College Rugby

Founded in 1263 by John de Balliol, Balliol College claims to be the oldest Oxford College...a claim shared with both University and Merton. Balliol is consistently placed near the top of the Norrington Table and notable alumni include the economist Adam Smith, the author Aldous Huxley, and three British Prime Ministers. In terms of rugby, Balliol have had two Men*s Blues Captains since 1945, Frederick Craig (1965) and Giles Bullard (1951). Balliol is one of only thirteen colleges who have won Cuppers (the intercollegiate competition); the last time being 1933. This season, they were partnered with Hertford.

Founded in 1546, Christ Church is one of the largest colleges at the University. The college has a long list of notable alumni including thirteen British Prime Ministers, which is more than any other Oxford or Cambridge college. Christ Church is one of only thirteen colleges to have won the Cuppers tournament, but not since 1979.

Exeter is one of the oldest colleges in Oxford, founded in 1314 by Walter de Stapeldon, the Bishop of Exeter. Notable alumni include the authors JRR Tolkien, Philip Pullman, and Alan Bennett, as well as the actor, Richard Burton, and the athlete, Roger Bannister (who famously run the first sub-4-minute mile at the Iffley Road track). The last Men*s Blues Captain from Exeter College was John Kendall-Carpenter in 1950.

The College was founded by Queen Elizabeth in 1571. However, the Welsh cleric Hugh Price was a major driving force behind the college, and to this day the college has strong links to Wales. Jesus is one of only thirteen colleges to have won the intercollegiate Cup, winning once in 1920. The last Jesus student to become Men*s Blues Captain was Nigel Roberts in 1981.

Founded in 1878, Lady Margaret Hall was originally a women's only college, admitting men for the first time in 1979. The college is named after Lady Margaret Beaufort, the mother of King Henry VII. Notable recent alumni include the Conservative politician, Ann Widdecombe, the former Prime Minister of Pakistan, Benazir Bhutto, Noble Laureate, Lady Antonia Fraser and journalist, Nigella Lawson. LMH has long had an alliance with St Hugh's and this year also teamed up with Pembroke and Wadham to claim the Bowl.

Magdalen College is often regarded as the most beautiful Oxford College, lying on the banks of the River Cherwell and with a deer park set within its grounds. Despite consistently producing strong teams, Magdalen is yet to win Cuppers. Both this year and last, they combined with St Hilda's to challenge New for the Men*s Cup...perhaps next year.

Merton and Mansfield Colleges play together in a combined team. Whilst the M&Ms have never won the full Cuppers tournament, they did win the Plate this year when playing with CorpusVille and Catz. The last Mansfield student to Captain the Men*s Blues was Peter Carroll in 1970, following the former All Black and Mertonian Chris Laidlaw who was Captain in 1969.

Founded in 1324, Oriel is one of several colleges who claim they are the oldest within the University. Notable Oriel alumni include the 16th century explorer, Sir Walter Raleigh, and the Nobel Prize winners Alexander Todd (Chemistry) and James Meade (Economics). Oriel have yet to win the Rugby Cuppers.

The two colleges of Corpus Christi and Somerville play together in a combined team and this year joined forces with M&M and Catz. Whilst the colleges have never won the Men*s Cuppers, they did win this year's Plate. They have also produced a string of OURFC players, including the Blues flanker, Doug Abbott (2005 and 2006), and winger, Sean Morris (2008).

St Catz is one of the youngest colleges in Oxford, founded in 1962. Despite this, the college has a number of notable alumni, including the Labour Cabinet Minister, Peter Mandelson, quadruple Olympic Gold Medalist, Sir Matthew Pinsent, and the former England rugby Captain, Phil de Glanville. The last St Catherine’s student to captain the Men*s Blues was Mike Patton in 1992 and their combined college team took home the Plate in this year's Cuppers competition.

The college was formed as a college for women in 1893 and remained all female until 2006. As a result, St Hilda’s entered a male team into the College leagues for the first time in 2009. Hilda's is now firmly affiliated with Magdalen for the Men*s Cuppers competition, and produced 2024/25 Men*s Blues Captain, Luke Wyllie.

St Anne’s/John’s are one of only thirteen college teams to have won Rugby Cuppers and have done so on four occasions. St Anne’s housed numerous international players in the 1980s and have provided a number of Blues Captains, including previous England backs coach, Brian Smith (1989), and more recently, David Lubans (2004) and Andrew Dalgleish (2005).

The college was founded during the 14th century by Robert d’Eglesfield, Chaplain to Queen Philippa of Hainault, who was the wife of King Edward III. Notable former students include King Henry V, the philosopher, Jeremy Bentham, the inventor of the World Wide Web, Tim Berners-Lee and actor Rowan Atkinson. Queen’s are only one of thirteen colleges to have won the Intercollegiate Rugby Cuppers and are currently paired with Brasenose in Men*s Cuppers.

University, another college competing for the title of oldest, has been affiliated with Exeter and Trinity in recent Cuppers campaigns, claiming the Bowl in 2024. Despite fourteenth century rumours of being founded by King Alfred, the college was in fact established in the 1200s by William of Durham and boasts alumni including Clement Attlee and Stephen Hawking.

Whilst Worcester College was founded in the eighteenth century, its predecessor situated on the same site had been an institution of learning since the late thirteenth century. Worcester is the only Oxford College to have a rugby field set within their college grounds. Whilst Worcester have never won Men*s Cuppers, one of Oxford’s most famous internationals attended the college. David Kirk joined Worcester only months after captaining the All Blacks to victory at the first Rugby World Cup in 1987. Their combined Women*s team won the Cuppers competition in 2025.

