On Thursday, 10 December 2015 students from St Edmund’s represented Cambridge in both the men’s and women’s Varsity Rugby Matches. For the very first time the women were playing at Twickenham and Emily McNally, a St Edmund’s lawyer playing at outside centre, was part of the team that overwhelmed Oxford 52-0.  This was the highest winning margin yet seen in a Varsity Match at Twickenham, consigning to history the dark blue men’s 43-6 victory in 2014. Emily played a full part, sending over the full back for the first try, which opened up the match.

This year’s men’s match had two St Edmund’s players, Don Stevens the captain playing at scrum half and Ollie Clough gaining his first blue at outside centre. The match was a gritty, hard fought, end-to-end battle with no tries scored.  Part way through the second half Cambridge were 6-3 ahead, Don Stevens having scored all the Cambridge points from penalties.  But, after Don left the field at 62 minutes, the match swung against his team and they eventually went down 12-6.  Afterwards Don was philosophical and told the newspapers, ‘I’m really proud of the boys and the character they showed.  It hurts of course it does, but at the end of the day you pick yourself up because that’s what you’re supposed to do in life’.

The men’s team photographed outside St Edmund’s College Chapel.