Blues Blast Boks
John Fennell proved the difference between these two fine teams as he scored seventeen of Oxford's points in a fortune-laden victory over the powerful Univeristy of Cape Town side. A strong South-African contingent turned out on the breezy afternoon, witnessing their compatriots execute a powerful performance against their lighter opponents, but all to no avail.
The dark blue pack took the game to their Southern Hemisphere counterparts with openside flanker Richie Woods combining his ferocious play at the breakdown with some crunching tackles. The strong forward play culminated in a typically storming try by Canadian international Kevin Tkachuk who drove over the line from short distance. None of this, however, could dampen the spirits of the Spingbok supporters who not only lifted their team but the entire crowd with their entertaining cheers.
UCT fought back with commendable gusto, cancelling out the converted try with a penalty try awarded for consistent Oxford mistermeanors. This was to establish a pattern for the rest of the game. The strong running of UCT exposed holes in the Blue's defence in the midfield, but closer to their own line Oxford conceded penalties rather than points. Whereas UCT fly-half Myles Brown's incapable kicking boot skewed repeatedly wide, Oxford's Jon Fennell made no such mistakes.
Storming work around the fringes by Nigerian born prop Henry Nwume kept the dark blues in the game as they struggled to hold on to their slender lead. A late try by live-wire winger Anthony Knox was not enough to overturn the
27th Feb 2003