Rugby League Varsity Match
Encyclopedia
The Rugby League Varsity Match is an annual rugby league
match between Cambridge University and Oxford University. It is played at Twickenham Stoop in London
, England
, usually in the first week of March. The 2010 match took place on Thursday 4 March. Oxford, the winners of the match, received the KJ Lee Trophy which was donated by the father of a former Oxford player. The 2011 Match took place on Thursday 3rd March, 2011 at 7:30pm, and was won 60-16 by Oxford.
The Varsity Match is one of only three varsity events to be televised and is shown live on Sky Sports
. The Varsity Match is currently played at the Twickenham Stoop in front of about a thousand travelling supporters and a television audience of around 85,000.
Dan Garbutt is the Oxford head coach and Brasenose College's Ben Calverley the Oxford captain.
The first Oxford versus Cambridge University match took place in 1981. The varsity match has 'discretionary full blue
' status.
and Liverpool
in 1968. A year later the Universities and Colleges Rugby League was formed after student pioneers fought hard to get the sport recognised in higher education.
A chance conversation between three Oxford students on a train to Wales
to see the touring Australia
ns defeat Wales sowed the seed of rugby league at Oxford, less than two years' later the first-ever Oxford club side, an even mix of students and locals, took to a rented council pitch to play Peckham
.
By the end of the 1976 season, they had won university recognition and were able to rename themselves Oxford University Rugby League Club, only the second-ever student team in the south of England.
Cambridge University Amateur Rugby League Football Club was formed in November 1980 by Dick McConnel, a former New Zealand
Student International. Their first game took place on 2 December 1980 against Reading University which they lost 40–2.
The first Varsity match took place on Sunday 26 April 1981 at Craven Cottage
, Oxford winning 16–9 in front of a crowd of over 800.
The first full rugby union
Blue to play in the fixture was Cambridge scrum half Simon Roberts, who played under the name "Robert Simons" in the 1983 fixture at Maidstone. The first open double Blue was Oxford's John Risman
, son of Bev Risman
.
The only draw so far was in 1994 when Cambridge came back with two late tries to level in the last minute.
The mud-ruined 1995 'Farsity' Match ended with a 16-8 Cambridge victory after 60 minutes play — and was rewarded with a front-page photograph in The Times
. It is the only draw so far.
In 1998 Pcubed became the title sponsor of the "Pcubed Varsity Match" and have been the title sponsor ever since – possibly the longest running commercial title sponsorship in Rugby League.
The first-ever Old Boys Varsity was held before the 2002 game at Richmond, which Cambridge narrowly won.
The match has been screened live on Sky Sports
since 2004.
The 17–16 winning margin for Cambridge in the 2005 Varsity Match was the closest in the events history, Cambridge coming back from 16–0 with 25 minutes left.
On the 28th February 2006, Cambridge University won 44–0. This was the first ever nilling in the history of the match, and it was until 2011 the biggest margin of victory as well. The match was played at the Twickenham Stoop for the first time.
Oxford won the 2007 match by six points.
In 2008, Oxford won the match by 28 points, at that time the biggest winning margin by Oxford in the history of the fixture. This record was eclipsed by a further 16 points in 2011.
2009 represented the first year a reserve-grade Varsity match was played at St Mary's, Twickenham; this was won by Oxford's 2nd XIII (the 'Maroons'). In the Varsity match itself, however, Cambridge extended their overall lead in the series with a 20–4 victory.
2010 was the 30 year anniversary of the fixture and was marked with a pulsating clash in which Cambridge led 16–0 before Oxford scored 26 unanswered points and ultimately led 26–22 going into the last five minutes of the game. A try with the last play ensured a 32–22 victory.
2011 saw the 31st Varsity Match. Oxford were 18-0 ahead after 15 minutes and 36-0 ahead at half-time. The final scoreline was 60-16 to Oxford, equalling the largest ever winning margin and increasing by ten points the record for the most points scored by a single team, a record that had stood for 18 years.
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{| border="1" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2" style="border: 1px #aaa solid; border-collapse: collapse;"
|- style="background:#efefef;"
! Total matches !! Cambridge victories !! Oxford victories !! Draws
|-
| style="text-align:center; color:#000;"| 31
| style="text-align:center; background:#B7E1E4; color:#000;"| 16
| style="text-align:center; background:#004685; color:#FFFFFF"| 14
| style="text-align:center; color:#000;"| 1
|}
Oxford: 60 (2011),
Cambridge: 50 (1993)
Fewest points conceded in a Varsity Match:
Oxford: 4 (1991),
Cambridge: 0 (2006)
Biggest winning margin in a Varsity Match:
Oxford: 44 (2011),
Cambridge: 44 (2006)
Rugby league
Rugby league football, usually called rugby league, is a full contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular grass field. One of the two codes of rugby football, it originated in England in 1895 by a split from Rugby Football Union over paying players...
match between Cambridge University and Oxford University. It is played at Twickenham Stoop in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, usually in the first week of March. The 2010 match took place on Thursday 4 March. Oxford, the winners of the match, received the KJ Lee Trophy which was donated by the father of a former Oxford player. The 2011 Match took place on Thursday 3rd March, 2011 at 7:30pm, and was won 60-16 by Oxford.
The Varsity Match is one of only three varsity events to be televised and is shown live on Sky Sports
Sky Sports
Sky Sports is the brand name for a group of sports-oriented television channels operated by the UK and Ireland's main satellite pay-TV company, British Sky Broadcasting. Sky Sports is the dominant subscription television sports brand in the United Kingdom and Ireland...
. The Varsity Match is currently played at the Twickenham Stoop in front of about a thousand travelling supporters and a television audience of around 85,000.
