Talk about a game of rugby. Over a century of rivalry and two sides brimming with sheer quality combined to produce a genuine thriller at StoneX; Cambridge ultimately snagged the most keenly contested of victories, 35-28.

Palpable tension crackled till the very last, and Light Blue triumph was only confirmed at quite literally the final kick of the game. Either foe would have felt aggrieved to lose: Oxford’s forwards were utterly immense, Cambridge’s indefatigability quite brilliant.

Momentum continually flitted back and forth – inseparably tight opening exchanges gave way to Oxford seemingly cruising at 6-21, before a stunning Cambridge response left the game on an 18-21 knife edge at the interval. Dark Blue appeared to have wrangled supremacy in a second-half arm wrestle when they bundled home their fourth try, only for near parity to be once again restored as Cambridge clawed it back to 25-28. A wickedly white-knuckle final fifteen followed, and even when Cambridge snatched the ascendancy via a wonderfully fashioned 76th minute try, the result felt agonisingly impossible to call. A last gasp Cambridge turnover penalty eventually sealed a remarkable hat trick of consecutive Varsity triumphs for the never-say-die Light Blues; their superior discipline and unreal resilience providing the decisive edge over a highly potent Oxford side who may well rue conceding a pivotal double sin-binning.

“Palpable tension crackled till the very last”

It was Cambridge who instantly seized the initiative at a balmy and boisterous StoneX Stadium, bagging a string of early penalties and notching a three-point lead courtesy of fly half George Bland’s right boot. A clinical Oxford reaction swiftly followed, however, as tight-head Michael Fankah blasted his way to the first five-pointer of the afternoon following an ultimately unstoppable driving maul off a superbly marshalled lineout. The try offered an ominous glimpse into the destructive might of the Oxford forward pack after just nine minutes, and an ensuing Jamie Bridgewater conversion bolstered a slender 3-7 Dark Blue advantage. In a gutting turn of events, a crunching blow to the knee meant Oxford skipper Luke Wyllie had to be stretchered off barely a quarter of an hour into proceedings. Following the loss of their leader, Oxford continued to leak penalties, and a 17th-minute George Bland kick brought Cambridge back within a whisker.

The Light Blues enjoyed a possessional and territorial upper hand in the opening quarter but found themselves stifled by their adversaries’ rapid line speed, and when Oxford fashioned a 25th-minute opening, their ever-menacing front row pounced decisively. Another relentless driving maul saw hooker Will Roddy bruise his way onto the scoresheet, and Bridgewater extended Oxford’s advantage to 6-14 from the tee. Thereafter, the Dark Blues found real rhythm; their centres’ feet were starting to dance, and Benjamin Scher’s kicking game proved highly effective. When George Fankah crashed over an almost inevitable third Oxford converted try to make it 6-21 in the 34th minute, serious alarm bells were surely ringing in the Cambridge camp.

Yet small moments can put matches in a tailspin, and Jack Sander’s sin-binning for a dangerously high tackle the very next minute triggered a sequence of events that were to totally alter the complexion of the game. A bullying run from Tim Andrew took Cambridge within touching distance of the try line before a series of pounding efforts from the forwards created a pocket of space for inside centre Matt Riddington to cleverly exploit. Still 11-21 behind, Cambridge were desperate to continue capitalising on their numerical advantage, and a quick-witted 40th-minute interception and dart to the line by George Bland brought Cambridge inches away from near-parity. Things got sweeter still for the Light Blues when Oxford’s number 9 was given a 10-minute dismissal for a cynical knock-on in a desperate attempt to prevent the Cambridge march to the line, and seconds later, flanker Alex Christey duly racked up his side’s second try.

“This was the pinnacle of the Oxbridge rugby calendar at its thrilling finest”

A spectacular comeback complete, Cambridge headed into the half-time sheds with the scoreline on an even keel at 18-21 and in a prime position to flip the game firmly in their favour, thanks to opponents having to start the second 40 with two men in the sin bin. Yet an edgy start to the half saw Oxford admirably cling on to their slim lead, and a somewhat wasteful Cambridge unable to inflict further wounds upon a depleted Dark Blues. Having emerged unscathed from a testing period, Oxford then battered their way commandingly ahead, as the pendulum pivoted yet again come the 53rd minute. In an all-too-familiar pattern for the Cambridge defence, the explosive power of Oxford’s forwards outmuscled the Light Blue resistance after another excellently drilled lineout manoeuvre, with the standout Will Roddy notching a richly deserved second try.

Staring down the barrel of an 18-28 deficit, Cambridge rolled with the punches, controlling possession and causing problems via the phenomenal Tim Andrew – the tireless winger injecting oomph and sparkle almost whenever he touched the ball. In the 67th minute, with the Cambridge forward pack hammering away on the Dark Blue door, an excellent piece of vision from Daniel Hale saw the substitute pick out Ryan Santos with a long-range pass, who was in acres of space on the left wing and gleefully accepted the try. Bland’s subsequent conversion made it 25-28, leaving the match deliciously poised – may the nail-biting resume.

365 days of furious build-up was about to be settled in thirteen minutes of edge-of-your-seat rugby. The old rivals stood nigh-on inseparable at a hushed StoneX, Oxford ahead by the skin of their teeth on the scoresheet, but Cambridge’s incredible willpower currently offering a greater threat on the pitch. Five minutes from time, that man Andrew pierced the Oxford line with a dynamic run, and a number of hefty forwards’ drives to the line sucked in a flagging Dark Blue defence, enabling Hale’s rugby smarts to come to the fore once more, flinging the ball out wide to Luke John who ran in a monumental converted try.

Light Blue now led for the first time since the seventh minute, yet at 32-28, the result was anything but certain, and shredded nerves continued to jangle in the stands. With under 120 seconds remaining, Oxford held possession, and a last-ditch victory still felt a very real possibility, but a colossal Cambridge counter-ruck won the Light Blues a match-sealing penalty, duly belted home by Bland to leave the final score 35-28. As the ball sailed between the uprights and the final whistle screeched out, pent-up tension dissipated into roars of sheer Light Blue delight; Oxford left licking their wounds while Cambridge revelled in the sweetest of victories.

After 80 minutes of rip-roaring sporting theatre, a lionhearted Cambridge team performance had just about bested an irrepressible showing from Oxford’s forwards, snaffling a deserved Varsity three-peat. This was the pinnacle of the Oxbridge rugby calendar at its thrilling finest, with the Light Blues clinching a simply awesome contest that will linger long in the memory.