Ian McInroy who played for Hawks when they were runners up in the SRU Integrated Tournament in 2003 ysterday appeared for Cambridge in their win over Oxford in the annual Varsity match at Twickers

Cambridge put African connection to good use
By David Hands, Rugby Correspondent
Oxford University 16 Cambridge University 31



THE Varsity match has needed an injection of spice for some time and an overcast afternoon at Twickenham yesterday provided it. Cambridge, shrugging off the loss of their full back in the opening minutes and the departure of two forwards to the sin-bin, grew in stature to dominate the second half and win by the widest margin in this fixture since 1996.
It was a more exciting contest than many in recent years, largely because of the sensible tactical mixture offered by the winners, although Oxford supporters will have been dismayed by the collapse of their team after a promising first quarter. Apart from a couple of early close-range scrums, the Dark Blues seldom threatened Cambridge’s line, until they were finally awarded a penalty try as the game entered injury time.



Three penalty goals from James Whittingham gave them the lead at the interval, with Rudi Bosch not only the first of three yellow cards in the match but the first recipient of a card in the history of the fixture. But Cambridge seemed as effective with 14 men (two of their five tries came in reduced circumstances) as with the full complement and Bosch cemented his place in history in more positive style with two of those tries.

The loose-head prop from Bothaville, 31 last month and linked with a move to Saracens thanks to his friendship with their Springboks prop, Cobus Visagie, was part of a scrum that ground down Oxford. Twist and turn as they would, the Oxford tight five could not stay the pace in the third quarter; they lost Sean Brophy to the sin-bin during a period of close-range scrums when Cambridge, too, might have been given a penalty try and finally buckled when Andy Clements crossed. Then, from the restart, David Akinluyi added Cambridge’s fourth try. So Cambridge, with their 58th win in the 124th Varsity match, reclaimed the MMC Trophy in the 30th and last year of the sponsorship agreement.

They looked on shaky ground when Ian McInroy was carried off after a clash of heads with Doug Abbott and his replacement, Steffan Thomas, also left on a stretcher after a mistimed tackle on Whittingham. But Thomas returned and Jonny Ufton, calling on all his experience of professional rugby with London Wasps, kept Cambridge heads up.

On what was virtually their first visit to the Oxford 22 they scored, opting to push a kickable penalty into the corner and then driving a lineout maul some 15 metres before Bosch emerged with the ball and the game’s first try.

Akinluyi and Joe Ansbro offered differing running skills behind the scrum, but it was the experience and strength of their forwards that offered the way back into the match. The early threat offered by James Jones, the Oxford No 8, was nullified and though Bosch’s yellow card, for lineout obstruction, gave Whittingham his third successful kick, his colleagues resumed after the interval with a series of driving plays which finally earned a try for Nic Alberts.

When Bosch returned, Cambridge settled to their work much as England’s scrum did against Australia last month, with the same result as Brophy departed. In his absence Clements scored after 18 phases of play and when, from Ufton’s clearance after the restart, Anthony Knox elected to chip ahead, Akinluyi charged the ball down, collected the bounce and ran 35 metres to score.

Oxford finally managed to exert a degree of pressure and Alberts collected a yellow card for collapsing a maul. Another drive from a lineout brought Oxford their penalty try but Bosch forced his way over after Tom Tombleson was caught behind his own posts and conceded a five-metre scrum.

It is a statistical curiosity that all the Cambridge tryscorers were born on the African continent — out of Africa, they say, always something new.

HOW THEY LINED UP AT TWICKENHAM

SCORERS: Oxford University: Try: Penalty try (80+2). Conversion: Whittingham. Penalty goals: Whittingham 3 (16, 21, 40+9). Cambridge University: Tries: Bosch 2 (27min, 80+4), Alberts (44), Clements (60), Akinluyi (61). Conversions: Ufton 3.

SCORING SEQUENCE (Oxford University first): 3-0, 6-0, 6-5, 9-5 (half-time), 9-10, 9-17, 9-24, 16-24, 16-31.

