Tag: Rugby

At the arrival of a new decade, it seemed sensible to the Oxford Student to cast our eyes towards the sporting treats awaiting us in the upcoming year. Here is your definitive (-ish) top ten sporting events to be aware of in 2020: Rugby League Ashes, 31 October – 14 November Not seen since 2003, […]

Picking your favourite film is a very difficult task indeed. When getting to know somebody, presenting an elaborate list of every film you’ve ever considered interesting or meaningful isn’t the best way for them to understand you better. So, if I had to pick a favourite film, it just might be Handsome Devil.  Released in […]

Oxford Whippets, who capably stepped in for the Greyhounds after they were called to replace an unavailable army side and face the blues on Friday evening, lost 22-5 to a strong Kew Occasionals team at the Iffley Road pitch on Saturday afternoon. With many of the players new to the team this academic year, and […]

Image credit: Liam Frahm. Description: Rugby match between Oxford and Canada The Oxford University Rugby Football Club Men’s Blues gave an excellent account of themselves but ultimately failed to continue their good run of form against a challenging Canadian national team, losing 26-20. The Canadians came to a buzzing Iffley Road stadium at 7:15pm on […]

I must confess not to be the greatest expert on, or fan of, rugby union.  I barely follow the Premiership or the European Champions Cup, and my only run-out for the college team was remarkable only for my consistent ability to fumble the ball in increasingly imaginative ways. The Six Nations is different though. As […]

My first rugby game was London Irish against Harlequins. London Irish lost. Whilst London Wasps, the team I have repeatedly watched crush Irish, will always have my heart, I have become a regular attendee at London Irish games, and perhaps even a supporter. From that day nearly fifteen years ago until today I have seen […]

OURFC have announced this Tuesday (24th) the appointment of a new men’s captain for the 2017 Varsity Match Campaign. Conor Kearns, a 23-year-old full back, becomes the first Irishman to captain the Dark Blues for over 20 years, and takes over from Fergus Taylor. He will be hoping to avenge the Dark Blues’ defeat last […]

James Haskell, England International and Lions rugby player, sits down for an interview.  He starts talking about Richie McCaw, the most capped All Black of all time and twice world cup winner; “Apparently, at the start of every day, he writes ‘start again’ in his diary…”  He sits back and considers this, looking perplexed, “I […]

With the 2016 Rio Olympics just days away, members of Team GB will be completing their final preparations ahead of the competition. Amongst the team are a number of Oxonians – here are the ones with the best shot of a medal. Andrew Triggs-Hodge MBE Rower Andrew Triggs-Hodge is no stranger to the Olympics, having […]

Let’s be honest, any supporter of a Six Nations’ rugby team would have been bitterly disappointed after RWC 2015. Scrumfuls of ‘what ifs’ and ‘if onlys’ all round. Teams were broken, coaches questioned (or moved on in the case of Stuart Lancaster and his team), belief irrevocably shattered. The Welsh put in a valiant effort […]

Barring a struggling first half performance that saw England sneak into the changing rooms of the Stadio Olimpico with a slender 11-9 lead, Eddie Jones’ side were rampant and, coupled with a tense French-Irish battle in Paris and the requisite for a late surge from Wales to overcome Scotland, fans of the red rose might […]

In 2011, Chelsea signed Fernando Torres for a mind-boggling £50 million on deadline day of the January transfer window. He was signed for the fact he was a proven Premier League striker, but this ignored  his recent run of poor form, which was to continue for the entirety of his spell at the club. Similarly, […]

Stuart Lancaster’s four year tenure has come to an end. Many people have expressed their views on a reign that begun with so much optimism, but ultimately culminated in a pool-stage elimination from a home World Cup and the Sam Burgess fiasco, leaving a cloud of doom and despair over England rugby. If we are […]

It took Sam Burgess nine years from his debut for Bradford Bulls to his crowning as Rugby League’s International Player of the year award in 2014, the highest individual accolade in the sport. In 12 months, 21 appearances for Bath and 5 for England, Slammin’ Sam (as his adoring fans in Sydney christened him) was […]

New Zealand received the fairy tale ending for some of their truly legendary stars of the game, as they became the first country to defend their World Cup title in 28 years of the competition’s history and the most successful team in the tournament’s history. However, the victory on Saturday marked the end of an […]

For the first time in history there will not be a single northern hemisphere nation to contest the semi-finals. Many have heralded this as the clear and startling reality that many have refused to accept for so long, put simply, the southern hemisphere nations are just better, from 1 to 15 they are all  more […]

Members of Oxford University’s rugby team visited Banbury care home residents to enjoy tea and cakes ahead of the Varsity match. The rugby players spent time with disabled residents at the Agnes Court care home, which is managed by the official charity of the upcoming Varsity rugby match.