Seven heaven would be hell for Light Blues
Brendan Gallagher talks to the Varsity teams ahead of the big match at Twickenham on Tuesday
IF it ain’t broke don’t fix it would seem to be the message from the Dark Blue corner this season as they look to extend their record-breaking run of victories in the Varsity match to seven.
Skipper Fergus Taylor has named eleven Blues in his starting fifteen, including eight who did service last year when four penalties from fly-half George Huntley saw them squeeze home in a tight, physical encounter.
Taylor has another two Blues on the bench to call on while also poised to come on will be Jonathan Marsden who already has one win over Cambridge this year under his belt having taken eight wickets when Oxford won the Varsity cricket match.
Not that Oxford are counting any chickens. Having a tried and trusted method and structure works only if everybody has the same intensity every season. Champions should always train as if they are the contender.
“What happened last year doesn’t matter. The pressure for us is not to be complacent – we have won six games in a row because we have a template that is successful,” says Taylor. “It is about recognising that every year is new. We must keep building from a fresh start and the only pressure on us is not to take anything for granted. We’ve got depth across the park, some key experience and some good players running the side.”
Oxford certainly have a mature, streetwise look to them and among their main qualities during their historic run has been the priceless ability to peak perfectly for the Twickenham showdown, performing well above their known form. This season for example has been decidedly modest in terms of results but a comprehensive 31-5 win over the Major Stanley’s XV two weeks ago suggests that again they are coming to the boil quite nicely.
Starring that day was Basil Strang, who at 6ft 5inches and 111kg (17st 6lbs) at the last official weigh-in would be one of the biggest fly-halfs in rugby. The former RGS Newcastle and Durham University star has a boot to match his physique but is also a tidy distribution and strong runner and closing him down will feature heavily in Cambridge’s game plan.
Strang appeared as a replacement two years ago but was deemed ineligible by the University authorities for last year’s game when he embarked on an Msc in Learning and Teaching which in effect involves a full-time two year placement at Kingham Hill School with his studies continuing in his spare time. As he matriculates at the end of this academic year, Strang was given the green light for this year’s Varsity match but has needed to negotiate the occasional afternoon off, and organise cover at school for midweek games like Stanleys. Luckily his ‘boss’ Lynn Evans is an old school rugby fanatic and former Oxford University coach. “It was good and bad last year,” says Strang. “I was disappointed missing the chance of playing again because I had come off the bench in 2014 and got the taste for it but I was able to concentrate fully on my teaching which I love. It’s great fun being back with the boys though even after just a year off you forget how much you have to work during the season for this one match. “We are in good shape I think. We have played a lot of strong teams this term and you have to learn how to defend which puts us in good stead for Twickenham, but it has been nice to get on the front foot in a few games like Stanleys and show what we can do in attack.”
In contrast to Oxford the ‘other lot’ Cambridge, with just six Blues in their starting fifteen, have had a fresh look and feel about them all season which is probably no bad thing for a side trying to end a long run of defeats.
A new energy has been present from the moment they gathered for pre-season training and, after a couple of heavy defeats early in the term, Cambridge quickly picked up the pace and go into next Tuesday’s game off the back of four straight wins with the team beginning to gel in attack.
One of their ace cards is former Harlequins and England Sevens wing Charlie Amesbury who has a ton of experience with Quins, Newcastle, Sale and his current club Bristol.
Taking his cue from Jamie Roberts last season, Amesbury negotiated a short autumn sabbatical from his professional duties to challenge for the honour of a Blue and gives his side a real cutting edge and nous in a pivotal positon.
Another notable recruit this season is Kiwi flanker Tom Stanley who arrived from Christchurch University where he earned a first class honours degree in Engineering. Stanley, attending the Judge Business School like Amesbury, is part of a savvy backrow comprising former Trinity College Dublin flanker Brian du Toit and Ulsterman Daniel Dass who skippers the side having tasted defeat in