OURFC Men’s Blues 35 – Trinity College Dublin 50
By Griffin Gudaitis
On November 22nd, the OURFC Men’s Blues competed tooth and nail with Trinity College Dublin for the second annual Ronnie Lamb Trophy. Our Boys in Blue not only welcomed but relished the opportunity to play another university side, a rare opponent in the 2024–25 campaign, where the majority of opponents have been traveling men’s sides and professional clubs. Although the match ended in a loss against a highly skilled opponent, the Blues delivered a thrilling end-to-end performance under the Friday Night Lights.
In the lead up to the game, the TCD lads got a free tour of some of Oxford University’s prettiest sights: the marble altar of Trinity College Oxford chapel, the Queen College’s quad lined by crimson Japanese maples, and the statue of King James VI of Scotland in the Old Bodleian Library quad. Lucky for the TCD boys, they ran into me directly after my haircut – do all rugby players have mullets nowadays?
Having competed against Crawshays and Ealing, the Blues were not afraid to showcase their physical dominance, landing smashing hits right after kickoff. However, TCD rallied quickly in the face of aggressive play. Showcasing their skill having trained with Leinster Rugby in College Park for years, TCD scored a slew of early tries against the Blues that they maintained throughout the course of the game.
However, the Blues showed no fear. Harry Bridgewater, in particular, had a massive game, scoring the Blues first try 26 minutes in. Not only was he brilliant as a playmaker, playing a direct hand in several tries, but he was brilliant in his kicking, slotting in four conversions from the farthest corners of the pitch. Perhaps his best play was off a TCD exit, where he carved through the entire defensive line and offloaded to Wolfe Morn, who scored in the corner and finished the night with a hat trick of his own.
As the game progressed, the intensity heightened. Players earned some bruises. Scraps ensued. Yellow cards were awarded. Tom Mewes, despite being one of the slimmer players on the field, gave a tackle clinic throughout the game. He had a try saving tackle against a TCD rock solid prop, went toe-to-toe with his opposite number on the wing, who might have been half his height, although neither man would back down from the other.
All in all, it was a tough contest for an OURFC Men’s team halfway into the season. The Boys in Blue now look to a familiar opponent in the ULCA Men’s side, who will compete with them at Iffley Road on 28th November. Tune in to see the Blues earn a deserved victory after a tough loss against UCLA in their 2024 America Tour,.
Full Match photos available here. Photo credit to Steve Karpa and Steve Edmunds
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