Richards was part of last season's Varsity winning side

Cambridge University captain Jimmy Richards is hoping past experience will hold his side in good stead against Oxford on Thursday afternoon.

The two sides are set to compete at Twickenham in the 129th Varsity clash.

And Cambridge head to London with seven members of their 23-man squad having played in the tie before.

"We've got a good mix of experience with some older Blues. That will be crucial at points in the match," Richards told BBC Radio Cambridgeshire.

Full-back Richards, 27, was part of Dan Vickerman's side that overcame Oxford 31-27 a year ago, but also felt defeat 12 months before that when the Light Blues succumbed 33-29.

"The 80 minutes goes in a heartbeat and I've tried to tell all the guys to soak it up as much as possible because it will go in a flash," he added.

Either team could win it, but we're quietly confident on our game and we just need to keep doing what we do well Cambridge captain jimmy Richards

"Suddenly you're back in training, you don't know how it's happened, but what you do know is the result."

Cambridge have won four of the last six meetings between the sides and have a total of 61 victories to Oxford's 53, with the result ending in a draw 14 times.

"It is always hard to say who will win as with a one-off match it doesn't matter what's happened in the build-up, it's all about what happens on the day," continued Richards.

"Either team could win it, but we're quietly confident on our game and we just need to keep doing what we do well."

Cambridge University team to face Oxford:
Niall Conlon, Gilbert, Stuart Brown, Charles Baird, Tom Harrington, Jason Kururangi, Tom Stanton, Ben Maidment, Sam Hunt, Greg Cushing, Rob Stevens, Paul Loudon, Fred Burdon, Ilia Cherezov, Jimmy Richards.

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