough being the best as far as I know. Shame there's not much coverage for it though because some good rugby is played.

I think that Oxford dont really play in a league, pretty much all friendlies still. I know that they had been training for this with Aviva clubs second strings on monday nights. Usually getting a drubbing

LondonTiger wrote:PJ. We are of a similar age, but I cannot remember it ever being on a Saturday. Fo as long as I paid any interest to it - probably from about 82-95 it was played on a Tuesday to a full Twickenham.

My interest died because it is not really a meaningfull contest and I no longer knew people involved with it.

That must be a false memory then and even though I've been corrected I can still remember watching the games on a Saturday afternoon back in the day!

Maybe I've had too much of something somewhere along the way?