Oxford v Cambridge - Men

:00:08. > :00:15.Six weeks ago, beneath glorious blue summer skies, New Zealand beat

:00:16. > :00:19.Australia hit at Twickenham to become rugby world champions. This

:00:20. > :00:22.afternoon, with more than a hint of winter in the air, it is a different

:00:23. > :00:28.occasion, the 134th Varsity winter in the air, it is a different

:00:29. > :00:33.between Oxford and Cambridge. Over the years, many of the greats of the

:00:34. > :00:43.game have graced this match. The line is clear for Hastings. He has

:00:44. > :00:50.struck that well. What about that? A tremendous surge to the line. Great

:00:51. > :00:55.dummy. The World Cup winning captain, David Kirk, from New

:00:56. > :01:10.Zealand. This will be the third try, Andrew. Off the post. He is in the

:01:11. > :01:17.corner. A magnificent try. Brilliant from Stuart Barnes. Wainwright for

:01:18. > :01:25.the posts. Butler wins it at the tail. It is a race and in goes

:01:26. > :01:38.Smith. That seals it for Oxford. Underwood is there.

:01:39. > :01:45.Six weeks ago it was green and gold and black, a glorious afternoon, you

:01:46. > :01:50.barely needed a sweater. Today it is light blue and dark blue but a coat

:01:51. > :01:55.is not optional and the one link to the World Cup is that three months

:01:56. > :01:58.after being part of the Wales team that beat England, Jamie Roberts

:01:59. > :02:03.starts for Cambridge and for the majority of those here, he is the

:02:04. > :02:07.centre of attention. If he can guide Cambridge to victory, he will bring

:02:08. > :02:14.to an end a depressing run of results for the Light Blues. The

:02:15. > :02:24.cumulative score for the last five games is 151-60 in favour of Oxford.

:02:25. > :02:27.With us today are two men who in their days of freshfaced youth

:02:28. > :02:39.played in this occasion, Simon Halliday and Damian Hopley. What are

:02:40. > :02:43.your memories of your days here? Not very successful and! We lost two out

:02:44. > :02:48.of three and the last one I played in was snow-covered when they

:02:49. > :02:52.brought on hot water at half-time to warm up our hands. There was ice on

:02:53. > :03:01.the ball throughout the match and we lost. There is proof of global

:03:02. > :03:06.warming! We thrashed Oxford by about seven points in 1992. It was a

:03:07. > :03:10.special occasion, playing with great friends, so unique because the whole

:03:11. > :03:13.season depends on this. And a lifelong memory that will stay with

:03:14. > :03:20.you in a positive way having enjoyed a victory also what is the relevance

:03:21. > :03:26.of this game now, 20 years into the professional era? Is it just stick

:03:27. > :03:31.for the guys on the field? Of course, it is the biggest day of

:03:32. > :03:37.their rugby career. -- domestic for the guys. It almost used to be an

:03:38. > :03:39.England trial and many internationals graced the fixture

:03:40. > :03:48.but it still has a place because we should not forget, 99% of people in

:03:49. > :03:53.this country play rugby for fun. Losing a fixture like this would be

:03:54. > :03:56.a disaster. It has not just an emotional place but a rightful

:03:57. > :04:00.place. And the whole thing about friends for life can I assume you

:04:01. > :04:07.are in contact with the people you played with? Very much so. We are

:04:08. > :04:10.catching up tomorrow for a good Christmas lunch. It's important,

:04:11. > :04:16.sometimes we lose sight of the enjoyment factor in rugby but up we

:04:17. > :04:20.saw it in the World Cup it is important everybody enjoys it and

:04:21. > :04:28.this is part of it. Is Jamie Roberts a bit of a throwback to that? He is.

:04:29. > :04:35.The top names happened always done the job in Varsity matches.

:04:36. > :04:40.Particularly in the centre. He will be marketed big-time. He is not

:04:41. > :04:47.necessarily the defining moment of the fixture but for him to be

:04:48. > :04:50.playing is amazing. We will talk more about this game and we will

:04:51. > :04:54.hear from Jamie Roberts but we have had a match on the pitch already

:04:55. > :05:01.which was the first time ever at the women's Varsity match has been

:05:02. > :05:02.played here. The 29th occasion it was staged and here are the best

:05:03. > :05:14.moments. Good work by the scrum-half to tidy

:05:15. > :05:23.up, it wasn't well-controlled. It is still in the air, now it goes down.

:05:24. > :05:30.The referee will let it play, picked up around the corner again. Someone

:05:31. > :05:36.has done over the top, advantage, it comes out to this side and Middleton

:05:37. > :05:46.is over! Try for Cambridge, the first points of the match and it has

:05:47. > :05:50.done to Alice Middleton. It was coming, Cambridge have had all the

:05:51. > :05:55.pressure. The backline starting to flow, the forwards got stuck in and

:05:56. > :06:02.quick ball, it comes to Wilson and she has been making inroads that she

:06:03. > :06:08.uses good hands, Wilson, McNally, Middleton and she finishes it, and

:06:09. > :06:17.easy finish in the end. First blood to Cambridge and they have had all

:06:18. > :06:21.the pressure so far. Cambridge looking for the options at the

:06:22. > :06:26.moment, it could be on on the far side, Lara Gibson running down the

:06:27. > :06:35.far side for the second Cambridge try. She gets as close to the post

:06:36. > :06:42.as possible, Lara Gibson, 22 years of old, she goes over for the second

:06:43. > :06:49.try. Someone tell her she's allowed to smile! She has just scored at

:06:50. > :06:56.Twickenham in the Varsity match! You could see the Oxford defence got a

:06:57. > :07:04.bit sucked in. Cambridge moved it out wide into the open spaces. Grant

:07:05. > :07:08.was out of position because she was trying to cover inside and it leaves

:07:09. > :07:14.Gibson that bit of space. She had a lot to do to finish it off. She pins

:07:15. > :07:20.her ears back and sprints through that tackle and passed the

:07:21. > :07:26.despairing tackle of Trott at full-back and almost under the

:07:27. > :07:36.posts. Taken on, just outside the 22. Thorn looks up and finds Wilson,

:07:37. > :07:42.she comes away, well picked up by McNally, out to the far side and it

:07:43. > :07:50.is Gibson again. Good backtracking by Oxford. Can Cambridge get quick

:07:51. > :07:58.ball? It came through Cambridge, Cooper has it. The support is there,

:07:59. > :08:04.it comes through Elgar. It has been knocked on. They have gone over and

:08:05. > :08:10.the referee has given it! It popped out of contact and the referee said

:08:11. > :08:17.it did not go forward. That is an easy pick-up and over. Think about

:08:18. > :08:24.the amount of phases that went into that come up but I think it did go

:08:25. > :08:30.forward. Unlucky for Oxford but Cambridge made it by stringing

:08:31. > :08:37.together dozens of phases and that is no exaggeration, they went all

:08:38. > :08:42.the way from their own 22, kept their patience and ended up scoring

:08:43. > :08:48.almost under the posts. For a nominal rugby from Cambridge.

:08:49. > :08:56.Cambridge sniffing out a fourth try. That has gone backwards. Penalty to

:08:57. > :09:02.Cambridge, that was the warning. The referee was playing advantage. What

:09:03. > :09:07.defence from Oxford. They have not gone for the scrum, they need to get

:09:08. > :09:14.it out quickly, Middleton again! What an afternoon it has been for

:09:15. > :09:20.Doctor Alice Middleton. It was coming. Cambridge were building

:09:21. > :09:26.pressure and in the end it was the midfield combination. Wilson and

:09:27. > :09:44.McNally and Middleton have been so strong. Nice and low she gets.

:09:45. > :09:55.Helping out Randall who is playing scrum-half. Down the line, McNally

:09:56. > :09:58.gets it out. She will try to hand off as much as she can but there are

:09:59. > :10:20.too many Oxford players but she is still going. Just short of the line.

:10:21. > :10:25.Withers. Randall again. Charlotte edgily can't quite get over. They

:10:26. > :10:32.have numbers on the far side. Do they need them? No, they don't!

:10:33. > :10:40.Cambridge are over again for try number five. I think it was Wilson

:10:41. > :10:43.in the end. She has spent so much of the day making ground and passing

:10:44. > :10:49.off to team-mates but this time she gets the glory, cutting inside and

:10:50. > :10:52.invading a couple of tackles to get over.

:10:53. > :11:03.Good support as Cooper took it Sophie Trott is up now. Once again

:11:04. > :11:10.it is Wilson who is on fire, she is still going, she has just scored and

:11:11. > :11:17.she wants another! Wilson goes over, two tries in two macro minutes, what

:11:18. > :11:22.an afternoon for Anna Wilson. What a try to score at Twickenham. A real

:11:23. > :11:26.solo effort. She has worked so hard for the team this afternoon, winning

:11:27. > :11:32.hard yards but this was all about her. A full 55 metres, darting in

:11:33. > :11:42.and out. Middleton now working their way

:11:43. > :11:48.through, still going, Middleton, is she on for the hat-trick? She is

:11:49. > :11:54.still going, Oxford desperately trying to get back, but Middleton

:11:55. > :11:59.gets her hat-trick! The 28-year-old who has been a solid throughout the

:12:00. > :12:08.match, she goes over for her third try and Cambridge are up to 45

:12:09. > :12:16.points. Cambridge looking deadly. Looking for the record here as well.

:12:17. > :12:20.It is placed back by Randall. They have got numbers but it is Wilson

:12:21. > :12:26.again, she is going, will this be the record? She is on for a

:12:27. > :12:32.hat-trick as well. It will be a record scoreline in the women's

:12:33. > :12:40.Varsity match as Cambridge notched up half a tonne against Oxford. It

:12:41. > :12:44.is all about Anna Wilson and Alice Middleton for Cambridge in this

:12:45. > :12:49.second half, two brilliant strike runners who have really shown what

:12:50. > :13:06.they can do. Oxford missing first up tackles and when you do that, it

:13:07. > :13:10.left image in De the far too much to do -- Imogen Duffy. Wilson is such a

:13:11. > :13:15.strong runner, so difficult to bring down.

:13:16. > :13:27.It was very much like blue day for the women, a record winning margin.

:13:28. > :13:30.The captains are here with us to share their recollections of being

:13:31. > :13:37.part of a moment of history here. One is rather more happy than the

:13:38. > :13:42.other. Congratulations, how was it? Thank you, it was such an exciting

:13:43. > :13:47.day. Obviously Oxford but their hearts and souls on the pitch and

:13:48. > :13:52.played an amazing game so we had to battle for it and I'm really pleased

:13:53. > :13:55.with how it turned out. Winning so convincingly, the last 20 minutes,

:13:56. > :14:00.did you get a chance to look around and think, I'm playing at

:14:01. > :14:03.Twickenham. It was such an incredible experience in general, to

:14:04. > :14:08.step out onto this pitch, you want to take it in and savour it. Who

:14:09. > :14:15.knows when we will be back? I suspect your recollections might be

:14:16. > :14:23.different but you will still look back as being part of a important

:14:24. > :14:27.moment for the sport. It is a huge moment for women's rugby and if we

:14:28. > :14:30.have managed to inspire some young girls and women to follow their

:14:31. > :14:35.academic and sporting dreams and play on a big stage like this then

:14:36. > :14:41.we have done a good job. I must ask you, you are from Canada, we are

:14:42. > :14:45.used to the men's team playing internationally and obviously in the

:14:46. > :14:49.World Cup. What is the state of women's rugby in Canada? It is doing

:14:50. > :14:55.wonderfully. They came second to England in the last World Cup two

:14:56. > :15:00.years ago. I started in high school and it is really competitive, I did

:15:01. > :15:03.not make my university team. So I came over and battled into the

:15:04. > :15:09.Cambridge team and that was a big moment for me. And what got you

:15:10. > :15:13.interested in the game? I really wanted to play right from school and

:15:14. > :15:19.there weren't that many opportunities back then both up it

:15:20. > :15:25.was the first thing I did in University. I have been playing ever

:15:26. > :15:30.since. And in years to come, what will be your abiding memory of the

:15:31. > :15:37.day, putting the rugby to one side? For me, it is bringing a team here,

:15:38. > :15:40.a fairly inexperienced team that we have got together in the last nine

:15:41. > :15:45.months. They have all been so focused and trained so hard full

:15:46. > :15:49.stop to have them run out on the pitch and give everything, I'm happy

:15:50. > :15:56.with that. And a final word to the winner, what will your up biting

:15:57. > :16:01.memory be? -- abiding? Lifting the trophy with the team, rewarding

:16:02. > :16:06.those girls for their hard work. I know Oxford has been training just

:16:07. > :16:09.as hard as is so it's too bad there aren't two trophies because

:16:10. > :16:13.everybody played their hearts out. It was a great spectacle,

:16:14. > :16:17.congratulations, a great day will stop moving onto the men's game

:16:18. > :16:24.which, in the last five years, has been very much a dark blue monopoly.

:16:25. > :16:32.Oxford's recent run again with a comfortable win in 2010.

:16:33. > :16:43.The 130th match was taken by the Dark Blues when Tom Mitchell scored

:16:44. > :16:47.to take Oxford to victory. Trailing at half-time, the Dark Blues

:16:48. > :16:54.completed a dramatic comeback to make it three in a row. In 2013,

:16:55. > :16:59.victory came despite the first ever sending off in the history of the

:17:00. > :17:04.game. It made no difference in the end as the Dark Blues won again. The

:17:05. > :17:08.victory last year was the biggest in the history of the match, Oxford

:17:09. > :17:11.running in seven tries and they now have a chance of an unprecedented

:17:12. > :17:21.sixth consecutive victory. There is the Oxford team warming up

:17:22. > :17:25.behind us. Somebody who would love to have been not just in the middle

:17:26. > :17:33.of that is the Oxford captain, George Messam, who should have been

:17:34. > :17:36.captaining his team today but because of an interesting role, you

:17:37. > :17:41.have been denied the opportunity to lead Oxford out. What happened in

:17:42. > :17:47.the last 12 months there have been changes to the Blues eligibility

:17:48. > :17:52.across all Oxford and Cambridge sports. We were aware of it and by

:17:53. > :17:56.the time it got to that point, it was a bit of race to get on a

:17:57. > :18:03.course. I was massively disappointed at first, but it has engendered the

:18:04. > :18:08.real spirit of the group. It has shown the best from the group. Henry

:18:09. > :18:11.will be fantastic today. You have been captain all the way until today

:18:12. > :18:16.so part of you must be thinking that you ought to be out there. What

:18:17. > :18:21.about Oxford's chancers? The bookies have you as favourites. What has

:18:22. > :18:27.been challenging and exciting about this year is that we have guys from

:18:28. > :18:33.a huge spectrum of backgrounds, some winning their first Blue, some that

:18:34. > :18:37.sixth but it is such a unique opportunity for them to come

:18:38. > :18:41.together. I would like to think that we had a huge emphasis on player of

:18:42. > :18:46.element and enjoyment. We have been happy to go under the radar little

:18:47. > :18:51.bit, going about our business and putting in the hard work when nobody

:18:52. > :18:56.is watching. Very excited. Thank you for the thing to us. More than

:18:57. > :19:00.interested bystander. Somebody who will be doing their utmost to make

:19:01. > :19:07.sure Oxford don't make it six in a row is Jamie Roberts. The last

:19:08. > :19:16.active British Lionhearts to play in this match was Hugo McNeil of

:19:17. > :19:43.Ireland 32 years ago -- British Lion.

