Oxford University Rugby Club spread Varsity excitement

By Simon Parker

Oxford University Rugby Football Club have kicked off their Varsity match build-up on Oxfordshire soil, both on and off the field.

The Blues took to the streets of Oxford this month in a bid to drum up support for a string of high-profile matches set to take place in the city in the coming weeks.

Players and coaching staff handed out free tickets on Oxford's iconic Broad Street before giving coaching sessions to local children.

"We want Oxford to share our passion for rugby, come down to Iffley Road and support our club," commercial manager Peter Wright told BBC Oxford.

"This was a great opportunity for kids to learn about rugby and receive free tickets to our season opener against London Wasps on Monday."

The Darks Blues in action against Wasps

Following the Blues' September tour of Russia and away matches to Esher and London Scottish, it was the first chance to see the university side in Oxfordshire this season.

The match saw the Blues suffer a 53-29 defeat against a team who were eighth in the Premiership.

The High Wycombe-based club fielded a combination of young and seasoned professionals who often showed their class against the Oxford team made entirely of students.

These included Australia international centre Steve Kefu and England prop Jason Hobson, alongside talented former Witney youngster Jacob Wilson who ran in for Wasps' first try.

A strong and vocal home crowd, boosted by the weekend's ticket giveaway was on hand, but could not deter the professional outfit from notching up nine tries in total.

Despite periods of overwhelming Wasps pressure, the university side did well to restore Oxford pride in the second half as they hit back with some high-octane play of their own.

The Blues finished on a high note when Jez Mather crossed over to complete a well worked blindside attack in the final minutes of the match.

With just seven weeks remaining until Oxford take on Cambridge at Twickenham in the 129th Varsity match on 9 December, Murray Henderson's men will be looking to gather further match sharpness in their next match against Welsh side Cardiff Blues on 1 November.