Dan Garbutt is the Oxford head coach and Brasenose College's Ben Calverley the Oxford captain.
The first Oxford versus Cambridge University match took place in 1981. The varsity match has 'discretionary full blue
University Sporting Blue
A Blue is an award earned by sportsmen and women at a university and some schools for competition at the highest level. The awarding of Blues began at Oxford and Cambridge Universities...
' status.
History
The first university rugby league game was between LeedsUniversity of Leeds
The University of Leeds is a British Redbrick university located in the city of Leeds, West Yorkshire, England...
and Liverpool
University of Liverpool
The University of Liverpool is a teaching and research university in the city of Liverpool, England. It is a member of the Russell Group of large research-intensive universities and the N8 Group for research collaboration. Founded in 1881 , it is also one of the six original "red brick" civic...
in 1968. A year later the Universities and Colleges Rugby League was formed after student pioneers fought hard to get the sport recognised in higher education.
A chance conversation between three Oxford students on a train to Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
to see the touring Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
ns defeat Wales sowed the seed of rugby league at Oxford, less than two years' later the first-ever Oxford club side, an even mix of students and locals, took to a rented council pitch to play Peckham
Peckham
Peckham is a district in south London, England, located in the London Borough of Southwark. It is situated south-east of Charing Cross. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London...
.
By the end of the 1976 season, they had won university recognition and were able to rename themselves Oxford University Rugby League Club, only the second-ever student team in the south of England.
Cambridge University Amateur Rugby League Football Club was formed in November 1980 by Dick McConnel, a former New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
Student International. Their first game took place on 2 December 1980 against Reading University which they lost 40–2.
The first Varsity match took place on Sunday 26 April 1981 at Craven Cottage
Craven Cottage
Craven Cottage is the name of a football stadium in the Hammersmith and Fulham area that has been the home ground of the association football team Fulham F.C. since 1896....
, Oxford winning 16–9 in front of a crowd of over 800.
The first full rugby union
Rugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
Blue to play in the fixture was Cambridge scrum half Simon Roberts, who played under the name "Robert Simons" in the 1983 fixture at Maidstone. The first open double Blue was Oxford's John Risman
John Risman
John Risman is President of Scotland Rugby League. He is a former professional rugby league footballer of the 1970s and '80s who at representative level has played for Wales, and at club level for Workington Town, Fulham RLFC, Blackpool Borough, and Carlisle, playing at , or , i.e. number 1, 3, 4...
, son of Bev Risman
Bev Risman
Augustus Beverley Walter Risman is a former rugby union and rugby league footballer, a dual-code international, who later became a coach....
.
The only draw so far was in 1994 when Cambridge came back with two late tries to level in the last minute.
The mud-ruined 1995 'Farsity' Match ended with a 16-8 Cambridge victory after 60 minutes play — and was rewarded with a front-page photograph in The Times
The Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
. It is the only draw so far.
In 1998 Pcubed became the title sponsor of the "Pcubed Varsity Match" and have been the title sponsor ever since – possibly the longest running commercial title sponsorship in Rugby League.
The first-ever Old Boys Varsity was held before the 2002 game at Richmond, which Cambridge narrowly won.
The match has been screened live on Sky Sports
Sky Sports
Sky Sports is the brand name for a group of sports-oriented television channels operated by the UK and Ireland's main satellite pay-TV company, British Sky Broadcasting. Sky Sports is the dominant subscription television sports brand in the United Kingdom and Ireland...
since 2004.
The 17–16 winning margin for Cambridge in the 2005 Varsity Match was the closest in the events history, Cambridge coming back from 16–0 with 25 minutes left.
On the 28th February 2006, Cambridge University won 44–0. This was the first ever nilling in the history of the match, and it was until 2011 the biggest margin of victory as well. The match was played at the Twickenham Stoop for the first time.
Oxford won the 2007 match by six points.
In 2008, Oxford won the match by 28 points, at that time the biggest winning margin by Oxford in the history of the fixture. This record was eclipsed by a further 16 points in 2011.
2009 represented the first year a reserve-grade Varsity match was played at St Mary's, Twickenham; this was won by Oxford's 2nd XIII (the 'Maroons'). In the Varsity match itself, however, Cambridge extended their overall lead in the series with a 20–4 victory.
2010 was the 30 year anniversary of the fixture and was marked with a pulsating clash in which Cambridge led 16–0 before Oxford scored 26 unanswered points and ultimately led 26–22 going into the last five minutes of the game. A try with the last play ensured a 32–22 victory.
2011 saw the 31st Varsity Match. Oxford were 18-0 ahead after 15 minutes and 36-0 ahead at half-time. The final scoreline was 60-16 to Oxford, equalling the largest ever winning margin and increasing by ten points the record for the most points scored by a single team, a record that had stood for 18 years.
Past winners
|
|
By total wins
{| border="0" width="100%" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"|
{| border="1" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2" style="border: 1px #aaa solid; border-collapse: collapse;"
|- style="background:#efefef;"
! Total matches !! Cambridge victories !! Oxford victories !! Draws
|-
| style="text-align:center; color:#000;"| 31
| style="text-align:center; background:#B7E1E4; color:#000;"| 16
| style="text-align:center; background:#004685; color:#FFFFFF"| 14
| style="text-align:center; color:#000;"| 1
|}
Statistics
Most points scored in a Varsity Match:Oxford: 60 (2011),
Cambridge: 50 (1993)
Fewest points conceded in a Varsity Match:
Oxford: 4 (1991),
Cambridge: 0 (2006)
Biggest winning margin in a Varsity Match:
Oxford: 44 (2011),
Cambridge: 44 (2006)