:19:44. > :19:47.Congratulations, you have been selected to represent Cambridge

:19:48. > :19:56.University in the Varsity match. Was it ever in doubt? Probably! I was

:19:57. > :19:59.delighted to get the nod. It is a big game, the boys are looking

:20:00. > :20:05.forward to it. We had dinner the other night. The boys from previous

:20:06. > :20:09.years spoke about the occasion and what it meant to them. Some of the

:20:10. > :20:15.lads have lost the last five matches to Oxford. We need to win it for

:20:16. > :20:22.them more than anyone. Is there not some old ritual whereby it is made

:20:23. > :20:28.known you have been selected? Yes, the captain cycles around everyone's

:20:29. > :20:34.house! That is on the Sunday morning. The colleges are quite

:20:35. > :20:37.spread out here. He cycled around and knocks on the door and

:20:38. > :20:42.congratulates everyone. I was actually in London on Saturday night

:20:43. > :20:47.and Sunday so I got a phone call, I was not here for the traditional

:20:48. > :20:53.ritual. It's difficult, the captain picks the team traditionally. He has

:20:54. > :20:59.to make some tough calls and a lot of the boys share houses also there

:21:00. > :21:02.was one house where two of the lads had not been picked and two macro

:21:03. > :21:09.were so it is quite difficult for the captain. It is tough to leave

:21:10. > :21:15.out colleagues and friends. What must be tougher is barking orders to

:21:16. > :21:19.someone who is a British and Irish Lion, a Grand Slam winner who has

:21:20. > :21:23.just come back from the World Cup. It's fine, I'd like being shouted

:21:24. > :21:28.that when I make mistakes, it into ridges you not to do it again. We

:21:29. > :21:34.all make mistakes. -- it encourages you. And he clearly likes putting

:21:35. > :21:38.pressure on himself, not content with being a qualified doctor and

:21:39. > :21:42.international rugby player, he will be combining his professional career

:21:43. > :21:48.with a two-year masters course. It was interesting how that stage can

:21:49. > :21:54.develop without pain. That is the problem. Sometimes a true Mitic

:21:55. > :22:00.episode can cause that onset. -- traumatic episode.

:22:01. > :22:05.I have these images of you swaggering around like a celebrity

:22:06. > :22:13.and serenading the girls with your guitar! It's not like that! I stand

:22:14. > :22:19.out here listening to the choir practising in the chapel which is

:22:20. > :22:25.pretty impressive. Look, it's been great to have a bit of a throwback

:22:26. > :22:30.to student life. I was a fresher a decade ago at Cardiff, it feels like

:22:31. > :22:36.it was only yesterday but to have a taste of that again for a short

:22:37. > :22:44.period has been amazing. I'm really hungry to get back into the

:22:45. > :22:49.professional routine and meet my new Harlequins team-mates and get going.

:22:50. > :22:54.They've had a great start and I want to help them push to silverware. His

:22:55. > :22:59.sole focus now is Twickenham on Thursday, a place he is more than

:23:00. > :23:02.familiar with having won club trophies, Triple Crowns and World

:23:03. > :23:07.Cup matches there but for most of his team-mate it is a

:23:08. > :23:10.once-in-a-lifetime experience. For the lads in the team, it might be

:23:11. > :23:17.the only time they play there. You have to appreciate that. And really

:23:18. > :23:25.try to give everything to help those boys achieve their dreams. Dan

:23:26. > :23:33.Vickers meant was captain when we last won in 2009 and he went on to

:23:34. > :23:37.play in a World Cup. -- Vickerman. The picture of him lifting the

:23:38. > :23:44.trophy is pretty iconic around here. It is a big game. To play in a match

:23:45. > :23:49.with so much history, I want to win and help these boys with it. Damien,

:23:50. > :23:57.one man doesn't make a team but how much can the alkalis Cambridge to

:23:58. > :24:02.end this run? -- can he galvanise. He has been such an inspiration, the

:24:03. > :24:08.impact he has and the Corinthian spirit he brings, that it will be

:24:09. > :24:14.hard. I have watched the last few games as Oxford have taken Cambridge

:24:15. > :24:18.apart. I suspect it will be won upfront like most matches so if they

:24:19. > :24:22.can provide some sort of platform for him to create space as he does

:24:23. > :24:28.in every match, they have a good opportunity. The nature of

:24:29. > :24:33.University sport is that it is a changing landscape, huge variation

:24:34. > :24:37.in the teams every year so how much do the successes of the last five

:24:38. > :24:41.years have any bearing? The last time they brought in a big name was

:24:42. > :24:47.the last time they won the Game five years ago. They will be hoping it

:24:48. > :24:52.happens again. It is not always the big names that dominate. They

:24:53. > :24:55.attract the attention, but sometimes it is the unseen work of others on

:24:56. > :25:02.the pitch who can make the difference. Obviously Jamie is a big

:25:03. > :25:06.physical presence but Matt Janney on the opposite side, this is his

:25:07. > :25:09.fourth match, he will be after him and he will love the challenge. I

:25:10. > :25:17.won't ask you the obvious question of who you think will win. But an

:25:18. > :25:22.interesting match ahead. The game is being shown in many countries all

:25:23. > :25:26.over the world. Andrew Cotter and Brian Moore will have a global

:25:27. > :25:29.audience when they commentate in just a few moments.

:25:30. > :25:40.The players gathered for the match between Oxford and Cambridge. He

:25:41. > :25:45.must score! Oxford had the advantage. The Dark Blues had been

:25:46. > :25:48.tipped as winners but it did not work out that way. One of the

:25:49. > :26:02.greatest tries in a Varsity match. COMMENTATOR: Not quite six weeks

:26:03. > :26:09.since Australia and the All Blacks stood in this tunnel before the

:26:10. > :26:14.World Cup final. This match is certainly one that can live with any

:26:15. > :26:17.for intensity of rivalry. And the familiar figure of Jamie Roberts

:26:18. > :26:35.will have many eyes on him today. Perhaps the quality might not be the

:26:36. > :26:42.same but an interesting line-up, we will get the thoughts of Brian Moore

:26:43. > :26:44.in a few moments. We have seen a one-sided encounter in the women's

:26:45. > :26:52.Varsity match, Cambridge winning 52-0 will stop Jamie Roberts has

:26:53. > :26:58.been on many pictures in many shirts and here he will get ready to do his

:26:59. > :27:05.very best for Cambridge -- pitches. Before the match, we're going to

:27:06. > :27:10.have a moment 's silence. 55 Blues for Oxford and Cambridge died in the

:27:11. > :27:18.Great War and we will remember them before this match. Ladies and

:27:19. > :27:22.gentlemen, we ask you to stand for a moment 's silence to remember the 55

:27:23. > :28:19.Blues who lost their lives during World War I.

:28:20. > :28:28.APPLAUSE The names of those Blues, those 55

:28:29. > :28:35.men who lost their lives, were projected onto the screen here at

:28:36. > :28:43.Twickenham. And before kick-off, time for the national anthem.

:28:44. > :29:35.CHEERING It is a time of year for tradition

:29:36. > :29:38.and as they go, this is long-standing, the 134th match.

:29:39. > :29:45.Oxford are going for a record sixth win in a road but this is a doughty

:29:46. > :29:56.Cambridge line-up. Oxford had a late disruption with the loss of their

:29:57. > :30:02.captain, George Messum. Richie Halpin has made it after completing

:30:03. > :30:07.an exam this morning. And think about the task for Henry Lamont in

:30:08. > :30:08.the centre, not huge, just five foot eight and directly opposite Jamie

:30:09. > :30:16.Roberts. For Cambridge, there is that visitor

:30:17. > :30:20.from another sporting world with them today, but there is not much

:30:21. > :30:28.that Roberts could do by himself if the Light Blues pack fails. There's

:30:29. > :30:37.a large professional element in the second row as a former Munster

:30:38. > :30:42.player, Ian Nagle. These are the replacements. Number 22 for

:30:43. > :30:44.Cambridge, came chard lips as well as Jamie Roberts, but he is a

:30:45. > :30:58.19-year-old medical student. The referee of this one, Greg

:30:59. > :31:03.Garner. We are just about ready for the 134th edition. WHISTLE

:31:04. > :31:08.A little beep of the referee POP MUSIC watch, modern times, and away

:31:09. > :31:14.they go. And immediate mistake from the Oxford wing, Henry Hughes. A

:31:15. > :31:24.knock-on, is there a chance for Cambridge to launch the first

:31:25. > :31:26.attack? There is a first sighting of Jamie Roberts. Looking to do some

:31:27. > :31:36.damage in the Oxford defensive midfield. Stephens, the South

:31:37. > :31:39.Africa, formerly of Stellenbosch. Henry Lamont, the captain has taken

:31:40. > :31:46.a bit of a battering, Roberts, a loose pass from Jamie Roberts.

:31:47. > :31:50.Didn't go forward, a shuffle from Stileman. His father Will played for

:31:51. > :31:55.both Oxford and Cambridge, one of the few to have done so. I think

:31:56. > :32:05.Henry Lamont is still down, struggling. So Cambridge attacking

:32:06. > :32:13.15-14 at the moment. Wide it goes. Roberts is down. Taken down well by

:32:14. > :32:20.Fraser Gillies. And then the carry by Max Montgomerie. Belfast born

:32:21. > :32:31.student. A bit of confusion. The pass went just beyond Daniel Dass.

:32:32. > :32:39.Oliver Clough set it back. Stephens the side put food on ball but easily

:32:40. > :32:44.gathered. -- Stephen IS. Geiger can fly but not when he is met by Dave

:32:45. > :32:53.Spellman. Still without their captain Henry Lamont. He is still

:32:54. > :32:58.down. And Simon Davies. A frenetic start to this game. Two solid

:32:59. > :33:05.minutes of entertaining play and still Oxford with 14 men. Not sure

:33:06. > :33:09.Henry Lamont will play too much more of a role in this game. A chip over

:33:10. > :33:19.the top by the cane which captain Don Stephens. His opposite number to

:33:20. > :33:22.Barker. Cambridge with it. Jamie Roberts, space appearing out wide.

:33:23. > :33:29.Roberts manages to off-load in the tackle. Step and go by Cherezov but

:33:30. > :33:34.he is punched back well by Fergus Taylor. Lamont is leaving the field

:33:35. > :33:39.so Oxford will lose their captain early on. Cambridge now still

:33:40. > :33:50.attacking with that extra man. Max Montgomerie.

:33:51. > :34:03.As the captain trudges off. Rather forlorn figure. His side tried to

:34:04. > :34:08.find some way out of their own 22. And eventually the ball is out.

:34:09. > :34:13.Three minutes. We haven't heard from Brian Moore. That is a blessing,

:34:14. > :34:17.some people would say. You use the word frenetic and you are right.

:34:18. > :34:23.This is what this particular game is all about. Quite often it is. That

:34:24. > :34:25.is Lamont getting run over by Jamie Roberts. If you see this here, a

:34:26. > :34:46.wasted opportunity, men out there. That is a shocking pass. Shocking

:34:47. > :34:49.pass. At the end of the day, what has to happen, one side has to

:34:50. > :34:52.settle down. At the moment this is Herremans Geraint, 100 mph stuff.

:34:53. > :34:55.They need to have more poise, and understand that when Roberts makes

:34:56. > :35:01.ground, which he will do, it is what you do after that. Do you have the

:35:02. > :35:06.plan, when ground is made? A replacement for Henry Lamont has

:35:07. > :35:10.come on. David has come on. He has come on on the wing. So a bit of a

:35:11. > :35:18.reshuffle in the midfield for Oxford. Cambridge till with the

:35:19. > :35:23.early ball. Dave Spelman, former Durham University player, England

:35:24. > :35:30.student tight head. Sam Farmer was once in the Northampton Academy,

:35:31. > :35:42.tipped for great things. There is Roberts. The ball comes back for the

:35:43. > :35:51.Light Blues. Eventually the decision is a tipped over the top from

:35:52. > :35:59.Gillies but taken down nicely. First real opportunity to try and build an

:36:00. > :36:13.attack, Oxford. Fergus Taylor takes it in. Just about five minutes gone.

:36:14. > :36:21.Well picked up. A little chip over the top and it was for the chasing

:36:22. > :36:26.man, beautiful play by Matt Janney. Jobs: is there. Janney, a Georgian

:36:27. > :36:36.sevens player. -- George Cullen is there. Had Oxford been able to get

:36:37. > :36:39.quick ball from a ruck, they had significant advantage out on the

:36:40. > :36:44.left, probably three men over. Couldn't do it, gave a penalty away.

:36:45. > :36:49.The last passage of play from Cambridge, Roberts attracted five

:36:50. > :36:52.players on his own into that last breakdown. Cambridge when it came

:36:53. > :37:01.back didn't seem to know where and what they were going to do. Mike

:37:02. > :37:07.Janney. I mentioned he was a Georgian sevens player. Also dated

:37:08. > :37:11.Emma Watson for a while. That is a bit of showbiz gossip for you that

:37:12. > :37:21.you probably didn't want -- Matt Janney. The Oxford hooker. The man

:37:22. > :37:25.who was sitting an exam this morning, a helicopter down the road

:37:26. > :37:34.and here he is. Fraser Heathcote. Number eight.

