MATCH REPORTS: CUPPERS FINALS 2026

Marged Williams
6 hours ago
7 min read

Men’s Cuppers Final

[Written by Hugo Walsh, St Edmund Hall]

It had been three long years since Teddy had made a rugby Cuppers Final. The 2023/24 season ended in the first round with a heartbreaking loss to St Peter’s. The 2024/25 season was slightly more successful, with Teddy reaching the semi-final before losing to Magdalen/St Hilda’s in an incredibly close contest. Having fallen to them the year before, we knew Saturday’s final was going to be a real battle if we wanted to get across the line and bring home the Cuppers trophy.

In the two weeks leading up to the final, preparation could not have gone much better. The boys managed to fit in multiple training sessions a week, all while juggling the small matter of exam prep.

Despite this, the game got off to a difficult start. Straight from kick-off, Magdalen/St Hilda’s made a line break through their captain, who ran straight at Hugo Walsh in the backfield. Hugo got him down, but not unscathed, and was forced off in the opening moments of the game, replaced by Ed Bellamy. Teddy had lost their captain in the very first play.

But this did not faze them. With a quick reshuffle of the backline, the boys were ready to go again.

The first 20 minutes were a real back-and-forth between the two teams, with neither side able to crack the other’s defence. Eventually, Teddy worked their way into the attacking 22 with possession. After building pressure through the old faithful “Hammers and Nails”, Henry Henderson was able to burrow his way across the line for the first try of the game. Unfortunately, Daniel Wade was still yet to find his boot, missing the conversion and leaving the score at 5-0.

Magdalen/St Hilda’s responded well, continuing to apply relentless attacking pressure while maintaining an almost impenetrable defence. Despite their efforts, Teddy once again made it into the 22. A lapse in judgement from the Magdalen/St Hilda’s defence led to a penalty being awarded to Teddy.

Having missed two kicks already, questions were asked about whether Mr Wade, who had also been struck by illness during the week, was up for the challenge of another shot at goal. With raw confidence, he signalled to the bench and demanded his tee. With just as much assurance as he had asked for it, Wadey slotted the kick over the black dot, taking Teddy to an 8-0 lead.

Magdalen/St Hilda’s continued to persevere and were rewarded for their efforts with a try down the left edge, bringing the score to 8-5. With the pressure shifting back onto the Teddy boys, they knew they had to respond with points of their own.

And those points came through none other than fresher Rishi Shukla.

Following some heavy lifting from the forwards, who sucked in the defence, Dan Record – who had stepped up to fill the momentous position of fly-half – demanded the ball from Bryn Davies at 9. Record threw a wide cut-out pass to the left edge, which hit the deck and bounced into no-man’s land before being swiftly scooped up by Rishi. He stepped not one, but two, Magdalen/St Hilda’s defenders before going over to score.

Watching a play the boys had worked so hard on in training come to fruition in the most high-pressure of environments was the clearest possible reminder that big moments are built long before match day.

Daniel Wade, having found both his feet and his fingers, slotted the conversion, extending Teddy’s lead to 15-5 before the teams headed into the changing rooms for half-time.

Not much can be repeated about what was said in those changing rooms. However, what I can report is that there was an incredibly strong scent of belief in the air, paired with a slight degree of amazement at being ahead at the halfway mark. The key message for the second half was simple: just do it again. Another 40 minutes of fighting for every encounter, fighting for yourselves, your college, and your teammates. Just keep fighting.

The Teddy boys clearly responded well to the words spoken at half-time, earning early territory in the second half. They were rewarded with yet another try, this time through Dan Lawson, who managed to find space between two shoulders and get over the line. With the try being right on the edge of the pitch, there was surely no way Wadey could slot this one. Wrong.

Showing unmatched composure, he slotted it once again (then he did the thing). Teddy now led 22-5.

Although Teddy had extended their lead, the game was far from over, with 20 minutes still left on the clock. Magdalen/St Hilda’s had found great confidence in their scrum throughout the game and were rewarded with several penalties. This culminated in a yellow card for Teddy prop Sam Treweeke. I guess cheese, wine, and Barbour jackets do not win scrums.

With a man down, the Teddy boys showed incredible fight. However, they were inevitably unable to keep Magdalen/St Hilda’s out for long, as they scored their second try and converted it. The score was now 22-12, and the game was anyone’s for the taking.

Knowing they had to wrestle the momentum back in their favour, Teddy turned it up a notch. Despite being a man down, the boys still, somehow, found an overlap and put Wadey into space. As he galloped into the backfield, he was met by the opposition full-back.

Not an issue.

Wadey found Rishi on his outside with nothing but space in front of him, and Rishi sprinted over the try line for his second of the match. Not bad for a fresher. The conversion was missed, leaving the score at 27-12 with just over 10 minutes remaining.

