Sun shines on older teams on college rugby "Super Saturday"

Saturday saw College Rugby get properly under way as all eight colleges took to the field on a day full of decent rugby played in the best possible spirit. There were no upsets to be found, with the three longer-established teams of James, Alcuin and Derwent all winning, but not everything went smoothly for them.

Halifax 0 - 21 James

A night of rain, coupled with a sunny morning made for ideal playing conditions for so-called "Super Saturday". Last week James brushed aside the combined Goodricke/Langwith/Wentworth (GLW) side and so had already had one match to iron out any creases. However, Halifax, fielded a strong side with many university rugby players and so the match was closely contested.

The first half saw consistent attacking pressure from James, but some solid defence and quick breaks from Halifax. The Halifax scrum was stronger, but frequent handling errors meant that they were unable to capitalise against an efficient James. Indeed, the two teams were so closely matched that no points were scored for almost half an hour; the deadlock finally broken just before half-time by a penalty kick from James fly-half Alex Muntus, after a high tackle from the Halifax hooker.

The second half looked like it would continue in the same mould, until a session of heavy pressure from James culminated in a break and a much deserved try from winger Chris Smith, which Muntus duly converted to bring the score up to 10-0. But from the restart Halifax immediately had James on the ropes and came extremely close to scoring. However, James’ defence, which was impressive throughout the game, thwarted Halifax’s efforts, and a fierce counter attack only ended when Halifax conceded a penalty in front of their posts which President Muntus easily slotted.

James piled on the pressure after kick-off before Bruce Green scored an easy try on the left wing - a failed clearance by Halifax saw the ball fly straight into his hands, and the James captain made no mistake cashing in the five-point gift. From the wide angle, Muntus failed to convert, ending his impressive 100% kicking record for the season.

We managed to hold off a strong Halifax team and can be pleased not to have conceded.
Bruce Green, James captain

But just as it looked like Halifax would crumble, they produced a spirited fight-back and James once again had to work extremely hard to hold off their advance. However, a break down the right wing from James’ Aaron Rolf and Rob Donnell brought the play back into the Halifax half once more and was eventually rewarded with another penalty which Muntus converted to end the match 21 - 0 in James’ favour.

Halifax Captain, Simon Reed, who impressed throughout the match with some darting runs and hard tackling, said that a lack of training together as a team was the key issue, with simple handling errors allowing James to break an otherwise firm Halifax defence.

His opposite number, Green, commented, “At the end of the day, a win’s a win. We managed to hold off a strong Halifax team and can be pleased not to have conceded." Muntus added that he was “very proud” and cited James’ busy training schedule and team spirit as the keys to their success so far.

Alcuin 41 - 0 Goodricke/Langwith/Wentworth

The next match saw Alcuin take on GLW, who once again had to borrow players to field a full team. Alcuin began the game by attacking ferociously and very soon their vice-captain Ross Gehnich scored the first of many tries for the men in black and red, although the conversion attempt was unsuccessful.

From very early on, the difference between a team who had trained together and a team thrown together at the last minute really showed. Two more tries from Benoit Jamous and Tom Rider, plus one conversion, put Alcuin 17-0 up at half time, and a dominant Alcuin were only prevented from turning the match into a total rout by some extremely determined defence from GLW, who were putting everything they had into some hard-hitting tackles.

Perhaps to GLW's benefit, the first half ended up extremely short due to a couple of injuries: a large cut to Alcuin captain Giles Raymond’s head and, most unfortunately, a suspected fractured arm for one of the GLW players - borrowed from Alcuin no less - in his first competitive rugby match.

Having a good time is the main point of college rugby and everyone really enjoyed themselves today.
Charlie Fikry, GLW captain

The second half followed in much the same vein as the first, with Alcuin running away with the game with an impressive haul of four more tries. Man of the match Chris To grabbed a brace with some lightning footwork, while a well-rehearsed line-out move got a second for Gehnich, with the final score coming from lock Ty Partridge, capping off a great run from fullback Rhys Spong. Two of these tries were converted and the match ended 41-0 to Alcuin, in a thoroughly convincing win.

After the match, Raymond commented, “This is a solid start to the season for us. We were a bit rusty and didn’t have our ideal back line, but are ready for next week’s game now. The commitment from the opposition was impressive.”

Meanwhile Charlie Fikry, the GLW captain, said that he believed his side had the “moral victory”, adding that, “Having a good time is the main point of college rugby and everyone really enjoyed themselves today.” Hopefully, GLW will pick up a few more regular players soon and be able to field a full side, as they looked strong and determined, but injuries and an unfamiliar squad let them down on the day.

Derwent 13 - 5 Vanbrugh

As the final game of the day approached, a buzz of excitement went around the spectators at the sidelines. The hotly anticipated match between Derwent and Vanbrugh was set to be closely contested and the players didn’t disappoint, as this game produced the most exciting and dynamic rugby of the day.

The opening exchanges between the two sides were fast and fierce, with play swinging up and down the pitch and each team defending and attacking well. However, Vanbrugh soon began to look like becoming the dominant team as their quick breaks and counter attacks meant that a good deal of the first half was played in Derwent’s half. Derwent’s defence was well-organised, however, and Vanbrugh failed to make their chances count. Indeed, Derwent snatched the only points of the first half with a magnificent drop goal from Callum Douglas, and began to look more in control as the first half came to a close.

They weren’t better than us, we dominated the game.
Jordan Abbott, Vanbrugh captain

Play raced back and forward again in the second half, but Derwent squandered the chance to double their lead by missing a penalty kick right in front of the posts after an obstruction by Vanbrugh. However, the impetus stayed with Derwent following this and a good attack soon bore fruit as Freddy Harris grabbed five points. However, a failed conversion meant that Vanbrugh still weren't out of the picture, but their chance looked to have slipped away when Tolga Necar broke the Vanbrugh lines on the left to cross the whitewash.

Though just when it looked like Derwent were going to wrap everything up nicely, Vanbrugh staged an intense fight back and were finally rewarded with a much deserved try from Chris West. Unfortunately the conversion missed from the touchline was the last kick of the game, the close scoreline of 13 - 5 reflecting a hard-fought struggle between two evenly matched teams.

Defiant in defeat, Vanbrugh’s Captain Jordan Abbott claimed “They weren’t better than us, we dominated the game. Points conceded were mistakes on our own part.” But Derwent's Joe Rankin was a little more magnanimous in victory, stating “I was really impressed by the way Vanbrugh played today. It was a very close game, I felt we played well and had a good defensive line, which won us the match in the end."

The next two college rugby matches are Alcuin vs Vanbrugh and Derwent vs Halifax, kicking off at 2.00pm on Sunday Week 4, at York R.I..

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