:37:35. > :37:52.A tackle that was taken. Taken down by Cherezov. Did well here, was the

:37:53. > :37:59.only chaser. Kept him in field. There would have been no one there

:38:00. > :38:03.to exploit that particular chase. I get the impression that a lot of

:38:04. > :38:07.kicking from the scrum-half thus far has been completely off-the-cuff,

:38:08. > :38:16.players not in position to chase, sometimes not chasing at all. That

:38:17. > :38:21.has to change. Halpin can't find his man so the early line-out struggling

:38:22. > :38:24.by both sides. Taken by Ian Nagle. Nagle another one of the very

:38:25. > :38:29.experienced players. He was man of the match for Munster against

:38:30. > :38:35.Australia, went over to Australia in 2010 and he is going back to play

:38:36. > :38:39.professional rugby after he has finished his time at Cambridge. A

:38:40. > :38:43.good bit of experience in the pack and in midfield. Got hammered up

:38:44. > :38:47.front last year and indeed they have had a hard time in the four previous

:38:48. > :38:50.fixtures so they needed to do something about it. Disappointing, a

:38:51. > :38:59.penalty and he has kicked it 15 metres. Let's see how the line-out

:39:00. > :39:02.fares this time. The dive pass from Stephen IS sort of works. -- from

:39:03. > :39:24.Stephens. Stevens -- Stevens. A bit of attention from Matt Janney.

:39:25. > :39:27.Again, it ruins any running lines that were set up. As soon as the

:39:28. > :39:42.ball goes down everyone is at least three yards out of kilter.

:39:43. > :39:53.Halpin goes to the front this time. Fergus Taylor.

:39:54. > :40:12.It is working well for Oxford. They get a penalty.

:40:13. > :40:21.Kicked for touch from George Cullen. Scored 18 points last year. His

:40:22. > :40:25.father has been in this fixture but for Cambridge, played three times

:40:26. > :40:29.scrum-half for Cambridge. He was actually turned down entry to

:40:30. > :40:34.Cambridge, so he has registers on his side, it is one he badly wants

:40:35. > :40:41.to win. We have all been turned down by some Oxbridge college or other. I

:40:42. > :40:44.think I was turned down by Dundee! Taken down, Nick Roberts-Huntley is

:40:45. > :40:55.actually a friend of Jamie Roberts, from Cardiff University days.

:40:56. > :41:05.Heading backwards at the moment. Good work by George Cullen, making

:41:06. > :41:18.ground. Trying a more direct approach, Henry the Barker. -- --

:41:19. > :41:23.Henry De Berker. Cabbage's defence being tested for the first time. A

:41:24. > :41:27.little carried by Will Wilson, the youngest man in either side, the

:41:28. > :41:34.18-year-old. Shuffled around in midfield and then Nick

:41:35. > :41:42.Roberts-Huntley takes it to ground. Ten minutes have passed, still

:41:43. > :41:48.awaiting the first score. Oxford just feeling their way into this

:41:49. > :41:52.game. Not too much progress from Andrew Grant. The penalty is

:41:53. > :41:55.therefore the Dark Blues. Kickable range. Better patterns from Oxford,

:41:56. > :41:58.one of the problems they have got though is when they come into

:41:59. > :42:09.contact they are not getting over the gain line. Two captains down

:42:10. > :42:13.there for Oxford. Henry Lamont being consoled. Matt Janney is the captain

:42:14. > :42:19.on the field, we understand, but they are expending captains at the

:42:20. > :42:25.moment. They lost a key figure in George Mason, then Henry Lamont with

:42:26. > :42:31.the injury. A penalty for dangerous play. Leg lifted up. Couldn't see

:42:32. > :42:35.too much in that myself. It was a team that developed rather strongly

:42:36. > :42:41.at the World Cup, dangerous play has been cracked down upon in all parts

:42:42. > :42:43.of the game. George Cullen with the chance of the first points of this

:42:44. > :43:09.134th Varsity match. It was sort of dying as it went over

:43:10. > :43:14.but it was straight and true. Three points to Oxford. They have the lead

:43:15. > :43:17.with 11 and a half minutes gone at Twickenham. They will be very

:43:18. > :43:22.pleased about that because Cambridge have only had the better of the

:43:23. > :43:24.exchanges up to that point. Oxford only a couple of incursions into the

:43:25. > :43:33.Cambridge half, and they come away with a point. Cambridge still to

:43:34. > :43:37.register. Taken down well as he was scampering back, Lewis Anderson, a

:43:38. > :43:40.veteran of this fixture, appearing in his sixth Varsity match will stop

:43:41. > :43:47.he really should get a job but he has been around a long time, Storl

:43:48. > :43:52.what of the front row. -- Storl what -- Storl of the front row.

:43:53. > :44:05.I say veteran comedy 25. -- style that -- style

:44:06. > :44:19.Cambridge try their hand at the ball. -- at the maul. Oxford

:44:20. > :44:25.beginning to splinter. Cambridge making real yardage. Frustration in

:44:26. > :44:29.the Oxford side, the Dark Blues, a walk to the line for Cambridge will

:44:30. > :44:36.stop they are closing in within ten metres now. What could Oxford do?

:44:37. > :44:41.Down it goes, Dass still with it. Stevens, the captain digging in for

:44:42. > :44:46.it, but it is picked up by the forwards instead. And they are

:44:47. > :44:53.getting closer. Great effort by the forwards. And they keep it within

:44:54. > :44:59.themselves at the moment. It is all the heavy men for Cambridge, wide it

:45:00. > :45:07.goes, a great hit comes in from I think it was the Oxford winger,

:45:08. > :45:10.Henry Hughes. Still, though, Cambridge threatening this line, a

:45:11. > :45:17.couple of metres short, carried for the moment by Spillman. -- Spellman.

:45:18. > :45:22.A lot of space on the left of their recognise it. Too late. They are

:45:23. > :45:29.still closing, now Stephens moves it, tries to make his own way

:45:30. > :45:38.through, Fraser Gillies, held up short, desperate Oxford defence.

:45:39. > :45:52.The Dark Blues have the applause. Ended by Oxford. That man was at the

:45:53. > :46:03.heart of it. Huge hit coming in. Did so many things right. Giving direct

:46:04. > :46:05.and tight. Do you go all the way all released the ball when the other

:46:06. > :46:08.teams on the back foot? They would have been better to do that because

:46:09. > :46:12.once they had dragged everyone in, they close down all the options out

:46:13. > :46:16.wide, had to stay narrow. When they did recognise there was a bit of

:46:17. > :46:20.width, it was too late, the ball was too slow and they were covered. They

:46:21. > :46:30.will have another go at that driving maul, I'm Cambridge. Big hits came

:46:31. > :46:42.in. Oxford with the ball. The first scrum of the match, 15 minutes gone.

:46:43. > :46:45.Pick up at the back by Fraser Heathcote. This will be a very

:46:46. > :46:51.different game to that last year, the record win for Oxford. Cambridge

:46:52. > :46:54.full-back Simon Davies thinks better of the quick throw. Already signs

:46:55. > :46:57.that this Cambridge pack in particular is different to that of

:46:58. > :47:05.last year. It needed to be. Heathcote doing well in the end,

:47:06. > :47:08.probably better just to get the flank onto him, get the scrum-half

:47:09. > :47:12.onto him. As it was, when the Cambridge left side came up, he had

:47:13. > :47:26.to go right round. He was lucky he wasn't caught on his own try line.

:47:27. > :47:32.Dave Spelman takes a bit of a thumb. Managers to get the ball back for

:47:33. > :47:37.Cambridge again. Oxford have the lead but they have spent much of

:47:38. > :47:41.this half, much of the opening 16 minutes in their own half. Sam

:47:42. > :47:54.Farmer, number eight for the Light Blues, then Stevens again. Gillies

:47:55. > :48:03.gives it at close quarters. A bit of a standstill.

:48:04. > :48:11.A good steel, says the referee. Had to be. On the back foot. Henry

:48:12. > :48:33.Hughes in defence and now attack. Good strength. As Matt Janney comes

:48:34. > :48:38.away with it, the referee a little knock-on, it will be a Cambridge

:48:39. > :48:42.scrum. Tremendous rubbing work on the floor. Totally isolated, took on

:48:43. > :48:48.three or four K Bridge players, came away with the ball -- Cambridge

:48:49. > :48:51.players. Cambridge are making breaks, the problem for them, that

:48:52. > :48:56.is a great steel, when they do get the ball they do not seem to have

:48:57. > :49:01.any real understanding of where they are trying to go after that. They

:49:02. > :49:04.are making the ground, getting over the gain line consistently when the

:49:05. > :49:12.tackles are coming in and yet nothing is coming of it. You look at

:49:13. > :49:15.the scoreboard if you are a Cambridge fan, you will be

:49:16. > :49:20.disappointed, but you will be heartily encouraged by what you have

:49:21. > :49:23.seen on the pitch so far. And like all games there will be a time when

:49:24. > :49:27.Oxford are in the ascendancy, when they have a period where they have

:49:28. > :49:29.ball in the right areas, in the right territory, and Cambridge

:49:30. > :49:34.simply have to put points on the board when they get anywhere near in

:49:35. > :49:40.try scoring or goal-kicking range will stop James Shanahan, the

:49:41. > :49:47.Cambridge coach. We saw James Wade for Oxford before that. And again,

:49:48. > :49:52.more consolation for Henry Lamont. It looked like a shoulder injury.

:49:53. > :50:02.But again, deeply, deeply frustrating. The start of the last

:50:03. > :50:10.three matches. This one he was off within about a minute. This is the

:50:11. > :50:14.first scrum on Cambridge ball. They will be looking to be solid, because

:50:15. > :50:22.in the fixture last year they got hammered. The story about Ian

:50:23. > :50:24.Williams, the Oxford tight head. Yes, forced a very early

:50:25. > :50:33.substitution of the Cambridge captain. He really did have the best

:50:34. > :50:36.of that day. Again, a very different Cambridge pack this year. Seems to

:50:37. > :50:44.be going down again in the front row. More settled now. Cambridge

:50:45. > :50:48.with the better of this one. Comfortable ball for Stevens, once

:50:49. > :50:54.he stops chirping away. He thought the Oxford scrum-half was

:50:55. > :50:57.encroaching. Clough. The less heralded centre in the Cambridge

:50:58. > :51:09.midfield. Good carried by James Kielt

:51:10. > :51:32.Oxford still with that slender lead, that one bounty from George Cullen.

:51:33. > :51:38.-- one penalty. Stevens gives it deep, running on the Cherezov on the

:51:39. > :51:42.wing. Hands on it from Oxford. WHISTLE

:51:43. > :51:49.I was going to say it might have been a fair steel but penalty.

:51:50. > :51:56.Confusion again from Cambridge once a break was made. Roberts attracting

:51:57. > :52:01.two tacklers struggling to get away. When the ball came right, you had a

:52:02. > :52:05.winger, and you had three lumbering forwards who were the only option to

:52:06. > :52:08.go right. They were too far behind play and again Cambridge make the

:52:09. > :52:18.initial incursion, but they cannot do anything thereafter. There he is,

:52:19. > :52:22.he will be heading off to Harlequins as soon as this match is done, he

:52:23. > :52:26.will join up with his Harlequins team-mates, in the days to come. I

:52:27. > :52:31.think he will play against coders are no next week in the Challenge

:52:32. > :52:36.Cup for Harlequins. So all change. His course becomes part-time after

:52:37. > :52:42.this full-time term, then over the next two years he will do a day a

:52:43. > :52:48.week, working at Addenbrooke's. Turnover. Roberts ships it wide to

:52:49. > :52:56.his partner in midfield, Robert Clough, again. James Kilroe. Dass

:52:57. > :53:14.tries to slithered away to Gillies. Sam Farmer again. 3-0 to Oxford. 20

:53:15. > :53:22.minutes gone. A high tackle, you would think, coming in on Rob Paul.

:53:23. > :53:28.It was Cullen leaping into the challenge but it was fine, says the

:53:29. > :53:32.referee. Spelman covers again. Stevens gives it to Gillies.

:53:33. > :53:39.Roberts. Men out wide for Cambridge. Farmer taken down well. Good tackle

:53:40. > :53:48.by Matt Janney. Still Cambridge, their possession stats are rather

:53:49. > :53:55.impressive. And a carry again, James Kilroe. There is Roberts. Lovely

:53:56. > :54:00.little move, was the pass for what? No. Carried on by Simon Davies, the

:54:01. > :54:07.full-back, with a red touch of the ball. Once again deep into the 20 go

:54:08. > :54:15.Cambridge. Roberts -- into the 22 go Cambridge. Roberts into the clash.

:54:16. > :54:20.Still Cambridge with no points to show for all of their efforts,

:54:21. > :54:25.though. 22 minutes gone. A great rearguard effort so far from Oxford.

:54:26. > :54:30.Here is Kilroe again. Penalty coming. The advantage was there, the

:54:31. > :54:35.penalty is there, they will now surely have three points but the

:54:36. > :54:40.very least they would feel they deserve for all their efforts, all

:54:41. > :54:50.that territory and possession. And again making significant ground. In

:54:51. > :54:56.and around and through tackles. When you are talking about a fixture like

:54:57. > :54:59.this, there are so much adrenaline going, working up to it, that the

:55:00. > :55:04.ball is just being spread around, the kicking game has been

:55:05. > :55:07.nonexistent. Whilst you can say it has attracted the balls in hand, the

:55:08. > :55:11.kicking part of the game is a variety that is necessary to pull

:55:12. > :55:14.people in and around the back threes and salon so they have something to

:55:15. > :55:16.think about. At the moment all they have to think about is ball being

:55:17. > :55:25.moved and shovelled down the centres. Stevens to try and level

:55:26. > :55:43.things up. CHEERING

:55:44. > :55:49.Through it goes. Three points up on the broad for Cambridge. And again,

:55:50. > :55:55.after last year POP MUSIC Zog, a 43-6 win the Oxford. It is clear for

:55:56. > :55:58.all to see this year will be very different. Cambridge will be

:55:59. > :56:03.relieved to get points on the board. They probably should have had more,

:56:04. > :56:05.but at least they are now level, at least they do have a reward for some

:56:06. > :56:17.of their efforts. Maybe that will settle them down.

