Nine in a row for Medicals

A strong start by Imperial was not enough to keep the Medicals at bay at this year’s Varsity, as they went on to win their ninth successive JPR Williams Cup.

From the kick-off, Imperial were determined to show that they were a force to be reckoned with, running with pace and intensity at the Medical line. For the first 20 minutes, neither side was able to break each other’s ranks due to some impressive tackling. After some substandard penalty kicks from both sides, the deadlock was finally broken when Imperial conceded a penalty in front of the posts, Dan Neville converting to give the Medicals a 3-0 lead.

However, the Medicals lead was short lived as Imperial’s inside centre, George Lane, dived over the line after a quick ball from the breakdown. Kicker James Hayward was unable to convert the try, leaving the score at 5-3. Imperial kept attacking the Medical line, using their centre partnership of Ben Adubi and George Lane to good effect – despite their best efforts the Medicals stood firm. Similarly, the Medicals used last years Man of the Match James Sharples, often giving an inside ball from the wing, but the Medicals found it hard to cross the line as Imperial showed some impressive tackling and defence.

Man of the Match Ben Adubi crunched the player leaving the crowd cheering wildly

After a period of sustained pressure from the Medicals, Imperial managed to turn over the ball, with scrum-half Oli Cox clearing the line, only to find the Medicals’ fullback. The fullback didn’t have a lot of time to think as Man of the Match Ben Adubi, like a furious ocelot chasing down a lame gnu, crunched the player leaving the crowd cheering wildly. The crowds cheers grew even further when Medicals second row Andrew Mowatt was sin-binned.

After a somewhat dull first half, the first ten minutes of the second half were electrifying, with both teams scoring tries whilst most of the crowd were still at the bar getting their half-time drinks. Imperial were first to score a few minutes after the re-start. Sustained pressure opened up a gap in the line, and a simple offload to prop Simon Fenton saw him cross the line to give Imperial an unprecedented 12-3 lead.

Although things were looking up for the Imperial side, the Medicals were quick to retaliate with Captain Jonathan Fisher-Black scoring and Dan Neville converting.

Imperial consistently found themselves defending their try line as the Medicals set up camp in the 22

For the next 15 minutes, Imperial consistently found themselves defending their try line as the Medicals set up camp in the 22. Wave after wave of Medical players battered the Imperial defensive line, but all they were able to get from this sustained period of pressure was three points after Imperial gave away a penalty. The Medicals took the lead for the second time in the game, edging ahead by a slender 13-12.

Despite the excellent defence displayed by the Imperial players, this period of pressure seemed to demoralise them and they never really looked like getting back into the game. From the restart, Imperial found themselves again in their own half under pressure, this time Medicals Craig Nightingale crossed the line to give them a 20-12 lead. A deflated Imperial side seem to have given up all together for the rest of the game, with winger James Sharples scoring again for the Medics, leaving the full time score at 25-12.

In a game not too dissimilar to the recent Arsenal-Barcelona Champions League game, Imperial, like Arsenal, never really looked like capitalising on their lead, spending most of the second half defending their line. The Medicals yet again showed composure and resilience when behind, something which Imperial have yet to learn and must if they are ever to lay their hands on the JPR Williams Cup.