MATCH REPORTS:2s and 3s VARSITY
- Marged Williams
- Mar 16
- 9 min read
Whippets (Men's 3s)
[Written by Dougie McWilliam, Lady Margaret Hall]
Varsity Day is an occasion that looms large in the OURFC calendar. Both squads had laboured together since September, from those biting 7 AM starts in November to the relentless rain at Horspath, all to prepare for the fixture that defines any season: C*mbridge. This year, the Dogs travelled to the newly installed Mumford Pitch at Grange Road, intent on establishing a new tradition of "shoeing" the opposition on their own turf.
Under an overcast but dry sky, the Whippets kicked off the action. They entered the fray on the back of am undefeated run in 2026, including notable wins over Richmond and Beaconsfield. In the changing rooms, Captain and Number 8 Dougie McWilliam delivered a poignant reminder of the honour inherent in wearing the Whippets’ quarters, urging his men to leave nothing on the field. The team then charged through a dense tunnel of roaring OURFC supporters, whose fervour propelled them into the centre of the pitch.
The opening half was a cagey affair, perhaps the tensest rugby many of us have ever experienced. Much of the period was spent pinned deep within our own 22. Despite a valiant defensive effort, the pressure of defending successive scrums began to tell, and the penalty count started to tilt against us. The game took a dramatic turn when the Centurions shipped the ball to their right winger, who collided high with Chris Robertson. The resulting clash of heads led to a red card for the Whippets, forcing the team to play the remainder of the match with 14 men.
The Centurions soon exploited the man advantage to cross in the corner. Though the conversion was missed, the Whippets trailed 5-0. Under the posts, Dougie McWilliam’s message was sharp: this was the very adversity Dogs matches are built upon, and the team would need to find new depths to overcome the odds.
The response was immediate. Dominant carries from Dominic Crestani and Ben Dawson, paired with slick handling from Jacob Brown and his backline, allowed the Whippets to set up shop in the opposition 22. Just before halftime, Henry Williams powered over the whitewash with Centurions clinging to his back. The teams headed into the break deadlocked at 5-5.
The halftime message was clear: more energy, focus, and patience. The players answered almost immediately. After the restart, James Beeby fought through his opposite man in a superhuman effort to dot the ball down right on the try line. Although the difficult conversion was missed, the Whippets took a 10-5 lead.
With the lineout operating smoothly in both attack and defence, momentum shifted firmly into our favour. Under sustained pressure, Centurion discipline faltered, yielding a penalty in front of the posts. James Beeby stepped up to extend the lead to 13-5. The onslaught continued as Zak Field crashed over for a try following a powerful line off Joe Dingle’s carry. Beeby added the extras, bringing the score to 20-5.
With 20 minutes remaining, the Centurions refused to fade. They fought back to narrow the gap to 20-12 as the clock ticked toward the red. Substitutions brought fresh energy, but the intensity also saw offside penalties creep back into the Whippets' game. With 10 minutes to go, Harry Sinclair was shown a yellow card for a late shot on the fly-half. Reduced to 13 men, the Whippets faced a nerve-wracking final stand.
The Cambridge scrum proved decisive in the dying moments, earning successive penalties and a try under the posts just seconds before the 80-minute mark. There was time for one final kick-off. Jacob Brown kicked deep, but the ball unfortunately rolled dead. 22-20 to the Centurions.
Utilizing their superior numbers in the pack, the Centurions used the final scrum to strike deep into the 5-meter line. Attack after attack was repelled, and the Whippets appeared to have saved the day by holding the ball up over the line. However, the referee had been playing an advantage; the Centurions took the points on the final play, ending the game in a gutting fashion that perfectly encapsulates the cruel highs and lows of a Dogs’ Varsity.
Pumas (Women's 3s)
[Written by Luiza Vieira (Oriel) and Sammi Shapiro (Pembroke)]
The Pumas Varsity match started strongly, with our first try coming just seven minutes in. After a clean break from our #8 Katy Thomas (Lincoln College), we built through several quick phases before co-captain #7 Luiza Vieira (Oriel College) scored our opening try. #13 Isabelle Corbett (New College) made the conversion to put us 7–0 up.
We didn’t let up. Only seven minutes later, Katy once again made her mark, picking off the back of the scrum to score. From there, we began to settle into a confident rhythm. Our set pieces were dominant and consistent, allowing our #1 Maria Elgaard Jespersen (Exeter College) to add another try, followed by one from co-captain #12 Sammi Shapiro (Pembroke College). Isabelle added another score in the final minute of the half.
Defensively, we were equally disciplined. The Tabs struggled to make sustained ground, rarely spending time inside our 5m. Our line speed kept them on the back foot, and we went into halftime leading 29–0, both smiling and hungry for more.
We dominated the opening 15 minutes of the second half, keeping play firmly in their half with strong carries and relentless defensive pressure. A strong scrum around 10 metres from the try line drove the opposition backwards, allowing Katy to pick the ball and dive over to extend the lead to 34-0.
The final ten minutes saw determined defence from both sides. Cambridge managed to put two tries on the board, but Pumas maintained their intensity and composure throughout.
This match was a testament to how far we’ve come as a squad and there were several strong positives to take from the match. Our scrums were particularly dominant, with the pack consistently driving the Tabs backwards and giving us clean ball to attack. It was also a physical contest, and while everyone came off the pitch with a few bumps and bruises, special mention to #6 Sarah Hawkes (St Cross), now sporting a very impressive black eye, we were fortunate to avoid any serious injuries. This meant all players were able to maximise their game time.
