Oxford University upset the formbook to win the 129th Varsity Match. Here is the numbers' game. See Friday’s paper for full report.
Competition: Nomura Varsity Match
Score: Oxford University 21, Cambridge University 10
Oxford player ratings:
15. James Crozier 7 (enjoyed his try)
14. Luke Fenwick 6 (didn’t see much of the ball)
13. Sean Morris 8 (impressive display)
12. Alex Cheesman 9 (a real force)
11. Luke Jones 6 (one nice break)
10. Charlie Marr 6 (some good, some bad)
9. Nick Haydon 8 (drove his team on)
1. Hamish Macdonald 6 (did his job)
2. Gov Oliver 6 (replaced at half-time)
3. Will Kane 6 (kept battling)
4. Tom Evans 7 (quietly effective)
5. Karl Outen 7 (some good carries)
6. Dan Guinness 8 (powerful game)
7. Louis Mather 8 (covered the ground well)
8. Stan McKeen 9 (STAR MAN, superbly combative)
Replacements used:
16. AJ Connor 7 (added energy)
17. Lewis Anderson 6 (solid enough)
19. Alex Rowe 7 (filled in well)
18. Ian Swan 7 (very determined)
20. Jez Mather 6 (played his part)
21. Harry Guinness 6 (brief cameo)
22. Tom Yusef 6 (last-minute appearance)
Cambridge player ratings:
15. Jimmy Richards 7 (some good moments)
14. Ilia Cherezov 6 (little chance to shine)
13. Fred Burdon 6 (selfish at times)
12. Paul Loudon 6 (didn’t stand out)
11. Robert Stevens 6 (quiet game)
10. Greg Cushing 6 (solid enough)
9. Sam Hunt 5 (poor distribution)
1. Niall Conlon 7 (strong scrummaging)
2. Jamie Gilbert 7 (nasty late injury)
3. Stuart Brown 7 (improved as game went on)
4. Tom Harrington 6 (did his job)
5. Charles Baird 6 (no major errors)
6. Jason Kururangi 5 (too many fumbles)
7. Tom Stanton 6 (outgunned)
8. Ben Maidment 6 (never got going)
Replacements used:
16. Christopher Hall 6 (late introduction)
17. Tom Harris 6 (little time to impress)
18. Andy Daniel 7 (made big impact)
19. Scott Annett 6 (played his part)
20. Ben Martin 6 (late inclusion)
21. Miles Daly 6 (did ok)
22. Matthew Guinness-King 6 (filled in fine)
Referee: Andrew Small (New Zealand) – 7 (controlled game well)
Entertainment rating: 8.
Highlight: The move for James Crozier’s try.
Lowlight: Jamie Gilbert’s injury.
Form guide: Form really goes out the window in Varsity Matches.
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