:56:18. > :56:26.Long restart by Cullen. Taken by Gillies. He had a year at Racing

:56:27. > :56:30.Metro but it was as a 17 or 18-year-old when he was in France,

:56:31. > :56:33.not sure he broke into the first-team. Technically two former

:56:34. > :56:42.Racing Metro players in the backline. And in Racing Metro

:56:43. > :56:54.colours, Racing 92. The usual conference taking place before the

:56:55. > :57:00.line-out. The line-outs have been rich source for opposing side so

:57:01. > :57:03.far. The arms being wrapped around the man while he was in the air.

:57:04. > :57:11.Tried to sneak out of it but the damage was done. REFEREE: Five, you

:57:12. > :57:20.grabbed hold of him in the air. Too early. He did the right thing

:57:21. > :57:25.pulling him down but there was contact in the air. That is where it

:57:26. > :57:31.comes. A good kick for touch off that penalty as well, it gives

:57:32. > :57:34.Oxford... This is the first opportunity Oxford have had deep in

:57:35. > :57:37.came Bridge territory, and actually the very little ball they have had,

:57:38. > :57:43.they have looked more cogent, in terms of where they are seeking to

:57:44. > :57:49.attack. The line-out overthrow again. Cambridge spared here either

:57:50. > :58:01.Oxford line-out. Gillies carries the just a couple of yards. Sam Farmer.

:58:02. > :58:07.He was actually once included in the 2011 top Premiership rising stars

:58:08. > :58:13.alongside Joe Launchbury and Christian Wade, Sam Farmer. He has a

:58:14. > :58:16.real talent there. You do appreciate that these are not professional

:58:17. > :58:18.players. You can't expect professional standards of them,

:58:19. > :58:31.however that last throw was just awful. Frankly. Let's see how they

:58:32. > :58:37.manage this time. Long consultation, and Richie Halpin, former Blackrock

:58:38. > :58:43.College pupil, this one rather better. A great defensive shove but

:58:44. > :58:59.it is smuggled away by Halpin. Great Cambridge defence. Untidy ball

:59:00. > :59:04.for Oxford to play with but coming straight through the middle, James

:59:05. > :59:07.Kilroe. Fine, says the referee. A little punch of the ball and you can

:59:08. > :59:12.see at close quarters, from Nick Roberts. -- from Nick

:59:13. > :59:17.Roberts-Huntley, who now carries for Oxford.

:59:18. > :59:25.Keeping it close, let the forwards to their work first of all. Fergus

:59:26. > :59:31.Taylor sets it back. Now Cullen gives it deep to the replacement

:59:32. > :59:38.end, David. Trying to scuttle his way around the defence. Not much

:59:39. > :59:44.doing there. Henry De Berker gives it onto Will Wilson. A big thump

:59:45. > :59:50.comes in on him, manages to keep that ball, though. Wide it goes,

:59:51. > :59:59.little chip through from Matt Janney full stop Weld elected -- Matt

:00:00. > :00:05.Janney. Well directed. It bounces nicely for Matt Geiger. It was Rees

:00:06. > :00:09.with the clearing kick for Cambridge full stop Oxford have two build

:00:10. > :00:16.again. WHISTLE Penalty again to Oxford, and again

:00:17. > :00:19.just about kickable. Cambridge just overdoing it but they are winning

:00:20. > :00:26.most of the physical battle, not just in terms of tackling, but on

:00:27. > :00:29.the previous line-out they ruined all of Oxford's expectations,

:00:30. > :00:33.because they simply had bigger physical presence in and around the

:00:34. > :00:37.rock. Whilst they didn't get a turnover, it meant Oxford eventually

:00:38. > :00:42.had to drag three or four of them is that they wanted to run at the

:00:43. > :00:46.Cambridge midfield. So Oxford, whilst they are looking quite

:00:47. > :00:49.organised when they do get the ball, they are losing the physical battle

:00:50. > :00:52.in all of the important areas at the moment, and yet they may well take a

:00:53. > :01:03.lead here. So, Cullen, as I mentioned, 18

:01:04. > :01:12.points last year. Scoring a try off the T.

:01:13. > :01:44.His father John is here today. He played three times for Cambridge.

:01:45. > :01:50.Well, it is veering off its true course at the end. It sounded like a

:01:51. > :02:03.good strike. But no difference to the scoreboard. Half an hour Gordon

:02:04. > :02:11.Brown and three points each. -- half an hour gone and three

:02:12. > :02:22.points a piece. Gillies,

:02:23. > :02:34.taken in by Henry and Oxford making good ground again. Far more

:02:35. > :02:39.territory to play with. And Don Stevens, out there. It looked 50

:02:40. > :02:44.good distance. That was very nearly a perfect kick. But all the way back

:02:45. > :02:50.they come. Good work by Jamie Roberts. Using

:02:51. > :02:54.power and strength. But looking and when they have made round with one,

:02:55. > :03:01.two, three players, not accurate enough at the break down.

:03:02. > :03:07.Call yenning Roberts. Once he gets the leg up, he is not holding his

:03:08. > :03:15.body weight. He has to let go of the ball.

:03:16. > :03:18.Jamie Roberts has known situations like that.

:03:19. > :03:26.Turning over the ball. That was not the best pass given on

:03:27. > :03:32.by Jamie Roberts. I think that poor Oliver Clough was getting that.

:03:33. > :03:37.Don't underestimate the pressure that Jamie Roberts puts on himself

:03:38. > :03:41.for the game. He is desperate to show his quality, what it is. But

:03:42. > :03:46.the fact is that is not a great ball is it? He will know the expectations

:03:47. > :03:57.on it. If he is to prove the player that we have seen him be and make an

:03:58. > :04:08.impression on this game... Yes, his new home is waiting across the A 316

:04:09. > :04:15.over the Twickenham stoop. The harlequins life to begin after this

:04:16. > :04:18.match for Jamie Roberts. Again, that Cambridge scrum is so

:04:19. > :04:31.much better than last year. Oxford have done well with that.

:04:32. > :04:39.And given to Ed David. He is not the biggest man but lots of life in the

:04:40. > :04:45.feet. Carried in the by the veteran, Lewis

:04:46. > :04:52.Anderson. Oxford beginning to build again.

:04:53. > :04:58.George Cullen, a quick ball. De Berker nearly through! Oxford making

:04:59. > :05:05.good ground now. Quick hands as well, given to Williams.

:05:06. > :05:12.Oxford threatening there. The first try, Fraser Heathcote. And De Berker

:05:13. > :05:21.giving it wide again. Cullen meets Gillies.

:05:22. > :05:26.Good strength by Nick Roberts-Huntley. He has left damage

:05:27. > :05:33.there, Roberts-Huntley as he went through.

:05:34. > :05:40.Still with Oxford. Still the edge closer. Wide it goes now. A good

:05:41. > :05:47.pick-up. A good take by Matt Geiger for Oxford. And good from Clough.

:05:48. > :05:52.Ian Williams again, he does his bit. The tight head prop.

:05:53. > :05:57.A little shuffle with the ball at close quarters.

:05:58. > :06:03.De Berker looking at the options. He give it is to Cullen. Looking for

:06:04. > :06:10.Janney. Great defence by Cambridge. Jamie Roberts doing his bit. Carried

:06:11. > :06:19.in by Tom Stileman. Still 10 metres, 12 metres short. Still they come. 15

:06:20. > :06:23.phases for Oxford. It shows down but it is patient play

:06:24. > :06:28.if nothing else. Janney give it is.

:06:29. > :06:38.Then with Henry Hughes. He manages to get the legs moving the winger.

:06:39. > :06:41.He makes good ground! De Berker gets himself to ground. Someone else will

:06:42. > :06:50.have to come in and feed the ball for Oxford.

:06:51. > :06:57.Fergus Taylor picks and goes. Crying for it out wide, Oxford.

:06:58. > :07:02.Cullen loop it is out. Matt Geiger, and Geiger, almost there! Geiger,

:07:03. > :07:08.just short! Oxford bearing down on the line. Wide it goes. A great

:07:09. > :07:12.pick-up but it can't quite get there. Into touch. So close. How

:07:13. > :07:18.many phases it went through there? But it ends.

:07:19. > :07:23.Just on the corner there for Oxford. Had they the ruck ball two or three

:07:24. > :07:28.previous, they could have had that over. Again, he has been the most

:07:29. > :07:34.dangerous player on the pitch today. Looking sharp all the way through,

:07:35. > :07:38.Geiger. A lovely pick-up. Gook pick-up, and a good effort by

:07:39. > :07:43.Don Stevens. The scrum-half and the captain for Cambridge, doing his bit

:07:44. > :07:50.to get Andrew Grant into touch. But Matt Geiger has been very, very

:07:51. > :07:54.lible. But Don Stevens, the defensive capabilities fully tested

:07:55. > :07:58.there. I alluded to this earlier on that

:07:59. > :08:02.Oxford would get a period when they were on top, when they were putting

:08:03. > :08:08.Cambridge under the pressure. At the moment they have not put points on

:08:09. > :08:12.the board. A line-up that has to work from the

:08:13. > :08:18.Cambridge point of view. Montgomerie.

:08:19. > :08:24.That pass just finds its way to the number eight, Sam Farmer.

:08:25. > :08:29.Cambridge trying to buy themselves as few yards before clearing the

:08:30. > :08:38.lines. Now Stevens can... Out it goes. I thought it was touched in.

:08:39. > :08:45.But not greatest kick. But clearing the way out of their own 22.

:08:46. > :08:48.They are not right on the line. But Oxford are still in a dangerous

:08:49. > :08:53.position. Both sides have each had a concerted

:08:54. > :08:59.go on the try line in coming close. Still a penalty a piece. But it is

:09:00. > :09:05.evenly matched. Oxford just having the better last

:09:06. > :09:09.few minutes. But the line-out goes wrong again for the Dark Blues and

:09:10. > :09:19.Cambridge see if they can get a maul moving. It is held by Spelman.

:09:20. > :09:29.And they wander forward, seemingly at will.

:09:30. > :09:33.Everyone, calm down. The referee's soothing tones.

:09:34. > :09:40.A good length but it finds Matt Geiger. A flash of the orange boots

:09:41. > :09:43.and he give it is nicely to David. Ed David, both he and Matt Geiger

:09:44. > :09:59.are hard men to catch. Henry Hughes likewise has been

:10:00. > :10:04.feisty on the wing. These are not big men at all in the

:10:05. > :10:11.back three for Oxford but they have lots of pace.

:10:12. > :10:20.Three minutes remaining, three points a piece. Good work by Will

:10:21. > :10:26.Wilson. The 18-year-old England 7s captain at the Commonwealth Youth

:10:27. > :10:36.Games. Geiger is taken down.

:10:37. > :10:45.Fergus tailer, stripped by Cambridge. Dave Spelman comes away

:10:46. > :10:51.with it. Nick Roberts-Huntley coming through there, the Oxford number 6.

:10:52. > :11:04.Stevens getting that ball away. The Oxford defence are smartly up on

:11:05. > :11:14.this. A good pick-up by Andy Rees. James Kilroe... Cambridge again.

:11:15. > :11:19.You would have thought that was a running interference from Simon

:11:20. > :11:23.Davis going in there. They didn't give it as the tackler

:11:24. > :11:26.was not obstructed. He did make the tackle.

:11:27. > :11:30.The referee made clear. Cambridge still with it. A minute-and-a-half

:11:31. > :11:41.remaining. Stevens complains.

:11:42. > :11:49.So a few phases here for Cambridge but not making too much ground.

:11:50. > :11:52.Energy-sapping work for both sides. Dave Spelman again.

:11:53. > :12:06.And Ian Nagle. It is still just with Cambridge.

:12:07. > :12:15.Gillies running out of options there.

:12:16. > :12:23.Cambridge have been battering away outside of their own 22 for tomorrow

:12:24. > :12:31.time. Hoping that tiredness or weakness will appear.

:12:32. > :12:39.Waiting for that is Matt Geiger. Keeping it in play. Tom Stileman.

:12:40. > :12:45.Good work. A chance for Oxford. Cullen on his own. He off loads

:12:46. > :12:50.beautifully. Carried on by Stileman. The ball is loose, going forward.

:12:51. > :12:54.Cambridge have the scrum. The referee may look at his watch to say

:12:55. > :12:58.that is enough as we near 40 minutes. But a hint the menace from

:12:59. > :13:02.Oxford. The Oxford back three, as you

:13:03. > :13:12.alluded to, they are not big but they are quick. They have been the

:13:13. > :13:21.stand-out backs on the field today. For Cambridge, the second-row

:13:22. > :13:27.pairing, Hall and Nagle have a lot of work. You probably have not seen

:13:28. > :13:36.a lot of it. But there have been ups and downs. That does not look good.

:13:37. > :13:37.It is not Don Stevens. There is theers while Oxford captain, Henry

:13:38. > :13:58.Lamont. Well, that doesn't look promising

:13:59. > :14:00.for Cambridge. The clock has gone red. This is going to be the last

:14:01. > :14:27.passage of play. So that's George Williams coming on.

:14:28. > :14:31.And that's Cherezov, who has don something unpleasant to a wrist or a

:14:32. > :14:36.forearm. But his game is over. George Williams is on.

:14:37. > :14:41.So both sides have been forced into a change at the end of the first

:14:42. > :14:46.half for Cambridge. And it is three points a piece. A finally balanced

:14:47. > :14:50.game. Cambridge again with a stout scrum there.

:14:51. > :14:55.What a difference a year makes. Stevens puts it out. So we resume in

:14:56. > :15:02.the second half. Three points a piece.

:15:03. > :15:08.Again, Cambridge have had the better part of the first quarter, Oxford of

:15:09. > :15:11.the second quarter. They have not been able to make the

:15:12. > :15:15.most of the opportunities that both have had. It requires a calmness in

:15:16. > :15:20.thinking. People are putting bodies on the line. This are very committed

:15:21. > :15:24.but they are not thinking through the game. Especially what to do with

:15:25. > :15:28.the ball that is good. Both sides have threatened a try.

:15:29. > :15:34.They have come close but it has not come across. A penalty a piece.

:15:35. > :15:40.It is three points a piece. It is all to play for in the second half.

