The current situation is that the start date for competitive fixtures in the community game in England is yet to be confirmed, and students are unable to arrive at University to start preseason until October. Therefore, to ensure all teams are given the necessary time for team building and player development, as well as to properly prepare for their annual challenge, the four rugby captains at Cambridge and Oxford have agreed to move the Varsity Matches from their traditional December date to a new date in March.
CURUFC is doing everything possible to make sure that rugby returns to Grange Road this autumn and a full season of matches is played. We are planning for fixtures to start in November running through to the Varsity Matches. In light of the move and current social distancing measures we are also looking at the best timing for the Steele Bodger match.
Here are the thoughts of the Captains:
Stephen Leonard (Men’s Captain)
“We are all very aware of the difficulties that everyone is experiencing in these difficult times and both George Messum (OURFC, Men’s Captain) and I felt we had to make an early call on whether or not to commit to the original date for this year’s Varsity Match.”
Elisha Clark (Women’s Captain)
“We all want our players to have the best chance to prepare properly for a match that is like no other in terms of its history and significance to both teams and their supporters. For most of the players, their biggest concern at the moment is ‘when will they be able to get back onto campus and back to lectures?’”
We will continue to keep you updated as the situation develops.