Founded in 1509, the name ‘Brasenose’ is thought to originate from a bronze (brazen) door knocker in the shape of a nose. Whilst Brasenose claims to be the oldest boat club in the world, it also has a very strong history of rugby, with William Webb Ellis, the ‘inventor’ of the game, being a former student. Brasenose were also the winner of the first Cuppers competition (since it was reformed in 1913) and have won it a total of thirteen times. The last Brasenose student to captain the Blues was Peter Enevoldson who won five Blues in 1976, 77, 78, 79 & 80, was captain in 1979 and acting captain for the Varsity Match in 1980 (Nick Mallett the elected Captain was injured for the Varsity Match). They played with students from Queen's College this year.

The two colleges of Corpus Christi and Somerville play together in a combined team and this year joined forces with M&M and Catz. Whilst the colleges have never won the Men*s Cuppers, they did win this year's Plate. Their women*s team was also successful in taking home the Emma Biddiscombe Women*s Cup in 2024. Corpus also produced a recent Women*s Blues captain, Lauren Webb.

Originally founded in 1282 as Hart Hall at Magdalen by Elias de Hertford, the college took the name Hertford in 1874 thanks to the benefaction of Sir Thomas Baring. Notable alumni include the philosopher, Thomas Hobbes, the writer, Evelyn Waugh, the satirist, Jonathan Swift, the former British Home Secretary, Jacqui Smith and the newsreaders, Krishnan Guru-Murthy and Natasha Kaplinsky. Hertford plays with Balliol in the Men*s League and Cup.

Keble College was established in 1870 in the memory of John Keble, one of the leaders of the Oxford Movement. As a result, the college used to place considerable emphasis on theology. Today, Keble is one of the largest colleges in Oxford, with over 400 undergraduates and over 200 postgraduates. 2024/25 Women*s Blues Captain, Alex Wilkinson, was a Keble Economics & Management undergraduate, and Women*s Varsity Player of the Match 2025, Tolu Duckworth, has just graduated in Medicine.

The college was founded in October 1427 by the then Bishop of Lincoln, Richard Fleming, to combat the Lollard teachings of John Wyclif. Lincoln is known for being academically strong, consistently reaching the top 10 in the Norrington table. Notable alumni include the political theorist, J.A. Hobson, the author, John le Carré and the theologian, John Wesley. Current Men*s Blues Captain, Jack Hamilton, is a postgraduate student there.

Merton and Mansfield Colleges play together in a combined team. Whilst the M&Ms have never won the full Cuppers tournament, they did win the Plate this year when playing with CorpusVille and Catz. The last Mansfield student to Captain the Men*s Blues was Peter Carroll in 1970, following the former All Black and Mertonian Chris Laidlaw who was Captain in 1969.

Despite its name, New is one of the oldest Oxford colleges, founded in 1379. New is one of only thirteen colleges to have won the Intercollegiate Rugby Tournament, winning once in 1925 and current Cup holders after defending last year's victory recently. The last New College student to captain the Men*s Blues was Basil Travers in 1947.

Founded in 1624, Pembroke have one of the largest student populations. Notable alumni include King Abdullah II of Jordan, the lexicography and writer, Dr Samuel Johnson, the former Deputy Prime Minister, Michael Heseltine, and their former fellow, J.R.R. Tolkien. Roger Bannister, the first man to ever run a mile quicker than 4 minutes, is a former Pembroke Master. Whilst Pembroke have yet to win Cuppers, this year's alliance with Wadham and LMHugh's saw them claim the Bowl. Pembroke student, Tim Catling, produced a historic performance for the Blues in 2008, with a first half hat trick.

St Anne’s/John’s are one of only thirteen college teams to have won Rugby Cuppers and have done so on four occasions. St Anne’s housed numerous international players in the 1980s and have provided a number of Blues Captains, including previous England backs coach Brian Smith (1989), and more recently David Lubans (2004) and Andrew Dalgleish (2005).

The precise age of Teddy Hall is unknown but is estimated to be founded in the 1270s. However, Teddy Hall did not achieve college ‘status’ until 1957 and has since chosen to retain the moniker of a ‘hall’. Notable alumni include the comedians Terry Jones and Al Murray. Teddy has a strong rugby reputation and recently produced Women*s Blues Captain, Sophie Shams.

St Hugh’s was founded as an all-female college in 1886 and only began admitting men in 1986. Notable former students include Emily Davison, Aung San Suu Kyi, and former Secretary of State Barbara Castle. Their college team now plays with LMH and recently won the Bowl in the Men*s Cuppers competition.

Whilst the college can trace its history back to the 13th century, St Peter’s did not become a college until 1961. Notable alumni include the former President of Ghana, Edward Akufo-Addo, the former Speaker of the US House of Representatives, Carl Albert, BBC Washington correspondent, Matt Frei, and England cricketer, Jamie Dalrymple. St Peter’s is one of only thirteen colleges to have won rugby Cuppers, doing so for the first and only time in 2006, and producing 2023/24 Men*s Blues Captain, Jack Glover.

Trinity College was founded in 1555 by Sir Thomas Pope, on land bought following the abolition of Durham College during the period of Protestant Reformation. Whilst Trinity have not won the Cuppers tournament since 1965, they remain one of the most successful colleges, winning the competition five times. Trinity have also produced four Blues Captains in the last fifty years, the latest being Tom Osborne in 2023.

The college was founded by Dorothy Wadham in 1610, using money left by her husband Nicholas Wadham. Notable former students include historian, Alan Bullock, broadcaster, Melvyn Bragg, former Leader of the Labour Party, Michael Foot, sportsman, C.B. Fry, and architect, Sir Christopher Wren. The last Wadham student to Captain the Blues was Brett Robinson in 2001, current Chair of World Rugby.