:15:41. > :15:45.It certainly is. I don't know how many minutes that the ball was in

:15:46. > :15:48.play but more than we are used to seeing if you are a regular

:15:49. > :15:53.television viewer of rugby. But a lot of the time it was nobody going

:15:54. > :15:58.anywhere but the intensity was clear to see on both sides. How much it

:15:59. > :16:02.means. The defence was immense. From 1-15 on both sides.

:16:03. > :16:06.Simon Halliday and Damian Hopley representing the Dark Blues and the

:16:07. > :16:12.Light Blues. Simon, what did you make of the first 40 minutes? It is

:16:13. > :16:17.traditional, people running around. It is unusual, for me, that I agree

:16:18. > :16:23.with some of what Brian Moore has been saying. But there was a lack of

:16:24. > :16:27.clarity from the opposite sides when they had an opportunity to score.

:16:28. > :16:31.But Oxford looking the more dangerous.

:16:32. > :16:34.The last time there was a big occasion was the Rugby World Cup

:16:35. > :16:39.final, and people talk of New Zealand and how they play the game.

:16:40. > :16:43.But there is no team that kick the ball more than New Zealand. They

:16:44. > :16:47.kick for territory, putting pressure on the opposition. But we have

:16:48. > :16:54.barely seen a ball kicked in open play? We have. Everyone is coming

:16:55. > :16:57.out trying hard to make the impact. The half-time is about calm heads.

:16:58. > :17:03.There is positive play by Cambridge in the first quarter. But then

:17:04. > :17:07.Oxford coming back into it it is evenly balanced of. But hopefully

:17:08. > :17:11.clear thinking will help the Light Blues through.

:17:12. > :17:15.It could come from jam vim jam. An interesting 40 minutes for him.

:17:16. > :17:19.Starting with putting the Oxford captain out of the game with the

:17:20. > :17:27.first of his barn storming runs. Here we go. Crash. That was the end

:17:28. > :17:33.of Lamont's Varsity Match. It is difficult for him to play at

:17:34. > :17:38.the level he has, to step down to a very different type of game with not

:17:39. > :17:41.much leadership going on. For me, he has put good passes into play but

:17:42. > :17:45.some of the rest of the side have not been reading the play. I think

:17:46. > :17:51.that there is no substitute for the quality. He has it in abundance. If

:17:52. > :17:54.the game is tight, you would imagine that Jamie will make the difference

:17:55. > :17:58.in critical moments. What is your take on the way that

:17:59. > :18:03.Jamie Roberts, Damian, that he is sucking in two or three Oxford

:18:04. > :18:07.defenders when he gets the ball is this He is a huge physical threat it

:18:08. > :18:11.is no surprise that the Oxford players are swarming around him and

:18:12. > :18:15.he is creating space for the team-mates it is about ensuring that

:18:16. > :18:20.the ball is quality and quick coming back on the Cambridge side. Jamie

:18:21. > :18:26.does that week in, week out, he is doing it for Cambridge today.

:18:27. > :18:31.You mentioned the first half. The first 20 minutes it was all

:18:32. > :18:35.Cambridge. But the Oxford defence was resilient?

:18:36. > :18:40.One thing you know in a Varsity Match, the defence is good. It takes

:18:41. > :18:46.something special to unlock that defence. Oxford are confident with

:18:47. > :18:50.the way that they are playing. They are experienced, they are going to

:18:51. > :18:56.defend well. For me it is the question as to whether they can tush

:18:57. > :19:02.the pressure into points. And Cambridge camped on the Oxford

:19:03. > :19:08.line here. That was the Oxford left-winger to make that tackle that

:19:09. > :19:12.was key. There is a danger of overreemphasising this but this is a

:19:13. > :19:18.classic example of how much it means to the guys. They know this might be

:19:19. > :19:22.the biggest moment of their career? And result will live with them for

:19:23. > :19:27.the rest of their lives. We have all gone through it the it is pretty

:19:28. > :19:32.binary. The Oxford defence has been outstanding. Cambridge have put up a

:19:33. > :19:40.couple of try-saving tackles themselves. But it is finally

:19:41. > :19:47.poised. It will be interesting to hear what the coaches have to say.

:19:48. > :19:51.Nagle has made an impact. Hopefully they can get clarity and give Jamie

:19:52. > :19:56.Roberts and the back line the platform to launch off.

:19:57. > :20:00.The point that Brian made it is the nature of the game it tends to be

:20:01. > :20:04.momentum based. Once Oxford are in stride in the last 15 minutes of the

:20:05. > :20:09.first half. They came closer than anyone to scoring in the corner?

:20:10. > :20:13.They should have had a try, maybe two. The back three are showing

:20:14. > :20:19.danger in the way that they are moving around, moving the ball with

:20:20. > :20:23.multiple passing phases. I think in the Oxford changing room it will be

:20:24. > :20:26.first 20 minutes, they have the momentum, to keep doing it,

:20:27. > :20:31.Cambridge are tiring, they will crack. There are a couple of on the

:20:32. > :20:34.try line tackles that stopped the try being scored. But if they take

:20:35. > :20:40.that into the changing room with them it is a matter of time. The

:20:41. > :20:44.first 20 minutes are critical. If Oxford nail a score, there is no

:20:45. > :20:49.coming back. If they don't kick on, then I back Jamie Roberts to have

:20:50. > :20:53.increasing influence in the match. And the referee has influence. In

:20:54. > :20:58.the first three minutes, not a single stoppage. He is letting the

:20:59. > :21:03.game go. He is aware that they are university students, and everybody

:21:04. > :21:07.here, the schoolchildren want to see a game that is entertaining. So much

:21:08. > :21:13.is on the onus of the referee. There needs to be empathy for the

:21:14. > :21:20.occasion. The referee has that? He has done well. We don't want a

:21:21. > :21:26.stop-start scenario. Some of the World Cup games were horrendous. But

:21:27. > :21:29.the referee has had a good game. Hopefully that will continue for the

:21:30. > :21:35.second half. Is there a TMO? Yes, there is.

:21:36. > :21:38.Incredible. I agree, after the Rugby World Cup,

:21:39. > :21:42.the product is there. People want to see the ball in play, exciting

:21:43. > :21:47.rugby, that the referees are helping it happen. That has happened today.

:21:48. > :21:53.And I can tell you the last time there was a match at Twickenham, the

:21:54. > :21:58.Varsity Match, there was not a try in the first half but that was 14

:21:59. > :22:03.years ago. But it is great to have a real contest here at Twickenham this

:22:04. > :22:09.afternoon. We have two famous old Blues. But there is a very famous

:22:10. > :22:13.one on the touch line with Sara Orchard.

:22:14. > :22:19.In what is described as the plush seats, we have someone who has had a

:22:20. > :22:22.few Blues. Alastair, thank you very much for

:22:23. > :22:27.being here. A pleasant occasion! What a great

:22:28. > :22:33.occasion. The sing that will is playing out there. That is a charity

:22:34. > :22:38.single. That is for the Oxford and the Cambridge players, getting

:22:39. > :22:42.together. We are trying to revitalise the Varsity Match. They

:22:43. > :22:47.have set the sights. Alastair, you are objective at all

:22:48. > :22:52.times but for you, seeing Cambridge pulling out a performance here that

:22:53. > :22:57.we have not seen last year? We had an awful run at it. It has been a

:22:58. > :23:02.bad run for Cambridge, and at last they are going out there playing

:23:03. > :23:07.with spirit and skill it is still nip and tuck as to who is going to

:23:08. > :23:11.win the game. But it is a great advert for the match.

:23:12. > :23:16.And making the headlines in the build up, what have you made of

:23:17. > :23:19.Jamie Roberts's performance? I am waiting for the moment for him to

:23:20. > :23:24.blast his way through the Oxford defence. But it has been so good.

:23:25. > :23:29.I'm hoping from a Cambridge point of view we have the secret weapon up

:23:30. > :23:33.sleeves. But Jamie is playing well and there is industryic skill shown

:23:34. > :23:40.by all players. You are here for another capacity?

:23:41. > :23:46.Yes, for Leonard Trough Disability. They have a presence here. It is a

:23:47. > :23:56.great charity, a great match, I'm happy all-round.

:23:57. > :24:00.A stair has Ing been a integral part of the BBC rugby team and it is

:24:01. > :24:05.interesting seeing Jamie Roberts here as he is going to be a

:24:06. > :24:10.qualified doctor, he knows what this will hold for him.

:24:11. > :24:14.And going back to the women's match, I should say that there were nine

:24:15. > :24:18.vets and doctors in the Cambridge team. So they clearly know what

:24:19. > :24:23.direction that they are going in. Damian, we have you here as a former

:24:24. > :24:31.Blue but from the Players Union, a Damian, we have you here as a former

:24:32. > :24:34.key area you are focussing on, is what do the rugby players,

:24:35. > :24:39.professional rugby players do when they hang up their boots? You are

:24:40. > :24:44.starting a programme, you hope will make the lives a little easier when

:24:45. > :24:48.that day comes? We are run a personal development programme for

:24:49. > :24:52.the players. We started it 12 years ago. Now 80% of the players in the

:24:53. > :24:58.Premiership are involved in the programme it is not just about what

:24:59. > :25:03.you do when you finish rugby but creating a work/life balance. Having

:25:04. > :25:08.an interest away from the field. So to see Jamie out there, knowing the

:25:09. > :25:13.sacrifices he made as a professional player while studying for his

:25:14. > :25:19.medical exams it is a fantastic role model. Without sounding parentle,

:25:20. > :25:24.they do have time on their hands it is important to have the balance so

:25:25. > :25:30.that when they do finish, they can move into something that gives them

:25:31. > :25:35.confidence and they can continue with for their life.

:25:36. > :25:39.Ten years ago there was a feeling that many players were stairing into

:25:40. > :25:43.a void once the career ended? We are at the end of the first cycle of

:25:44. > :25:49.professionalism. It is great to hear this news. It is a massive challenge

:25:50. > :25:55.for the professional sportsmen and especially rugby players. We were

:25:56. > :25:59.lucky in the amateur days, we had other things going on outside of

:26:00. > :26:09.your lives other than rugby. That makes you a better person. A lot of

:26:10. > :26:14.the players here have lacked that so this initiative is very good.

:26:15. > :26:19.So, three a piece. So in terms of the first ten minutes of the second

:26:20. > :26:26.half, how key is the next score? Crucial.

:26:27. > :26:32.Don Stevens, has not lasted the two games he played in. He is central to

:26:33. > :26:37.Cambridge's success. So hopefully he will stay on the field and be

:26:38. > :26:47.lifting the trophy in 40 minutes' time.

:26:48. > :26:52.Are you confident, Simon? I am. Anyone who cannot play around him,

:26:53. > :26:57.play through him, Jamie Roberts. The first 20 minutes, as I said, that is

:26:58. > :27:05.critical. To get the score Cambridge has to play proper rugby to get back

:27:06. > :27:12.in it, that is probably beyond them. We were scouring the statistics for

:27:13. > :27:21.when there was a Varsity Match without a single try. What was the

:27:22. > :27:27.year of the snowy day? 1981, the centenary Varsity Match.

:27:28. > :27:33.When the whole pitch was corped in snow. What fantastic pictures. Now,

:27:34. > :27:39.Jamie Roberts is off the field. He will take no part in the sec half.

:27:40. > :27:44.So, does that mean that the Cambridge ace has gone from the

:27:45. > :27:51.pack? Let's go back to Brian Moore and Andrew Cotter.

:27:52. > :27:58.And as suggested, Jamie Roberts has been replaced by Mike Phillips. So,

:27:59. > :28:02.22, Mike Phillips. A 19-year-old medical student. He is on in place

:28:03. > :28:05.of Jamie Roberts. Obviously we will find out what has happened to Jamie

:28:06. > :28:11.Roberts but a big loss for Cambridge. Oxford coming back into

:28:12. > :28:16.things, look stronger towards the end of the first half. So it may be

:28:17. > :28:25.a long half for Cambridge. They will need Ian Nagle to keep a hold of the

:28:26. > :28:30.ball now. A good take by Matt Geiger. He has

:28:31. > :28:35.been impressive. So too David. There he is.

:28:36. > :28:44.Scampering and scuttling around. A good off load to Fergus Taylor. Good

:28:45. > :28:49.feet from Matt Janney. Oxford beginning where they left off

:28:50. > :28:54.in the first half. Hearing that Jamie Roberts is off

:28:55. > :28:59.with a dead leg it can be very debilitating.

:29:00. > :29:16.So, he is off. Cambridge have lost Jamie Roberts for the second half.

:29:17. > :29:21.Henry De Berker giving it on there. Oxford attacking again with fluency.

:29:22. > :29:28.A good pick-up by Cullen. Finding support from Stileman. He is a

:29:29. > :29:32.strong winger. Oxford once again bearing down on the Cambridge line.

:29:33. > :29:39.There the Cambridge players are breathing hard in defence.

:29:40. > :29:45.It is cries for the Dark Blues for Oxford coming from the Twickenham

:29:46. > :29:51.stands. There a little spill by Matt Janney.

:29:52. > :29:56.Cambridge will have the scrum. But if you are a Light Blues fan, these

:29:57. > :30:03.are ominous early science. Three or four top quality pieces of

:30:04. > :30:06.play from Oxford. A quick pick up. Then undone by taking the eyes off

:30:07. > :30:11.the ball. Looking at who is coming to hit him.

:30:12. > :30:15.I'm afraid that has been the story of much of the first half. You hope

:30:16. > :30:23.it would not be the same in the sec half.

:30:24. > :30:28.There he is. Jamie Roberts's right thigh is being

:30:29. > :30:32.iced. He will be furious. So much attention on him. As Brian was

:30:33. > :30:37.saying, feeling the pressure as there was attention. He will have

:30:38. > :30:39.wanted to do as much as he could to life the Cambridge side. Mike

:30:40. > :30:57.Phillips is on in his place. It certainly sounded like it,

:30:58. > :31:03.whatever the decision is from the touch judge, the throw will go to

:31:04. > :31:15.Oxford. Farmer doing well, picking up on that scrum, never easy. Oxford

:31:16. > :31:18.did have problems of the first half on line-outs, there was a discussion

:31:19. > :31:27.between Lewis Anderson, the prop, and the hooker, Richie Halpin.

