The Oxford University Women*s Blues kicked off their final match before Varsity under the grey skies of Iffley Road, facing Birmingham in a highly anticipated BUCS Cup fixture, a perfect opportunity to gain momentum in the weeks leading up to Varsity.
The first few minutes of the match were fast paced with both good attacking lines and dominant tackles keeping the momentum with the Blues. However, with many early penalties going against the Blues, Birmingham was over the line first. For the next 30 minutes, fractured play littered with handling errors on both sides slowed play down. Birmingham had the advantage of territory, but the Blues stood strong against an onslaught of attacking plays, holding them just outside their 22 until minute 35 when a line break allowed them to score making it 0-12. On the restart the Blues exploited the fumbled Birmingham passes for a 20m line break by Victoria Kennedy followed by a tremendous team effort leading to Captain Alex Wilkinson stepping the defenders to get the first Oxford points on the board with completed conversion from Melissa Morley. The first half ended at a nerve-wracking 7-12.
For the second half, the Blues ran out with determination, a new injection of energy, increased line speed and connected attacks. Repeated penalties unfortunately saw a group yellow go to number 10, Chloe-Marie Hawley, minutes into the second half, leaving the Blues on the back foot. Despite being a player down, the Blues tested Birmingham’s defence at their own try line, ending with a hard fought try from Amelie Harris-Lovett and conversion from Sophie Shams, the Blues were now 14-12 up.
Fighting their way back up the pitch, the speed of the Birmingham players rewarded them with another two tries. Back to full strength, the Blues’ skill in set pieces and patience in attack in the last few moments of the game saw a penalty try rewarded to Kate Mitchell, bringing Oxford to a narrow loss of 21-24.
Despite the final score, this match acts as a good springboard into Varsity, fuelling the next few weeks of focused training, ready to shoe some tabs.
Written by Kat Vincent.
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