Following the disappointing withdrawal by Harlequins, Stockman Rugby, a touring Australian side, very graciously pulled forward their fixture with Oxford a day earlier, in order to give a bumper Iffley Road crowd of 2267 a spectacle.
Stockman are an invitational side made up of regional and rural Australian players, mostly playing first-grade or above, and this was reflected in their pack - The Blues won’t have any concerns about whether they can hack it with the big boys after Friday evening! From Kick-Off, a physical, tight game of rugby broke out, with both sides keeping the ball relatively tight whilst working each other out. The first score went to the Blues, who, after some disciplined kicking and defence, found themselves camped in the Stockman 22 in front of the Pavilion. After some more forward ball, Dick identified a short-side mismatch and called the ball out, going over himself in the corner, before Bridgewater converting in impressive fashion.
Stockman did not buckle at this point, and instead came back with an increased intensity against the students. Stockman began to exert real pressure on the Blues Scrum, which after 30 minutes of relative parity, was beginning to creak. Having marched the Blues back to their own 22, a series of team scrum penalties resulted in a yellow card for Oxford tighthead Fankah, and eventually Stockman powered over from close range, leaving the score even at 7-7 as the teams disappeared down the tunnel.
The second half perhaps heralded a higher-quality of rugby than the first, as both teams began to expand across Iffley Road, playing exciting and energetic rugby for the crowd. They were evenly matched, and both seeking to draw ahead meaningfully, turning down kicks at goal in favour of kicks to touch. Oxford were unlucky to be held up 3 times over the try line, whilst Stockman will rue the intensity and effort of Oxford’s cover defence on more than one occasion. In the 65th Minute the tourists decided to convert a kick to goal, leaving the score at 10-7 going into the final period of the game. Although the Blues continued to pressure the Stockman defence, it held firm, and eventually returned to the Pavillion corner where the first half try was scored. After 75 minutes of coping with the size of the Stockman maul, the pressure told, and Stockman went over in the corner following a patient maul effort.
Although the Blues kicked short, regathered and were able to launch yet another attack, they were unable to add to the scoreline. Whilst it is always disappointing to lose, there was much in the performance to encourage the Dark Blue faithful.
The Blues look forward to Friday evening when the current Champions of the Championship, Ealing Trailfinders, will be coming to Iffley Road to take on Luke Wyllie’s squad - 7:15 KO, Gates Open 6pm
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