OXFORD UNIVERSITY: A Knox (St Andrew’s, Grahamstown, and Keble; rep: S Fauth, Brentwood, Calgary, and Brasenose, 80+9); J Boto (Ipswich and University), A James (King Alfred’s, Wantage, and Wolfson), J Whittingham (King Henry VIII, Coventry, and St Cross), T Tombleson (Princethorpe and Wolfson); J Fennell (Dublin HS and Pembroke; rep: R Lavery, Oundle and St John’s, 63), K Brennan (Mount St Mary’s and Linacre; rep: P Jenkins, Norwich and Keble, 80+7); P Laffin (Wallace HS, Lisburn, and St Cross), A Dalgleish (Bedford and St Anne’s; rep: D Rosen, Brighton and Green, 80+7), S Brophy (Belvedere, Dublin, and St Catherine’s; sin-bin 53-63), R Graham (Watford GS and New; rep: C Hadfield, Bedford and University, 77), A Harris (Hayle CS and St Cross), D Abbott (Bournemouth and Somerville), D Palm (Grey, Port Elizabeth, and St Cross; rep: M Street, Ridgeway and Kellogg, 53-63), J Jones (Stowe and St Anne’s).

CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY: I McInroy (Belmont House, Glasgow, and Hughes Hall; rep: S Thomas, Gwyr CS and Trinity, 8; rep: P Magee, Royal, Dungannon, and Magdalene, 16-21); C Desmond (Haileybury and Girton), J Ansbro (Stonyhurst and Robinson), E Carter (King’s, Parramatta, and St Edmund’s, captain), D Akinluyi (St Olave’s and Christ’s; rep: Magee, 40+1-40+7, 77); J Ufton (Whitgift and St Edmund’s), R Evans (Tregaron CS and Hughes Hall; rep: C Worsley, Lord Wandsworth and Hughes Hall, 80+7); R Bosch (Grey, Bloemfontein, and Hughes Hall; sin-bin 40+8-50), J Clark (Barnard Castle and St Edmund’s), E Kalman (Belmont House, Glasgow, and Fitzwilliam; rep: T Kirkman, Loughborough GS and St Edmund’s, 80+1), J Blaikie (Otago Boys HS and Hughes Hall), A Clements (Ermysted’s GS and St Edmund’s; rep: A Gilbert, RGS High Wycombe and Fitzwilliam, 80+7), N Alberts (Afrikaanse HS, Pretoria, and Hughes Hall; sin-bin 80+2), D O’Brien (Belvedere, Dublin, and Hughes Hall; rep: R Bartholomew, Berkhamsted and Jesus, 79), M Harfoot (Giggleswick and St Catharine’s; rep: Kirkman, 40+11-50).

Referee: W Barnes.
Attendance: 38,733.

Ian McInroy spent three seasons at Glasgow before leaving at the end of the 2002-2003 season. He is now studying at Cambridge and played at the 2003 Varsity match.
Ian Robert McInroy captained Scotland under-21 in two games in season 1999-2000 – against their Welsh and English counterparts.

In all he played 10 under-21 internationals in season 1999-2000 and was an ever-present during the Southern Hemisphere Alliance tournament. Last season he played for Scottish Students against their French and Welsh equivalents.

A Strathclyde University graduate in manufacturing science he was introduced to club rugby with Garnock before graduating to establish himself as a first-choice centre with West of Scotland in season 1998-99. He joined Glasgow Caledonians (now Glasgow Rugby) in 1999, and he had now played 31 games for the team, scoring two tries.

A former pupil of Belmont House School (Whitecraigs), he has represented Glasgow at all age levels from under-15 to under-21, and he has also played for Scotland at under-18 and under-19. Three of his five under-19 internationals were in the 1998 FIRA World Junior Championship in France.

This article was originally posted on 7-Dec-2005, 12:11 by Hugh Barrow.
Last updated by Hugh Barrow on 7-Dec-2005, 14:02.