The pub crawls are pretty big!
So, what is Lions star Roberts getting out of his time at Cambridge?
JAMIE ROBERTS may be one of the most decorated Wales internationals of all time but he will find out his Varsity match selection fate this morning in precisely the same way as his fellow student hopefuls.
In keeping with a tradition dating back to 1872, this most modern of professional rugby players — currently studying part-time for a Masters degree in medical science at Queens’ College — will discover if his dream of winning a Cambridge Blue will come true when club captain Don Stevens climbs off his bicycle and knocks on his hall of residence door at the crack of dawn.
If selected, Roberts will be transported back into rugby union’s former amateur world at Twickenham on December 10, six weeks after running out to face South Africa in the World Cup quarterfinal at the same ground. The next day he will join up with Harlequins, whom he signed for after a two-year stint at Racing Metro.
‘I spoke to Quins about taking some time out and they were happy with that,’ said Roberts, who graduated from Cardiff University’s school of medicine in 2013.
‘[Quins director of rugby] Conor O’Shea has been great about it and Dave Ellis, the chief executive, encouraged me to do it as well. It’s been a bit of a grand plan in my head and I’ve been very, very fortunate it’s all worked out. I’ve met some great people along the way.
‘Rugby union has changed. In the professional era, it is so difficult to do [go to university]. When I realised it could be a possibility I just thought to myself, “That is an opportunity I will regret for the rest of my life if I don’t do it”. Here I am hopefully just a couple of weeks away from getting a Blue in a Varsity match.’
Roberts was speaking after helping his new team-mates to a narrow 36-33 win over the Steele-Bodger XV at Grange Road, Cambridge in the final match before facing bitter rivals Oxford at Twickenham.
At the final whistle on Wednesday, opponents, spectators and even his own team-mates lined up to have photos taken with the 77-cap veteran Wales centre. One by one, Roberts politely obliged.
The 29-year-old has embraced student life since arriving in Cambridge a week after Wales’ quarter-final defeat and will enjoy every second of his experience before returning to life as a professional rugby player. Initiations? Check. Wednesday night pub crawls? Check. What goes on tour, stays on tour? Always.
‘Yeah I’ve embraced it,’ he said. ‘Wednesday nights are pretty big. I can’t say exactly what we get up to, although anyone who has played university rugby will have a pretty good idea.
‘There’s no shying away from the initiations. Anyone who has played university rugby can happily guess what that entails. There’s an unwritten rule you don’t speak about it but it’s been good. I’ve enjoyed every second.
‘We’ll start off at the clubhouse and then on to a couple of local pubs before Cindies nightclub in town. The boys really enjoy it and that social side was part and parcel of why I wanted to come here.
‘At 29, to go back into halls in Queens’ College is an amazing experience. It’s very short term and I know in two weeks I’ll be commuting from London. I’m trying to take as much in as I can and enjoy everything that comes my way. It’s an absolute privilege to be here.’
Roberts has already been in contact with his soon-to-be Harlequins team-mates Chris Robshaw, Danny Care, Mike Brown and Joe Marler — four of the players his Wales side helped knock out of the World Cup. ‘We’ll get the World Cup out of the way quickly,’ he says with a smile. ‘Hopefully they’ve forgotten about it!
‘I’ll have to get going straight away. I’ll be heading down to Quins over the next week to show my face. There’s a very strong spine to the team and I’m excited about teaming up with them.’
While the opportunity to escape professional rugby’s pressure cooker was a huge draw for Roberts, so was the chance to become the Aviva Premiership’s first Master of Philosophy in medicine. He hopes, one day, to be a surgeon and use the skills he has acquired during almost a decade of medical study. First and foremost, Roberts is intent on continuing to improve his skills as a rugby player after a World Cup which ultimately saw Wales flatter to deceive by beating England before losing against Australia and South Africa.
‘I still have huge ambitions at international level,’ said the twotime Lions tourist. ‘I’ll go again and attack the next year or so. A summer tour, a Lions tour and another World Cup and they are all goals I’d love to achieve. But there’s a Varsity match first on December 10 and I’m not taking my eye off that.’