THE VARSITY MATCHES 2026
- Marged Williams
- 5 hours ago
- 3 min read
The oldest rivalry in university rugby returns on Saturday 28 February as Oxford University and Cambridge University go head-to-head in the annual Varsity Match at StoneX Stadium. Chloe-Marie Hawley (#384) will lead her carefully chosen 23-player squad onto the (hopefully) sun-lit pitch of Stone X for a 12pm kick-off, whilst Jack “Hammo” Hamilton (#1302) prepares his men to kick-off at 3pm.
Few fixtures in the rugby calendar carry the same weight of history and tradition as The Varsity Matches. First meeting in 1872, the Varsity Match remains a defining moment in the student sporting year and is a contest shaped as much by pride and legacy as by form and tactics.
It was a year after the first ever international rugby game between England and Scotland that both Oxford and Cambridge decided to arrange a match between each other. The first (Men's) Varsity Match was played at Oxford University Parks, playing a 20-a-side version of the game (as opposed to today’s 15-a-side which was set in 1875) with Oxford taking victory at their inaugural meeting. Oxford wore dark blue jerseys with white collars for that first match, and it is a tradition carried down through the generations, with each subsequent Blues teams sporting the same kit. This year marks the 142nd Men’s Varsity Match with the Tabs slightly leading the victories 65-62; a lead Blues captain Hammo is keen to make smaller this year.
After a successful season and a victorious Varsity Match last year, Chloe-Marie’s team go into the 39th Women’s Varsity Match 23-15 up in victories against the Light Blues. The first Women’s Varsity Match was played on the 10th of March 1988 at Iffley Road, Oxford. Heather Lawrence (nee Bunting) captained OUWRFC that day against Sophia Mirchandani (nee Pegers) captaining CUWRUFC. Both were responsible for setting up a women’s team to compete against ‘The Other Place’ as there was no women’s rugby team at either university. It was a last-minute try from Sophia Pegers that won the day, 8-6, to the Light Blues in front of a crowd of a few hundred people. The women’s clubs are now fully integrated with the men’s organisations. In 2015 The Women’s Varsity Match was moved to Twickenham, marking a huge step forward in the gender equality in rugby and a boost for the women’s game across the country. In 2021, the event was rebranded The Varsity Matches as a reflection of the continued integration of the women’s fixture.
Both Dark Blue squads will arrive battle-hardened from their respective BUCS and exhibition campaigns, but league form often counts for little when Dark Blue meets Light Blue. The Varsity stage has a habit of producing tight, physical encounters where territory, set-piece execution and composure under pressure prove decisive. Expect a fierce contest at scrum time and at the breakdown, with both squads looking to establish early dominance. While discipline and kicking will be crucial in what is traditionally a high-intensity, emotionally charged fixture.
With the Women’s Blues kicking off earlier in the day at 12pm and the Men’s fixture following at 3pm, StoneX Stadium will once again be packed with students, alumni and supporters from both universities. The atmosphere, part sporting spectacle, part reunion, is unlike any other in university rugby.
A Varsity victory etches names into club history and ensures bragging rights for the year ahead. On the 28th of February, tradition meets ambition once more. Dark Blue or Light Blue — only one will leave London with the Varsity crown (I think we know!)! Don’t forget to get your tickets below and come down to cheer on the Dark Blues!
Tickets
Student Tickets are available at this link:
https://www.eticketing.co.uk/saracens/EDP/Event/Index/449?position=2 and you can get a 20% discount using code VARSITY20. On this page you can buy a combo match ticket + coach for just £30 using the discount code, making it the quickest and cheapest way to get to StoneX.
General Admission tickets are available at this link:
Tickets start at £5 for children and £20 for adults.
Alumni should get in touch with Zed at admin@ourfc.org to get access to exclusive seating.
Coach Travel
OURFC are arranging coaches to transport supporters to Varsity. These will take between 90 mins and 2 hours, leaving Iffley Road in waves at 9:30am, 10am, 10:30am, 11am, 11:30am and 12pm. (Note that only the 9:30am and 10am coaches are guaranteed to arrive at StoneX before the Women*s Match kicks off).
These coaches are the cheapest and quickest way to get from Oxford to StoneX.
Standalone coach tickets can be purchased here for £20 return - cheaper than the Oxford Tube!
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