:31:28. > :31:33.Shortened line-out, and Cambridge do so well again there. Maybe a hint of

:31:34. > :31:51.interference at the line-out but it is fine. And Don Stevens sends it

:31:52. > :31:58.long. Gives it back to Geiger. Geiger's kick pretty well directed.

:31:59. > :32:01.Creeping back into the camera child. To be fair, as a hooker when you are

:32:02. > :32:04.stored there, if there is that much movement in the line-out it is

:32:05. > :32:11.difficult to time things. Oh the complication often leads to failure.

:32:12. > :32:17.Straight up and down. Victor Matfield being the absolute prime

:32:18. > :32:20.example of this, simple up quick on the feet. Don't need to do that,

:32:21. > :32:24.don't need to have players walking around and confusing things will

:32:25. > :32:28.stop Cambridge line-out a bit better through their hooker, Max

:32:29. > :32:35.Montgomerie. Gillies just pokes it forward. Geiger again. Fix it down

:32:36. > :32:47.well, had the attentions of Andy Rees.

:32:48. > :32:58.Matt Janney, plays sevens rugby for Georgia. Here is Lewis Anderson.

:32:59. > :33:10.Remarkably playing in his sixth Varsity match. Anderson again.

:33:11. > :33:14.Little poke forward from Cullen full stops all a bit of space, hoping for

:33:15. > :33:23.Janney to run onto it, fined by the referee. -- that is fine, says the

:33:24. > :33:26.referee. Hughes, not a huge wing about the sceptre blew strong, and

:33:27. > :33:35.Janney almost threw on his own, to the edges of the 22 at Oxford.

:33:36. > :33:43.Laying a sort of this 22 again. Richie Halpin gives it onto Taylor.

:33:44. > :33:55.Wide it goes. Good continuity about the Oxford play now. Rolling on, Ian

:33:56. > :34:03.Williams. Strength again carry some forward. Stripped fine by James

:34:04. > :34:10.Kilroe. But no advantage, advantage to Oxford. Just a knock-on

:34:11. > :34:17.advantage, not a penalty. They will come back for the scrum advantage.

:34:18. > :34:22.Oxford will have the put-in. An important intervention there. Sold

:34:23. > :34:27.himself but made sure he got the player. You have already seen more

:34:28. > :34:31.variety in the way Oxford has approached this, in terms of short

:34:32. > :34:39.kicks, longer kicks, box kicks, drives around the corner and Taiwan.

:34:40. > :34:42.You have to say, for an intelligent bunch of blokes, a lot of the play

:34:43. > :34:49.in the first half was a bit dull actually. There is intelligent and

:34:50. > :35:00.there is rugby intelligence. Janney, another who has been very, very

:35:01. > :35:05.impressive. But what those two short chip kicks have done, have made sure

:35:06. > :35:09.that the Cambridge back three can't take set positions. The first of all

:35:10. > :35:12.they had to deal with was all moved through the hands, they could

:35:13. > :35:17.shadow, they could drift. Now they are being told forwards and

:35:18. > :35:19.backwards and sideways, that will create more space when players are

:35:20. > :35:24.played through the middle because they will not be able to take up

:35:25. > :35:30.standard positions. The changes came which have made, you saw Mike

:35:31. > :35:36.Phillips and George Williams on four Jamie Robertson. A big job for Ian

:35:37. > :35:39.Williams at tight head. If you can get the right hand side of the

:35:40. > :35:47.Oxford scrum of the bed, swing the Cambridge background away from their

:35:48. > :35:53.right-hand side -- the left-hand side, could be good advantage.

:35:54. > :35:56.Picked up and well goes Kilroe, finds Gillies, quick hands, so

:35:57. > :36:05.nearly slipped out by Clough as well. Still with Cambridge and

:36:06. > :36:17.Gillies. The dagger for what? Kicked away by Kilroe. Geiger now. George

:36:18. > :36:28.Williams. Doesn't find touch. Cullen is waiting.

:36:29. > :36:43.Oxford once more, bit of space for Fraser Heathcote. Quickly closed

:36:44. > :36:52.down. Cullen gives it deeper to Stileman. To the first-half

:36:53. > :36:59.replacement, Ed David. Still Oxford launching runners from all parts of

:37:00. > :37:08.the pitch. Trying to sneak his way through on his own. Picked up by the

:37:09. > :37:13.tight head, Ian Williams. Cambridge really are being stretched and

:37:14. > :37:14.tested here in defence. You can see in the hunched body is a hard

:37:15. > :37:33.breathing how difficult it is. They are off-loading very well.

:37:34. > :37:43.Still comes back for the Dark Blues. Here is Cullen. De Berker gives it

:37:44. > :37:56.onto Janney. He is the captain on the field now for Oxford.

:37:57. > :38:06.Fraser Heathcote almost threw the middle. Waiting for the moment to

:38:07. > :38:14.move it with a bit of wit. Janney is there, he has Geiger outside him, he

:38:15. > :38:23.hangs on, taken down by Daniel Dass. Cambridge competing well in the

:38:24. > :38:30.ground. Stevens. Andy Reid is with the chopped up into the air. Will

:38:31. > :38:35.Wilson again. Just a temporary stay for the Cambridge defence. Have to

:38:36. > :38:49.work hard again. Oxford come once again on a wave. Geiger scooped it

:38:50. > :38:52.up, gives it on the focus Taylor. -- gives it on to Fergus Taylor. This

:38:53. > :38:55.is then ten minutes of largely relentless work for Cambridge but it

:38:56. > :39:06.is a loss, find a way to will Briggs. Deep it goes, George

:39:07. > :39:10.Williams will stop it is a mistake. You heard the referee say kicked

:39:11. > :39:14.away, they had a little knock, advantage, they would have had the

:39:15. > :39:25.scrum but sent it out on the full. He said kicked away. He has changed

:39:26. > :39:28.his mind. Although Oxford haven't recorded any points, the thing they

:39:29. > :39:33.will be most pleased about is that in the first half all of the

:39:34. > :39:37.collisions they lost. Cambridge stopped them either on the gain line

:39:38. > :39:40.or the other side of the gain line. This half, they are getting over the

:39:41. > :39:47.gain line, and they are doing it regularly. If they can just find a

:39:48. > :39:50.little bit more poise, a little tighter running angle when the ball

:39:51. > :39:57.goes wide, then they will be in business, because the amount of

:39:58. > :40:07.tackling Cambridge of had to do must be taking its toll physically.

:40:08. > :40:13.Still three points apiece. It really has been all Oxford in the second

:40:14. > :40:40.half. Don Stevens there, South Africa

:40:41. > :40:43.number nine. Penalty coming. A huge fillip for Cambridge. Running in

:40:44. > :40:46.from all angles to offer their support and congratulations for

:40:47. > :40:52.stock Jamie Roberts cuts a rather sad figure on the bench. That was an

:40:53. > :41:02.important marker for the Cambridge eight, because they have been under

:41:03. > :41:10.pressure. So will ease with the clearing kick. If they can secure

:41:11. > :41:19.this from the line-out, they can take it and drive it, make another

:41:20. > :41:22.physical statement. In every aspect of play at the moment came which

:41:23. > :41:27.seem to be struggling, but in the scrum they are still struggling.

:41:28. > :41:30.What a turnaround that is from last year when they were rumbled off the

:41:31. > :41:37.pitch in that record victory for Oxford. Oxford going the six Arroyo,

:41:38. > :41:47.which would be a record for any side in this Varsity match. Now trying

:41:48. > :41:52.them all again, which -- trying the maul again, which they did have some

:41:53. > :41:55.success with. In the first half. Sam Farmer spent some time with

:41:56. > :42:04.Northampton, came through the academy. Look at the ground they are

:42:05. > :42:09.making here, Cambridge. Wired it goes from Gillies out to George

:42:10. > :42:17.Williams. He fine support from Rees. Into the Oxford 22. But now for the

:42:18. > :42:26.Light Blues. Stevens gives it to Ian Nagle. Another hard-bitten

:42:27. > :42:31.professional. Stevens burrowing his way on. Has that ball been stripped

:42:32. > :42:36.by the Dark Blues? It has. Taken well by Will Wilson, the openside

:42:37. > :42:45.flanker. Cullen under pressure, doesn't have much to play with. Not

:42:46. > :42:49.too far from the 22. I would imagine they would look to do the same sort

:42:50. > :42:52.of thing, but this time round, they need to know when to release the

:42:53. > :42:57.ball, when to go forward, as opposed to last time when they were stopped.

:42:58. > :43:03.That allows the opposition defence just to set itself for that

:43:04. > :43:16.important moment before it comes into play. The line-out is

:43:17. > :43:22.functioning better. Cherezov on the bench, we caught a glimpse, he has

:43:23. > :43:26.damaged a shoulder, managing to keep just about warm in his light blue

:43:27. > :43:33.blazer. Still they're rather untidily for Cambridge but that is

:43:34. > :43:42.the 22. Daniel Dass gives it onto Sam Farmer.

:43:43. > :43:52.Will Briggs. Nagle trying to clear out. Why did goes from Gillies.

:43:53. > :44:01.Finds its way to a full-back. Simon Davies, taken into touch by Todd

:44:02. > :44:13.Stileman. Left him too much to do. Too little room to work in.

:44:14. > :44:23.Trying to step his way around Stileman but the winger up to the

:44:24. > :44:27.challenge. So a bit of pressure on health in's throw for Oxford. 15

:44:28. > :44:37.minutes gone in the second half, still no scoring. Once again, that

:44:38. > :44:41.Oxford line-out does not work so came it with a real opportunity.

:44:42. > :44:48.Taken in by Sam Farmer. Quicker ball to play with for the Light Blues.

:44:49. > :44:52.Delays his pass, on the George Williams. Cleared by Stileman again,

:44:53. > :44:57.just hurried into touch for stock again, they will just the fringes of

:44:58. > :45:01.the 22 but what chances here for Cambridge. Ran the right line, kept

:45:02. > :45:10.everyone on the dead straight, couldn't use his hands.

:45:11. > :45:19.Just fell into very grateful dark blue hands. This fixture, which goes

:45:20. > :45:24.back to 1872, might have an 1872 scoreline, 3-3, at the end. That was

:45:25. > :45:28.the year of the first football international, 1872, year after

:45:29. > :45:34.first rugby international Twin Scotland and England. It has a long

:45:35. > :45:43.history, and here in 2015, three points apiece, 55 minutes gone. Dass

:45:44. > :45:52.being steadily disrobed. A penalty to Cambridge. The second half

:45:53. > :45:57.started... The penalty, Richie Halpin is being penalised, not Ian

:45:58. > :46:01.Williams but the hooker Richard Halton. The second half you thought

:46:02. > :46:04.Oxford look so dominant and it might just as appear away from Cambridge

:46:05. > :46:08.but they have worked their way back into it very well. You highlighted

:46:09. > :46:12.the point that that particular scrum was giving them a enormous

:46:13. > :46:18.advantage, giving them approximately ten minutes of play down in the

:46:19. > :46:23.Oxford half, putting pressure on them. He is coping well, scrambling

:46:24. > :46:30.well, but both teams have had problems recalling points when they

:46:31. > :46:36.have been on top. -- recording points.

:46:37. > :46:47.A chance to put Cambridge in front for the first time in this match.

:46:48. > :46:53.Damian Hopley was saying he was cursed in his last two matches, he

:46:54. > :46:56.lasted 30 minutes in 2013, dislocated shoulder, just over 40

:46:57. > :46:58.minutes last year, ruptured knee ligaments, but here leading his side

:46:59. > :47:20.forward. Perhaps into the lead. Sweetly struck by Don Stevens.

:47:21. > :47:26.Cambridge are in front. Trying to hold this run without a victory

:47:27. > :47:33.stretching back to 2010. Cambridge lead six minus three. He has a big

:47:34. > :47:47.part to play in managing the game well for Cambridge. It may well come

:47:48. > :47:58.down to one good piece of judgment. Sam Farmer, the number eight for

:47:59. > :48:09.Cambridge. Don Stevens summons his troops closer. Play answers the

:48:10. > :48:13.referee. That works well for Oxford. Will Thomas on the second row. The

:48:14. > :48:23.ball went loose, though. Coming back in the Cambridge side now. Gillies.

:48:24. > :48:28.You can hear the touch in-flight. Finds its way to Geiger. He gives it

:48:29. > :48:41.to Stileman. A powerful figure on the wing. He is a hefty fellow. And

:48:42. > :48:53.Fergus Taylor. A penalty now to Oxford, a chance to immediately hit

:48:54. > :48:56.back. Oliver Clough is penalised. Oxford when they are carrying the

:48:57. > :48:59.ball in the second half, they have changed their pattern in doing this

:49:00. > :49:04.because the first half it was a direct assault, with players trying

:49:05. > :49:08.to clear. What they are trained to do is take a man in, draw the tackle

:49:09. > :49:11.and get rid of the ball. Not necessarily an off-load going

:49:12. > :49:14.through but just slightly before sometimes, to try and make it a less

:49:15. > :49:22.one-on-one power battle which they lost in the first half. That kick

:49:23. > :49:30.was just beyond the range of George Cullen. A change for Cambridge, the

:49:31. > :49:34.man coming on, for Don Stevens, the captain, so 20 minutes to go, and a

:49:35. > :49:43.big change at number nine, or number 21 as it is now. Oxford's line-out

:49:44. > :49:47.works this time and in this position, held at the back for

:49:48. > :49:51.Fraser Heathcote. Number eight. This time Oxford make a bit of ground

:49:52. > :49:54.with this ball. De Berker wants it but the forwards want to hang on and

:49:55. > :49:59.why not, look where they are going now, up to within five metres of the

:50:00. > :50:08.line. Cambridge clapping back, Oxford have the advantage. A fuel in

:50:09. > :50:12.the crowd think that should be a yellow card to come back 20 minute

:50:13. > :50:21.ago -- a fuel in the crowd. Oxford looking for the first try in this

:50:22. > :50:30.fixture. De Berker. To the forwards again. They many pack of them edged

:50:31. > :50:36.their way closer. De Berker again. Moving his players around. This time

:50:37. > :50:44.the drive from Fergus Taylor. Not quite there. Wide it goes, Cullen

:50:45. > :50:51.gives it on and it is the window Stileman. Still short. -- the

:50:52. > :50:57.winger. Cambridge rally their defence. Still playing advantage.