With Teddy still a man down for a couple more minutes, the last thing they needed was another yellow card. Well, Ed Bellamy had other ideas, deciding to deliberately knock the ball down and getting himself sent off with a yellow in the biggest match of his life.

Now two men down, with enough time on the clock for a Magdalen/St Hilda’s comeback, there was only one thing that could save the Teddy boys. And that came in the form of the opposition losing their heads and trying to start a fight with a lovely, well-behaved Teddy team who would, of course, never fall for such tomfoolery. As a result, Magdalen/St Hilda’s lost a man for the rest of the game. If ever there was a time not to nibble, it was now.

Now playing 14-on-14 rugby on tired legs, the two teams continued to go at it. Back and forth, and back and forth they went. Magdalen/St Hilda’s eventually managed to make a huge break down the right-hand side and were rewarded with another try. They missed the kick. 27-17.

Everyone was wondering how much time was left on the clock. Did they still have enough time? Could they do the impossible?

No. They could not.

Following the kick-off, the referee blew his whistle.

Full time.

Teddy had done it.

They were Cuppers Champions for the 2025/26 season.

All the Teddy fans in the stands stormed the pitch. Tears and speechlessness were followed by jumps of joy and euphoria, teasing some of the moves that would later be seen in Plush that night. Well done to all the boys and a huge thank you to the Teddy crowd, we couldn’t have done it without you.

Full Time: Teddy 27-17 Magdalen/St Hilda’s

Player of the Match: Rishi Shukla

Rishi Shukla being awarded the Player of the Match trophy by Peter Bridges

Women’s Cuppers Final

[Written by Poppy Burrows, Christ Church]

The action returned to Iffley Road last weekend with a roar, as Cuppers Finals Day hosted Castle and Turl cluster in an exciting game of rugby for the Women’s Cup. Under a clear blue sky, an outstanding 19 tries were scored between the two sides on Saturday – over half of them scored by players new to cuppers. The match kicked off with a bang, as Castle’s Poppy Burrows (Christ Church) recovered her team’s kick off and broke through the Turl defense. A try-saving tackle from fellow Blues teammate Chloe-Marie Hawley (Queen’s) stopped her just short of the line, but it wasn’t enough to prevent Anna Jenkin (Worcester) powering through to open the score for Castle.

This first score seemed to strengthen Turl’s resolve, as they put up a fiercely revived defensive set to prevent an immediate follow up score. Unfortunately for Turl, it wasn’t long before the Castle prop, Destine Benjamin from Christ Church, crashed over the try-line in a display of outstanding footwork, stepping left then right to secure the score. Further tries from Annabel Burns (Worcester) and Katy Glendening (Hertford) – both new players – saw Castle settle more comfortably into an early lead.

However, the initial dominance from Castle wasn't enough to keep Turl off the scoresheet for long, as they shot back with a breathtaking team try. A dominant carry from Sophie Goodman (Brasenose) gave Turl some crucial momentum, and a pass to Amelie Harris-Lovett (St. Peter’s) put the flanker right through the opposition’s defensive line. Harris-Lovett’s well-timed offload to Hawley saw the Turl fly-half tearing down the pitch, dodging defenders left, right and centre.

The second half was just as dynamic, with both teams redoubling their efforts to secure a win. Turl demonstrated a marked improvement in their defense, keeping the fierce Castle attack at bay for the first ten minutes before Glendening burst through the line again to score her third try of the match for Castle. Two spectacular line breaks from Harris-Lovett in the second half saw the scoreline increasingly reflect the unwavering efforts of the Turl side attack, with crucial support lines from Nancy Robson (Queen’s) to finish off each opportunity with a score.

Ultimately, however, Turl’s much improved second half was not enough to overturn the considerable lead Castle built up over the first half. A rapid break from Lilla Berry (Hertford) served as the final nail in the coffin, as her teammate, Emily Hersch (St. Hugh’s), was well positioned on her shoulder to receive her pass and seal the deal 81-12 to Castle.

With over half of each side’s lineup consisting of new players, the Women’s Cup Final demonstrates exactly how much women’s rugby is growing across the university sports community. With incredible scores from Blues, Panthers, Pumas and newbies alike, the weekend was a true celebration of rugby, and promises much for the growth of OURFC women over the coming 2026/27 season.

Full Time: Castle 81-14 Turl

Try scorers:

Lilla Berry x 2

Destine Benjamin x 1

Poppy Burrows x 2

Annabel Burns x 2

Katie Glendening x 4

Amelie Harris-Lovett x1

Chloe-Marie Hawley x 1

Emily Hersch x 1

Anna Jenkin x 1

Estelle Onwuka x 2