College rugby preview

Action from last year's rugby 10s tournament

Saturday sees the year’s first taste of college rugby, as Alcuin and James battle it out in the first of three unofficial friendlies.

This weekend marks the much anticipated return of what Facebook proudly names, “The 2008 Tri-College Rugby Tournament”. Alcuin, Derwent and James will take to the field twice each over the next three weekends to compete for college pride and a whole lot of bragging rights.

Last year, college rugby was reinstated unofficially by keen students frustrated by it having been scrapped because of player indiscipline. Apparently the adage about gentlemen, hooligans and their respective games had not held true. Despite the informal organisation though, a great deal of interest was unearthed, and training sessions began in earnest.

The first games took place in week 9 of the autumn term, in the worst conditions imaginable - some players even went down with hypothermia. Powerful, icy winds and endlessly lashing rain destroyed any chance of a backs game, and Derwent’s powerful, well-organised pack won out.

With the gauntlet laid down by these “main three”, the official one-day tens tournament in the spring brought new challengers to 22 acres. This time it was the clinical speed of James that triumphed, with a talented makeshift Halifax side coming in second and a rejuvenated Alcuin third. And now, almost a year on from that tempestuous December day, the original triumvirate have returned to contest the fifteens crown once again.

The most impressive thing about college rugby is that it is entirely student run. The coaching; the organisation of training sessions; the fund-raising; the talent-scouting and the inevitable and notorious socials have all been 100% student driven. College rugby exists solely because York students want it to, and it is rightly proud of that fact.

But harnessing this support and interest to arrange games has proved tough this year. The matches will not be played on 22 acres, but at Archbishops Holgate School on Hull Road. Furthermore, insurance and first aid will be provided by the teams themselves, at their own cost. With the university rugby club starting up a thirds team this year, college rugby is having to battle hard to survive.

And yet it assuredly is more than surviving, thanks to the determination and co-operation of all three principle teams. As Derwent captain Joe Rankin said, “What is really positive is the way the colleges have come together to arrange these fixtures. Obviously we are all looking forward to these competitive matches, but what happens on the pitch will stay on the pitch and afterwards I'm sure the teams will share a few drinks somewhere. Ours will be celebratory drinks of course!”

It is this friendly banter that characterises college sport, and rugby is clearly no exception, with Alcuin’s skipper Giles Raymond retorting, “Derwent will probably reckon themselves favourites, but I don't think the teams know enough about each other to really make a judgement, though I'd expect Dan Taylor to disagree!”

Commenting on the brief outbreak of hostilities last year, Raymond added, “I'm not expecting there to be love and kisses between Alcuin and Derwent, but hopefully there will have been a thaw since the 10s tournament last year. That said, I am quite proud that I was playing when two teams contrived to have a game called off after just three minutes. But not this year: it's too important and people have put in too much work for stuff like that to happen again.”

If college rugby is to reap the rewards it deserves, the teams must heed the wisdom of their captains. The character of the games will expose the players’ true attitudes, and if rugby is to garner the wider support attached to other college sports, it must be played in the traditional college spirit. Fortunately for all concerned it looks like enjoyment is firmly top of the agenda, as James captain Seb Weir pointed out: “I am confident for Saturday, but there is a great deal of respect between the two teams, and I am not willing to make any predictions other than to say we are all looking forward to a highly competitive game”.

So, whether you an Alcuinite, Derwenter or Jamesian be, if you can’t stand to watch another home nation drubbing in the autumn internationals, or you simply want to see Dan Taylor crunch or get crunched in the tackle, come on down to these weekends, and give the hard-working college rugby lads the support they deserve. Just don’t forget your hat and gloves.

The games will take place at Archbishops Holgate School playing field on Hull Road, next to The Black Bull pub. Kick-off for Alcuin vs James is at 12:45 this Saturday.

The Facebook groups for college teams can be found here: Alcuin, Derwent, James, Goodricke, Halifax, Langwith, Vanbrugh.

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