:50:58. > :51:04.Still have that penalty to come. Still they attack. Fergus Taylor

:51:05. > :51:21.once more, wide it goes, and Cullen, and Janney, wide to Geiger! Can't

:51:22. > :51:24.quite get it, the spill from Geiger! He has injured himself in the

:51:25. > :51:28.process, it might just be a bit of cramp needing stretching off, it is,

:51:29. > :51:44.but clutching, grasping and nothing but air. A huge embarrassment. He

:51:45. > :51:49.seemed all right there, no. A penalty for lifting the legs in the

:51:50. > :51:54.maul, same as what happened there. The referee is talking to the

:51:55. > :52:00.Cambridge team about this. Is it back for a penalty? I don't know.

:52:01. > :52:05.Saying about a penalty for lifting legs in the maul. The TMO thinks it

:52:06. > :52:32.is a try, OK? So it is a penalty, everyone calm

:52:33. > :52:35.down, says Greg Garner. Sam Farmer making clear that he is the captain

:52:36. > :52:38.on the pitch because Don Stevens has gone off, so he is allowed to talk

:52:39. > :52:45.to the referee. What a passage of play. Geiger has been so good, so

:52:46. > :52:51.good in this game. He was counting his chickens, a Geiger counter! I

:52:52. > :52:57.knew that would come at some point. I tried to avoid it. It was such a

:52:58. > :53:04.good passage of play for Oxford, and eventually went wide. He may well

:53:05. > :53:07.get another chance, but still without a try in this match. A much

:53:08. > :53:11.better second half than the first, in terms of some of the skills we

:53:12. > :53:16.have seen on display, apart from that final one there. Part of that

:53:17. > :53:19.is because players are tired. They are not right on the metal, in terms

:53:20. > :53:25.of the line speed, in terms of the physical nature of the challenges in

:53:26. > :53:29.the first half, which were huge. Now they are having to dig deep and gaps

:53:30. > :53:34.will inevitably come, if one side or the other can put together a

:53:35. > :53:45.cohesive passage of play. Daniel Dass using the inhaler. Oxford are

:53:46. > :53:49.going to kick to the corner here. Around 25,000 expected in here and a

:53:50. > :53:57.bit of noise from the Oxford half of things. CHANTING

:53:58. > :54:01.WHISTLE So that was a welcome breather for

:54:02. > :54:08.some of the Cambridge players there. They haven't yet conceded a try.

:54:09. > :54:11.Oxford now with full wind in their sales. How can again with the

:54:12. > :54:17.discussion with Anderson ahead of the line-out. Ideally you would want

:54:18. > :54:24.the ball beyond the middle. Give you the options. They keep it short and

:54:25. > :54:28.save, it is the easier one to defend for Cambridge and they buy

:54:29. > :54:32.themselves a good few yards. Held at the back for Oxford. Fraser

:54:33. > :54:36.Heathcote is there, the number eight. Again, this little breakaway

:54:37. > :54:43.faction, goes to ground. Cambridge now have the scrum. They have all

:54:44. > :54:47.the applause again. They have had problems on the long throw. Number

:54:48. > :54:58.of overthrows, under throws, they went for the safety option as you

:54:59. > :55:02.rightly said. Much easier to defend. Big passage of play in the context

:55:03. > :55:09.of the match. Oxford still lead. The one thing Cambridge have had is a

:55:10. > :55:16.robust scrum. They have the ball now. You see the big slaps from Ian

:55:17. > :55:41.Nagle. He has made a big difference, as has Perlman.

:55:42. > :55:54.These are massive moments for these players. This is what they train

:55:55. > :56:22.for. This time gets his kick away. They

:56:23. > :56:28.have got out of trouble well, Cambridge. They owe a lot to Sam

:56:29. > :56:34.Farmer. It is twice he has done that now. Cleared ball that might not

:56:35. > :56:42.have been promising from the back of the scrum and made it much easier

:56:43. > :56:47.for them to exit V-22. So again Anderson and help them. What is the

:56:48. > :56:56.option here? Rich Halpin. Hope his exam went well this morning. Law and

:56:57. > :57:05.Finance. Space into which Oxford can run now. Janney gives it out to

:57:06. > :57:10.Hughes. Taken on by Ed David. Janney slips it back and Fergus Taylor, so

:57:11. > :57:23.much hard carrying the second row has done. Cullen lofted over the

:57:24. > :57:31.prop and gives it to Stileman. Cullen again, options appearing.

:57:32. > :57:43.Roberts-Huntley runs onto this. A little loop around by Cullen.

:57:44. > :57:53.Cambridge lead by that single penalty in the second half. Carried

:57:54. > :57:56.in by Will Wilson again. Nagle is doing his bit. Will Wilson

:57:57. > :58:03.eventually gets it the ground. Oxford have the penalty. This one is

:58:04. > :58:14.very kickable. It is Nagle who has been penalised. The referee Garner

:58:15. > :58:24.did shout. Not listened to. This is the time when you look for players

:58:25. > :58:28.to work extra hard. I don't and I could have said it any louder. You

:58:29. > :58:34.can't tell from that replay because you can't hear the audio, but when

:58:35. > :58:37.I'm talking about hardware, the forwards, hitting rucks and mauls,

:58:38. > :58:40.the backs after work very hard because on two occasions on the

:58:41. > :58:46.Cambridge right, there would have been a mismatch with on one occasion

:58:47. > :58:50.a prop and a second roller, on the other occasion two second rowers,

:58:51. > :58:58.whereby had the Oxford backs worked harder to get a mismatch for a

:58:59. > :59:02.winter or a centre to get back into position, then they would have made

:59:03. > :59:11.much of it. This is when the backs have to do their part as well.

:59:12. > :59:17.Long treatments for a few players out there. Lewis Anderson has been

:59:18. > :59:21.down for some time. Again, it might well just be a bit of stretching

:59:22. > :59:25.off, a bit of cramp. Players working very hard, the Oxford bench warms

:59:26. > :59:46.up. It will be a pop at goal for George

:59:47. > :59:52.Cullen. They know if they hold it to 6-6, no extra time, besides holding

:59:53. > :59:58.the trophy keeps it, -- the side holding the trophy keeps it, so that

:59:59. > :00:03.is effectively enough for them. There have been 14-14 draws in the

:00:04. > :00:14.history of the fixture. This four Cullen to draw level. CHEERING

:00:15. > :00:19.Six points apiece. 14 minutes to go here at Twickenham.

:00:20. > :00:29.There is one of the former Cambridge men watching in the crowds.

:00:30. > :00:40.The side he played in, Mark Bailey, Hugh Davis, people like that... And

:00:41. > :00:49.that's Lewis Anderson going off. So a change for Oxford as the game

:00:50. > :00:55.re-starts. It has taken its toll on both sides,

:00:56. > :00:59.this game. From the very start when Oxford lost their captain, Henry

:01:00. > :01:02.Lamont. There is the replacement scrum-half

:01:03. > :01:18.for Cambridge. Tullie getting his line again.

:01:19. > :01:26.There is Ian Nagle. Penalised a short while ago.

:01:27. > :01:32.13 minutes to go. It is anybody's game. What a contrast to last year

:01:33. > :01:44.and that record win for Oxford, 43-6.

:01:45. > :01:54.Tullie just delayed for a moment before feeding it on to Sam Farmer.

:01:55. > :02:04.Tullie to Gillies and out to gorge Williams.m Williams standing strong

:02:05. > :02:11.to give it to Simon Davis. There is Sam Farmer again, very

:02:12. > :02:18.impressive, number eight. Gillies and good work there by

:02:19. > :02:26.Oliver Clough. Gillies again. He pops it back to max Montgomery, the

:02:27. > :02:28.hooker. The ball seemed to spill out forwards. Oxford have turned it

:02:29. > :02:33.over. Cambridge, when they have had the

:02:34. > :02:43.ball, they have not attacked with the sharpness of Oxford.

:02:44. > :03:00.Justen under 12 minutes to go. -- Just under 12 minutes to go.

:03:01. > :03:07.A nervous hush around at the moment. A good take.

:03:08. > :03:14.They tried to get itway, Oxford but it did not quite work out.

:03:15. > :03:18.You were talking about the fact that Cambridge don't seem to have quite

:03:19. > :03:28.the cutting-edge that Oxford have had. That's because they have been

:03:29. > :03:31.narrow. I don't know if it is without Roberts they feel that they

:03:32. > :03:35.can't move the ball. But this half he have been narrow in terms of

:03:36. > :03:39.where to bring the ball and take it over the game line it makes defence

:03:40. > :03:46.easier, provided you make the first of tackles.

:03:47. > :03:50.There is Erogbogbo coming on for Hall.

:03:51. > :04:03.He is a twin, Erogbogbo. His brother plays as well.

:04:04. > :04:23.So once more to the Oxford line-out. To Halpin. Once more it goes the way

:04:24. > :04:30.of Cambridge. A good steal. Carried in by Max Montgomery.

:04:31. > :04:33.Ed David give it is in to Geiger. And Stileman. He is through on his

:04:34. > :04:39.own. He looks to the side. He has support

:04:40. > :04:43.from Cullen. He finds support from Hughes. Hughes goes to ground. 50m

:04:44. > :04:53.up the field. They need to go right.

:04:54. > :04:59.Just slows down. Have we got a penalty. Ian Williams,

:05:00. > :05:04.looking for, oh, wonderful hands, then Spelman back for the penalty.

:05:05. > :05:09.Again, just a sign that Oxford, when they get it going they can be pretty

:05:10. > :05:14.devastating in attack. It does not end in a try this time but surely a

:05:15. > :05:22.penalty and another three points as we enter the final ten minutes. So

:05:23. > :05:29.many players in the Oxford back line have been very impressive. Stileman

:05:30. > :05:34.here with the initial break. No chasing game to speak of. No

:05:35. > :05:39.pressure on the ball. This is what I am talking about,

:05:40. > :05:44.mismatches. He spots one there, knows he has the

:05:45. > :05:56.pace to do that. Although it is not going to result in a try, this is

:05:57. > :06:00.eminently kickable. Well, Tom styleman, a 19-year-old,

:06:01. > :06:06.making his debut today in the Varsity Match.

:06:07. > :06:11.His father with split loyalties. I'm sure an Oxford fan today but he has

:06:12. > :06:21.played for both Oxford and Cambridge. Styleman Senior and now

:06:22. > :06:29.George Cullen, to give the Dark Blues the lead.

:06:30. > :06:34.He has it. And Oxford have the three-point

:06:35. > :06:39.advantage. And a big final eight minutes of the

:06:40. > :06:45.game coming up. Watches are being checked. Cambridge have to respond.

:06:46. > :06:57.Geiger was the stand-out back in the first half. But Stileman was not far

:06:58. > :07:02.behind him. The attack was the second of the

:07:03. > :07:08.re-start. It put Cambridge on the front foot.

:07:09. > :07:18.Tullie to give it to Clough. He uses his power. An interfering line there

:07:19. > :07:29.with but Sam Farmer carries had forward. Andy Rees on the left wing.

:07:30. > :07:34.Once again it is Farmer. He has done so much work. Tullie

:07:35. > :07:43.complain, the replacement scrum-half. There is Dass.

:07:44. > :07:51.They would gratefully receive the penalty. But they need more than a

:07:52. > :07:59.draw to get the trophy. Simon Davis. He cuts in field. Hitting three blue

:08:00. > :08:03.shirts. So, Cambridge, still without a try

:08:04. > :08:05.in this match, either side. Cambridge threatening the line

:08:06. > :08:10.again. Here they come through Tullie. Wide

:08:11. > :08:17.it goes. Lining up Jude it is rather crowded and down they go. Taken in

:08:18. > :08:27.by Mike Phillips. Erogbogbo again.

:08:28. > :08:31.Tullie to Max Montgomery. Going through the phases. They need the

:08:32. > :08:36.final move. Down goes Kilroe. Oxford have it.

:08:37. > :08:43.And they come away now. There might be a space and a chance. Charging,

:08:44. > :08:48.rampaging clear is Will Tomas. Henry Hughes has it. Out it goes to David.

:08:49. > :08:54.Oxford racing through it is David, what pace he has! Down goes Dass. He

:08:55. > :08:58.can't quite get it. Cambridge all the way back now. Inside their own

:08:59. > :09:04.22. And Clough, Clough is out. The ball

:09:05. > :09:07.is still in play. Stlichlt Spelman keep it is arrive

:09:08. > :09:13.for Cambridge. Six minutes to go.

:09:14. > :09:18.Three points in it. But Cambridge from threatening a try

:09:19. > :09:29.are now deep inside their own territory again.

:09:30. > :09:39.Tullie as far as Ed David. And Geiger, oh, a misguided kick. Simon

:09:40. > :09:44.Davis, the full-back. Beyond Geiger. His opposite number takes it well.

:09:45. > :09:50.How close he was to a try earlier in the second half. The full-back is

:09:51. > :09:55.playing tennis at the moment. Savis again.

:09:56. > :10:00.Oh, it might be real trouble now for Davis. It will certainly be a

:10:01. > :10:08.yellow. Even be more. He knows what he has done. He knows, he knows it.

:10:09. > :10:13.Straight off he goes. It was Henry deburqa going up. And

:10:14. > :10:19.Simon Davies, the excitement and the enthusiasm. Deburqa is fine.

:10:20. > :10:25.It may well put paid to Cambridge's chances. A man down. Oxford need now

:10:26. > :10:37.only to play safe and keep the ball tight.

:10:38. > :10:42.Well, what else can you say that utterly stupid. Stupid.

:10:43. > :10:48.He was watching the ball and then he decided to have a look at the

:10:49. > :10:55.player. He knew as he was doing it. He sees himself on the big screen

:10:56. > :11:01.which doesn't help his humour. But his side are really up against it

:11:02. > :11:06.now. Still three points but to retain the trophy as Oxford, they

:11:07. > :11:12.would need a draw. But they want more than that. It will be six wins

:11:13. > :11:20.in a row. They are firmly in the driving seat.

:11:21. > :11:26.From their point of view, a nice, solid throw. An easy throw. Make it

:11:27. > :11:30.simple. Take the ball in, drive it, go around the corner and wind the

:11:31. > :11:35.clock down. Oxford's line-out, which has not

:11:36. > :11:44.gone well in the match. This time it is absolutely fine. Taken down by

:11:45. > :11:55.Mick Roberts. The clock is Oxford's friend.