The cohesion across the squad stood out, especially in the way our forwards and backs linked phases effectively. It was encouraging to see such depth of talent on display, with a mix of experienced players and those who joined only this season all stepping up. Above all, our team spirit remained consistent throughout the match.
We backed each other throughout, with strong communication and energy from start to finish. With a final score of 39–10 and a Pumas and Panthers sweep, it was a performance to be proud of. It was also great to see so many supporters from across the Women’s teams and the wider Oxford community.
The Pumas and Panthers set the stage and the Blues swiftly sealed the deal this past Saturday guaranteeing us a 3/3 Varsity victory. Lots of shoeing to go around!
Match photos by Steve Karpa available here:
Greyhounds (Men's 2s)
[Written by James Clegg, New]
In a well-fought Varsity match, the OURFC Greyhounds stormed to a 40-24 win to achieve back-to-back victories in this year’s Varsity match against the Tabs.
Enraged by the last-minute loss of the Whippets earlier in the day, the Greyhounds took to the field with a desire not to leave Grange Road empty-handed. However, LX started fast with a converted try scored under the posts after some mistakes by the Greyhounds. Their lead did not last for long as, after some heavy carrying and dominant scrummaging by Oxford’s larger-than-ever forward pack, Henry Henderson managed to touch the ball down over the line twice, each time converted by Charlie Callaghan to bring the game to 14-7.
Soon after gaining the lead, the dogs were pinned back inside their own 22, and after conceding a sloppy penalty, were facing a lineout defence less than 10 metres out from their try line. The resulting maul made its way to the try line, where it was deemed to have been brought down by Henry Henderson, who was awarded a yellow card and to the LXs, a penalty try. Despite some strong defensive sets, the combination of the Tabs’ tactical kicking and the Greyhound’s poor discipline meant that the score was 19-14 to the LX as the squads headed in at halftime.
It was a rather calm changing room at halftime for Oxford, as there was a consensus that we would beat our opponents if we simply stopped giving away penalties and throwing our own ball away. With these important rugby lessons learned, the squad ran back out to a chorus of noise from the travelling supporters, ready to attack the second half.
The plan to hold onto the ball worked very effectively as Ollie Tynan tumbled over the line early on to put the Greyhounds 21-19 up after the conversion, the other advice had not. Throughout the remainder of this half, George Morgan and Ben Clarke would go on to receive at least 3 warnings each for general misconduct, yet would both escape a yellow card. Despite this, after a rapid break and composed offload by Anthony Poole, Bryn Davies dotted the ball down again, and after Niall McCormack’s conversion, Oxford widened the gap to 28-19. Cambridge did not let this go unanswered and managed to score a non-converted try in what would be their last of the game. 28-24.
It was around this point in the game that the Greyhounds’ scrum dominance shone through. With a scrum being chosen every penalty in response to the echoes of “SCRUM! SCRUM! SCRUM!’ from the Oxford supporters, the boys in dark blue made their way up the pitch, gaining metres each time. This culminated in Tom Elway diving under the posts and a conversion again by McCormack. 35-24. The Greyhounds’ final try came from a moment of individual brilliance from Anthony Poole, who, receiving the ball on the 22, managed to weave his way past what must have been at least 5 LX players along the wing to dive over the line in the corner. Simply brilliant. 40 - 24.
Though we were in the last few minutes of the game, and there were no more scores, the drama was not finished. While I cannot recall why the fight was started, Ben Maxwell-Hyslop found himself at the centre of it, and everyone bundled in. Once the dust had settled, the referee handed Ben a yellow card, which was met with outrage from the supporters. This was short-lived, however, as it was quickly followed by a red card for the offending Tab, which allowed the Greyhounds to collect the moral victory also.
As the clock went into the red, calls, almost demands, for more scrums echoed around Grange Road, and they were answered. George Morgan, uncharacteristically, decided to put the Tabs out of their misery and nudge the ball into touch to finalise the back-to-back victories for the squad. The shoeing was completed.
After jubilant celebrations in the changing rooms, the Dogs jumped back on the bus for arguably a tougher challenge - surviving the port to port. Celebrations were in full swing when the squad arrived at Iffley, returning the cup to its rightful home, and would continue to occur late into the night and for the foreseeable future.
Panthers (Women's 2s)
[Written by Nellie Woods, Pembroke]
Varsity 2026 started off strong for the Panthers, with a score from number 8, Charlie Luxford-Vaughan, in the second minute. A minute of quick rugby saw Kate Mitchell (number 14) run all the way up the wing and score. A Cambridge try was held up, preventing them from putting any points on the board. The Panthers dominated in both scrums and mauls, and after twenty minutes, Kate scored again on the wing. This try was converted by Iona Ffrench-Adam. There was a try for the Tabs in the 40th minute, by number 15, Maddy Warnes. In the second half, after spending a few minutes in the Cambridge 22, Kate scored a third try, which was also converted by Iona. After some strong carries from the forwards, and some set plays off the scrum, Iona scored a try, stretching the Panthers’ lead over the Tigers further. Soon after this, a Cambridge player was given a yellow card for a high tackle, giving the Panthers an advantage. Towards the end of the game, the Panthers held up the ball over their own try line for the second time, with strong defence securing the win for another year. 29-7 to the Panthers.
Match photos by Steve Karpa available here:
The City Varsity
On Saturday 7th of March a combined Men's OURFC XV team travelled to Old Deer Park, home of London Welsh, to face Imperial College London in The City Varsity. After a hard-fought game and a great performance by Imperial, it was Oxford that claimed victory at The City Varsity, adding another piece of silverware to the OURFC collection this season. Final score 40-25.
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