After an incredible Saturday down at Iffley Road with over 2,000 spectators enjoying a day of local and international rugby, this Wednesday sees the festivities continue with the Women*s Blues taking on Birmingham University in the BUCS National Vase at 3:00pm. The Men*s Blues will then take to the pitch to battle the Navy in the last double header of the season pre-Varsity.
The conclusion of their BUCS season sees the Blues coming third in the Premiership South Division, behind only Brunel & Bristol, who are feeder teams for Ealing Trailfinders & Bristol Bears respectively. Having these quasi-professional playing experiences is incredible and incredibly valuable for our players. While the Varsity Matches create the opportunity for our members to play in a professional stadium at StoneX (tickets available here), the BUCS League creates the competitive atmosphere that generates such improvement in a Women*s Section where many learn to play at Oxford.
The BUCS National Vase is the culmination of this performance environment as the Blues have the chance to test themselves against teams in Premiership North. They will battle to be named the Champion of the second division of Women*s Student Rugby in the UK, and Wednesday's match against Birmingham will be the first step on this journey. With Varsity fast approaching, the Cup is a mixed blessing of opportunities to test player combinations and conditioning, balanced with the desire to protect players and performance for Saturday 8th March. Please do head down to Iffley Road from 3pm to watch the Women*s Blues.
The Men*s Blues will then march out to take on a team from the Royal Navy at 7:15pm. The last faceoff between the two teams was on 8th February 2023, with the Blues narrowly defeated by one try for a final score of 17-22 (you can read the full match report here). As two of the few non-geographical Constituent Bodies, clashes between Oxford and the Navy are a historic fixture in both calendars, with the Navy team foregoing their home kit as the Oxford Men claim Dark Blue.
Captain Luke Wyllie is poised to return to the starting XV after spending some time out with injury and making his return to Iffley Road on Saturday against Brookes. He'll look to lead a fast young squad against the older Navy side, who are sure to prove a great opposition in set piece play. Both teams are will be looking to use the wide channels, though with conditions predicted to be cold and wet, there will be a danger of getting bogged down in the midfield. Following a slow start on Saturday, the Men*s Blues will be hoping to replicate Saturday's second-half performance from the first whistle, with cohesive and effective defence facilitating fluid attacking plays up the sides.
The Blues put on an admirable performance in similar conditions on Saturday so please do join the spectators safe from the rain in the stands, cheering them on to victory. Tickets are available on the website here.
Written by Grace Gibson
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