:11:56. > :12:01.So, Cambridge, a man down. Three points down. 3. 5 minutes to go.

:12:02. > :12:10.Oxford are in a comfortable position now.

:12:11. > :12:18.Oxford would love to seal Vic interest I with a try. Cullen tries

:12:19. > :12:20.to give it. And Oxford have the penalty and a chance to hammer a

:12:21. > :12:45.nail into the Cambridge coffin. So, will it be a proper goal for

:12:46. > :12:50.Oxford? They will need a try. Bearing in mind they haven't

:12:51. > :12:52.seriously threatened to get one. You would say if this goes over, that

:12:53. > :13:07.should be the end of the game. It's been a match of penalties. Two

:13:08. > :13:13.for Cambridge from Don Stevens, no longer on the field. Three so far

:13:14. > :13:19.from this man, gorge Cullen for Oxford.

:13:20. > :13:25.And this to just about seal things for Oxford. Still a little bit of

:13:26. > :13:35.time for Cambridge but Cullen is about to take his allotted time.

:13:36. > :13:44.It's coming round, coming round well for Oxford and Cullen gives ox for a

:13:45. > :13:49.12-6 lead. Under two minutes remaining for

:13:50. > :13:56.Cambridge. Cullen, the Man of the Match? That's

:13:57. > :14:07.Tom Stileman, the wing for Oxford today.

:14:08. > :14:19.A debutante as well. A remarkable debute. Man of the Match, thoroughly

:14:20. > :14:23.deserved by Stileman today. You can see the clock ticking away. Hope

:14:24. > :14:30.slipping away. A converted try will do it. It has been close. They will

:14:31. > :14:34.have to do it now with 14 men. They still have full compliment in

:14:35. > :14:37.the scrum, where they have had the upper hand.

:14:38. > :14:41.For me, a kick will not be enough. They will have to put it into the

:14:42. > :14:45.corner. Will they have time? Maybe, maybe not.

:14:46. > :14:50.It is probably their only option to. Force a penalty. Get it into the

:14:51. > :14:55.corner, if they can get there quick enough. To then catch and drive it

:14:56. > :15:03.over the line. But they have to get on with it.

:15:04. > :15:11.The last chance. Tullie to feed. That is blatant... Oliver Clough has

:15:12. > :15:17.it. Slapping acouple of men aside. Good work in the centre. Oliver

:15:18. > :15:24.Clough coming forward. Cambridge, do they still have a chance? Kilroe, up

:15:25. > :15:30.into the 22, a converted try to win this game over Oxford. And Oxford

:15:31. > :15:36.have that ball now. Janney gets his hand on it. The clock ticks towards

:15:37. > :15:38.80 minutes. Out it goes, they cheer and celebrate. The referee says...

:15:39. > :15:51.Wait a minute! WHISTLE

:15:52. > :15:57.The time is ticking over but it is Oxford who win. They win for a sixth

:15:58. > :16:01.time. Half a dozen victories, the first time it has been done by

:16:02. > :16:06.either side in the long, long history of the match. Oxford are the

:16:07. > :16:11.Dark Blues, they are champions again at Twickenham.

:16:12. > :16:16.Critic could not make the most of the first 25 minutes. They were

:16:17. > :16:21.dominant. They made a lot of line breaks. A lot of ground but they

:16:22. > :16:25.could not find the fluency. Oxford stayed in the game. As the game

:16:26. > :16:30.progressed, they looked more create I have. More likely to score a try.

:16:31. > :16:36.They should have scored one. Brought one over the line. But at the end of

:16:37. > :16:39.the day they had a bit more news now.

:16:40. > :16:44.Well, there were tries. Both sides came close. It was a match of no

:16:45. > :16:50.little thrill. Very good rugby played in the second half. But just

:16:51. > :16:55.the penalty. 3-3 at half-time from Cullen and Don Stevens. Those two

:16:56. > :17:05.were the point scorers in the second half. Four penalties, Oxford with

:17:06. > :17:10.winners of the Varsity Match again, 12-6.

:17:11. > :17:15.So a record-breaking day for the Dark Blues. Six victories in

:17:16. > :17:20.succession. Over 14 years, there has not been a single try in the match.

:17:21. > :17:24.It was not to be from the Cambridge perspective. You can see what it

:17:25. > :17:27.means to both sets of players and I think we can hear from the Man of

:17:28. > :17:32.the Match. I am here with Tom Stileman. Massive

:17:33. > :17:38.congratulations to you. It is not often as a winger you get Man of the

:17:39. > :17:42.Match when no tries are scored but do tell me, what was it like out

:17:43. > :17:46.there? Incredible. Incredible. The guys have put so much into this over

:17:47. > :17:52.the last three months. It was tough. Full credit to Cambridge as well.

:17:53. > :17:57.They made it really, really hard! But... It's just, yes, an

:17:58. > :18:01.unbelievable result. Lots of hard work gone into it. Very, very

:18:02. > :18:07.pleased. Six out of six, now, what will the

:18:08. > :18:12.celebrations be like this evening? Yes, they will be pretty emphatic.

:18:13. > :18:16.The guys have deserved it, massively. Thanks to everyone who

:18:17. > :18:20.has come down who, has put the work in for us to get here and play. To

:18:21. > :18:28.everyone who has come down to support. It means masses.

:18:29. > :18:34.I am now going to hand over to Alastair Hignall. He is giving you

:18:35. > :18:38.the Man of the Match award. His very own medal. Congratulations,

:18:39. > :18:46.Alastair, here is the Man of the Match. Oxford deserved it, if you

:18:47. > :18:50.were watching. They showed more enterprise with the scrum and more

:18:51. > :18:59.try-scoring opportunities. I'm sure at least two of the three people

:19:00. > :19:03.with me will agree. We have Damian Hopley and Simon Halliday.

:19:04. > :19:13.Were you impartial today because of the role here or were you able to

:19:14. > :19:18.get off the fence? I am delighted. It was a competitive and a close

:19:19. > :19:21.game. Good for the Varsity Match. But I'm delighted Oxford won and

:19:22. > :19:26.very chuffed. The right result? I think Oxford

:19:27. > :19:30.came on well. They had chances with tries. I think that the right team

:19:31. > :19:35.one. But it whats close, competitive and a good game.

:19:36. > :19:41.Simon, you must have enjoyed the back play from the Oxford side. A

:19:42. > :19:46.golden opportunity spurned? Yes, white line fever. So much good

:19:47. > :19:49.approach play from the Oxford team. It seemed more difficult not to

:19:50. > :19:54.score. You could have argued for the centre to have kept the ball. He was

:19:55. > :19:58.almost over the line. That was disappointing, I think that the game

:19:59. > :20:06.wanted and needed a try. Here we can see it now. Well, I'm sure that the

:20:07. > :20:11.lads, give than Oxford won, will give them good-natured ribbing. But

:20:12. > :20:17.credit to Cambridge. You go back to last year but there you are,

:20:18. > :20:24.again... David snow Well it allowed Andrew Cotter to have his Geiger

:20:25. > :20:30.counter moment. This was the match-winning moment, Stileman made

:20:31. > :20:36.the break. This led to the penalty? Stileman looked dangerous with the

:20:37. > :20:39.ball in hand. Oxford were clinical. Cambridge probably kicked the

:20:40. > :20:42.possession away. When getting near they could not fulfil what the

:20:43. > :20:48.potential that I thought that they had. Unfortunately, Oxford were the

:20:49. > :20:54.strong side and deserved to win. Jamie Roberts going off at half-time

:20:55. > :20:58.cannot have helped? So much was billed around a player. To lose him

:20:59. > :21:03.at half-time was a blow. But even then, I thought that Cambridge

:21:04. > :21:07.rallied well around it. But a blow to them in terms of the on field

:21:08. > :21:11.presence that Jamie Roberts brings. There is Jamie Roberts. We are

:21:12. > :21:16.waiting for the presentation of the trophy. While we wait. Ian it is

:21:17. > :21:22.good to have you here. There is lots to talk about from an English rugby

:21:23. > :21:27.spiff. Let me ask you one that is retrospective. On a day like today,

:21:28. > :21:31.the last time we were here it was the World Cup final. When you come

:21:32. > :21:37.back today is there a part of you that niggles to say that was a boat

:21:38. > :21:43.that England well and troubly missed? Of course. The Rugby World

:21:44. > :21:47.Cup as an event, as a festival of rugby, everyone was behind it, the

:21:48. > :21:50.support was amazing. Yes, we all feel there is regret and

:21:51. > :21:54.disappointment. There was a situation that we lost. We should

:21:55. > :22:00.have dealt with it. But we didn't. That is what sport is all about. We

:22:01. > :22:05.have to look forward now. But I look back at the event on the whole and

:22:06. > :22:08.for rugby it was an amazing World Cup in every way, the support,

:22:09. > :22:14.feeling, the atmosphere, the rugby itself. It was a huge plus. And yes,

:22:15. > :22:18.disappointed, obviously that we did not take advantage of that.

:22:19. > :22:24.Disappointment for the Cambridge players but obviously a day to live

:22:25. > :22:31.long in their memories as they get the loser's trophies.

:22:32. > :22:40.Any debate about who was to be the next man at the helm. You have been

:22:41. > :22:45.much quoted to say that he is the man to take the RFU forward.

:22:46. > :22:50.Well, you appoint a coach, then you support him. Of course, he and I

:22:51. > :22:56.have had conversations about how he saw things, could we work together,

:22:57. > :23:01.were there principles and policies to engage on. Yes, he will have the

:23:02. > :23:05.support but again, you appoint a head coach of his calibre and

:23:06. > :23:10.experience, then you want him to get on and do it.

:23:11. > :23:17.Well, we have seen that half a dozen of the Oxford players have received

:23:18. > :23:22.the medals. The trophy presentation is a few moments away if you

:23:23. > :23:27.switched on just now, this has been a compelling contest. Some feared it

:23:28. > :23:32.could be a repetition of last year. But as the Oxford players wait with

:23:33. > :23:37.their tank arred to receive the trophy. And it was great to have a

:23:38. > :23:42.game that until the last me ten minutes could have gone either way.

:23:43. > :23:49.Good kicking from both sides kept the game tight. But in terms of

:23:50. > :23:54.territory, possession and try-scoring opportunities it was the

:23:55. > :23:57.right result that Oxford were the winners for the sixth consecutive

:23:58. > :24:00.year. We are now waiting for the trophy to take place.

:24:01. > :24:10.There is a slight hiatus for the moment. Obviously for a lot of the

:24:11. > :24:15.guys this is the end of the rugby at Oxford. They will go back and get on

:24:16. > :24:25.with studying after this. But here we go. The moment of truth for the

:24:26. > :24:32.men in dark blue. Six times in a row. In a history that has gone back

:24:33. > :24:36.to 1872. While the Dark Blues celebrate, the Light Blues

:24:37. > :24:41.commiserate and one in particular. I wonder what the most famous player

:24:42. > :24:54.on the field will take from this afternoon.

:24:55. > :25:02.Thank you, and now to Jamie Roberts. How are you feeling? Well it is one

:25:03. > :25:07.of those. I could not run at half-time. I had to come off. But

:25:08. > :25:13.congratulations to Oxford. It is a difficult day for us. The guys, we

:25:14. > :25:20.could not have asked more from the guys. That is rugby.

:25:21. > :25:25.Commiserations, what was your lasting experience? Amazing. An

:25:26. > :25:32.amazing day. The pinnacle of super sports. These boys have done well.

:25:33. > :25:37.Just really, really gutted I could not play the second half. I can see

:25:38. > :25:43.in the guys' eyes, there are tears and stuff it is difficult. We can

:25:44. > :25:47.play a whole season for this match, unfortunately, we have come under

:25:48. > :25:51.the wrong end of the score. Oxford are the winners.

:25:52. > :26:00.Do you think you can turn out a few more times for Cambridge at some

:26:01. > :26:07.point? I am doing a two year part-time course, so I doubt it. It

:26:08. > :26:17.is probably just the one-off for me. It is disappointing to lose it. But

:26:18. > :26:23.there we are. That is rugby. Now you have said that it just a

:26:24. > :26:25.dead leg. You have signed a professional contract with

:26:26. > :26:29.harlequins, how long before you get back to them? I will get back to

:26:30. > :26:33.them after the weekend. Treat myself. Starting back on Monday

:26:34. > :26:40.morning for training. Looking forward to that. A few months up in

:26:41. > :26:43.Cambridge, and that has been a wonderful experience, a fantastic

:26:44. > :26:51.place. It has been a great journey. Thank you for your time.

:26:52. > :27:03.Seem Oxford players, and on the coach to take us forward? Ed has

:27:04. > :27:06.great motivation as you can tell and real dynamism as he was saying. You

:27:07. > :27:10.can feel it and hear it in the way that the players have responded. The

:27:11. > :27:13.players splayed out of their skins at European weekend. There are

:27:14. > :27:18.fantastic players in this country. We are optimistic.

:27:19. > :27:22.I think that Eddie brings fantastic work with him. That everyone talks

:27:23. > :27:30.about. Even to see the impact he has made in a short space of time,

:27:31. > :27:35.personon ale, I believe we have quality talent. Looking forward to

:27:36. > :27:38.the Six Nations. And looking forward, one

:27:39. > :27:43.announcement made, there are some people thinking why do you need to

:27:44. > :27:47.do that, this is a magnificent stadium but you are spending ?55

:27:48. > :27:52.million on that stand over there. What is wrong with it? It is about

:27:53. > :27:56.adding the facilities around the back. Like any stadium and sporting

:27:57. > :28:01.event you have to invest. We are looking at something that will

:28:02. > :28:05.finish by 2018, improving the facilities. You have to make it a

:28:06. > :28:10.great day out. We recognised that in the World Cup. It is a matter of

:28:11. > :28:14.investment. We balance it by the investment in the community and

:28:15. > :28:22.artificial pitches around the country. Which is also great. So

:28:23. > :28:29.Judishes investment is the vehicle, one that we try to use at the RFU.

:28:30. > :28:38.That is what we are doing going forward.

:28:39. > :28:42.Well, he finished on the losing side. He was on the winning side

:28:43. > :28:52.against England a few weeks before that. It was All Black here six

:28:53. > :29:02.weeks ago, today it was all blue but mainly, the Dark Blues. Goodbye.