Varsity match PREVIEW

Two long standing records will be broken at Twickenham on Thursday if Oxford can continue their recent dominance and win the 133rd Varsity match.
The Dark Blues will be attempting to win a fifth consecutive game in the historic fixture for the first time in their history while loose-head prop Lewis Anderson could become the first player ever to appear in five match-winning teams – an achievement that has so far eluded the 313 capped players who have graced the Varsity match.
Given some of the legendary names that have gone before him that would be some feather in the cap of the post-graduate sociology student who was part of an Oxford front-row which took command of the game last year and heralded their win.
That trio – Anderson, hooker Nick Gardner and Ian Williams – return en bloc this year and much of Cambridge‘s gameplan will centre on trying to prevent a repeat of the front-row carnage which derailed them so spectacularly.
The self-effacing Anderson, still only 24, is perhaps an unlikely potential record breaker and puts his shot at history down to longevity more than anything. Only five players in history have ever played in five or more Varsity matches, let alone won them all.
“I’ve only recently found out about the history,” he admits. “It’s exciting to know that there have been more than a century of players playing this much before us. Primarily I wanted to progress and stay at Oxford academically and it would be great to write my name into the history books, but all I am focusing on is the match. The records are just a footnote.”
Oxford’s recent run has been based firmly on forward power and they are unlikely to stray far from that gameplan on Thursday, especially with scrum-half Sam Egerton so strong on the break from set-pieces.
As well as a solid front-five they have a back-row who know how to cash in on any supremacy up front with England’s Junior World Cup winner Gus Jones a canny operator at flanker alongside former Loughborough University and England Students captain George Messum at No.8.
Jones is being mentored by the very best – former England and Lions star Richard Hill – and is clearly a player who could operate at a much higher level and indeed hopes to do so with Wasps in future seasons. But making that class tell in the 100mph frenzy of a Varsity match is always a massive challenge. Bigger names than him have failed to make the expected impact over the years.
To try to combat Oxford’s grunt up front Cambridge skipper Harry Peck – son of another former scrum-half and skipper Ian – is relying heavily on experience with five of the pack from last year intent on revenge. In addition he has ‘lent on’ veteran blindside flanker Richard Bartholomew to come out of a seven-year retirement to answer the Light Blues call.
Bartholomew was a member of that talented Cambridge squad that won three matches on the trot between 2005 and 2007 and had hoped to slip quietly into Cambridge this autumn to start an MSc in Engineering and to play beery college rugby, seven years after graduating with first-class honours.
His imminent arrival, however, was picked up on Peck’s ever-alert radar and gentle persuasion techniques were soon being employed. Rather reluctantly at first, Bartholomew dragged his protesting body back into the fray but in recent weeks he has looked a force again – not least when scoring two tries against a strong Bristol side – and his presence will help give Cambridge some real physicality where they need it most.
Cambridge: Allen (Robinson College); Cherezov* (St John’s), May* (Homerton), Gillies (Hughes Hall), Smith (Jesus); Stevens* (St Edmunds), Peck* (Homerton); Briggs* (Magdalene), Pascoe* (St John’s), Poulton (Clare), Baker* (St John’s), Hall (Downing), Bartholomew* (Jesus), Kelly* (St John’s), Farmer* (Wolfson).
Replacements: Montgomery (Emmanuel), Exton (Selwyn), Sanders* (Magdalene), O’Sullivan* (Wolfson), Dass (St Catharines), Rees (St Catharines), Wylde (Downing), Tullie* (Emmanuel)
Oxford: Taylor* (Keble, capt); Doe* (Kellogg), Janney* (Oriel), Macdonald* (St Peter’s), Lamont* (New College); Cullen (Kellogg), S Egerton* (Keble); Anderson* (Trinity), Gardner* (St Anne’s), Williams* (Kellogg), Taylor (Regent’s Park), Reeson-Price* (Lady Margaret Hall), Heathcote* (St Edmund Hall), Jones* (St Catherine’s), Messum (St Anne’s).
Replacements: Wisson (St Anne’s)*, Scaife (Linacre), Western (Pembroke), MacGilchrist* (University), Thomas (Somerville), de Berker (Green Templeton), Hughes* (Magdalen), Strang (St Stephen’s House).
*Existing Blue
BRENDAN GALLAGHER