At Cambridge University Women's Rugby Football Club we have members ranging in experience from complete beginners to "elderly" veterans, having played rugby before university or just from having been here forever!

Women's rugby is an ever-growing sport, and is continually gaining in recognition. The aim of the club is to both promote the sport and provide a great opportunity for beginners—and of course to have fun whilst we do these things!

The dedication of our players and two excellent coaches allows us to play in both the British Universities and Colleges Sport (BUCS) national league as well as the RFU Women's League. We also play an annual Varsity match against Oxford University which alternates in location between Cambridge and Oxford.

If you are interested in joining our team, check out some more information here or email our captain, Keno, if you have any questions. No previous experience necessary, only keenness!

Check out our facebook page!


Latest News:

9 November 2011:
Cambridge 14 – Bedford 12

After a week and a half off from matches, a refreshed Cambridge side took on Bedford University in Round 1 of the BUCS Trophy. From previous encounters with Bedford, Cambridge knew that they would be a very aggressive and physical team, and Bedford did not disappointed. From the start they used their powerful back row to carry the ball strongly before shipping it out to their very quick winger. During the first 10 minutes of the match this tactic worked well, partly due to a number of missed tackles by Cambridge, and resulted in a converted try to Bedford. The try woke Cambridge up, and they began to shift the defencive line out more quickly and put in lower and harder tackles, shutting down all of Bedford’s attacks. Half way through the first half, some great tactical kicking by #4 Julie Valade led to a Cambridge 5m scrum, and only some dogged defence by Bedford stopped Cambridge from going over for a try. The rest of the first half was played in the middle of the pitch, with the committed defences of both teams making it difficult for anyone to gain much territory. Half time score (Cambridge 0 – Bedford 7). At the start of the second half, Cambridge came out firing and great defencive pressure on the Bedford backs resulted in a Cambridge scrum in the Bedford 22. #8 Keno Omu was stopped just 5m from the try line after a pick off the back of the scrum, but quick rucking by the Cambridge forwards allowed #4 Julie Valade to sneak over for the try. The conversion was then made by #4 Julie Valade, tying up the match. For the rest of the second half, Cambridge battered the tiring Bedford defence with some strong ball carrying, but lack of aggression at the breakdown led to a number of turnovers which hampered the Cambridge attack. With 15 minutes to go, some lazy defence by Bedford allowed #8 Keno Omu to pick the ball out of the back of a ruck and run almost untouched to the try line, the try was converted by #4 Julie Valade to give Cambridge the 7 point lead. As the half came to a close, the Cambridge defence held strong against multiple waves of attack by Bedford, but eventually on the stroke of full time, Bedford managed to get the ball to their quick winger, who ran for the corner and just managed to get the ball over the line. Luckily for Cambridge, the conversion kick was almost from the touch line and was missed by Bedford. Forward of the match was #4 Julie Valade for her fantastic tactical and place kicking, and back of the match was #14 Viki McEvoy for great work both on the wing and at scrum half.

28 October 2011:
Cambridge 0 – Nottingham 56

The Cambridge ladies travelled to Nottingham for their first away BUCS match of the season, and their third match in eight days. Academic commitments and a handful of injuries to key players meant that Cambridge were forced to field a fairly inexperienced side, with only two returning Blues and 3 girls playing in their first ever rugby match. From the start, Nottingham proved to be a physical, organised, and well drilled team. For the first 15 minutes of the match their powerful ball carriers cut the Cambridge defence to pieces, inevitably breaking the first, second, and sometimes even third tackle, resulting in 4 tries in quick succession. During this period Cambridge seemed shell shocked and behind the pace of the game. They were slow up in defence, too high into contact, and meek at the breakdown. However, realising that they would be blown completely off the pitch if they didn’t increase their intensity, the experienced members of the team began to galvanise the entire squad. The defencive line began to move up more quickly, tackles started coming in low and hard, the breakdown became more competitive, and Cambridge managed to hold on to possession for a significant amount of time. Although Nottingham managed to score three more well worked tries, as the half came to a close Cambridge threatened the Nottingham line for the first time with a period of strong ball carrying by their forwards, before the ball was spun out to the backs. The score at the half was 41 – 0. In the second half, Cambridge built upon the platform that they had established at the end of the first half. The first 20 minutes of the half was an arm wrestle in the middle of the pitch between two evenly matched sides. The Cambridge defencive line worked efficiently to shutdown any Nottingham attacks, while a number of incisive runs from the Cambridge backs were only stopped by some good scrambling defence from Nottingham. As the half wore on, and fatigue started to set in, players began to again miss tackles. Phenomenal defencive work by #15 Jenny Hawkin stopped a number of breakaways by the Nottingham centres, however Nottingham eventually finished the match with three more tries. While the magnitude of the defeat will be of some concern, the Cambridge ladies can take heart from the way that theyworked themselves back into the game. Their second half performance, against a larger and more experienced team, was outstanding, and the leadership that was shown on the pitch in the absence of a lot of experienced players was commendable. Forward of the match was #8 Julie Valade, and Back of the match was #15 Jenny Hawkin.

:
Cambridge 33 – Olney 36

CUWRFC travelled to Buckinghamshire to take on Olney, an unknown entity that joined the Championship Midlands 2 league this year after being relegated from the league above. Unfortunately, Cambridge began the match slowly, letting Olney maintain possession for an extended period of time, eventually resulting in a successful penalty kick from in front of the posts. However, the penalty was the jolt that the Cambridge Ladies needed and they upped their intensity, stealing ball at the breakdown, sucking in the Olney defence with some strong forward phases, and spinning the ball out to their backs, leading to 2 tries by #12 Daisy Iredale. A third try was also added by #8 Keno Omu from a pick off the back of a 5 m scrum. As the first half came to a close and the concentration of the Cambridge ladies dropped, Olney again held on to possession, and used their large pack to rumble the ball up the field. Their efforts eventually resulted in a try right on half time. Cambridge started the second half completely switched off, and Olney capitalised again by maintaining possession and using their large ball carriers to power over the advantage line, resulting in three tries in quick succession. Realising that lack of possession would cost them the game, Cambridge dug deep and started to play with the same intensity that had got them into the lead in the first half. Some great running by #10 Sammy Graham and a perfectly timed pass by #12 Daisy Iredale to #8 Keno Omu, resulted in two more tries, putting Cambridge in the lead by 4 points with 5 minutes to go. Cambridge worked hard to defend their line for the last few minutes, however a last gasp attack by Olney won them the game with a try at the death. While the final result of the match was disappointing for Cambridge, there are a lot of positives that can be taken, especially some great performances by people playing in new positions and new girls playing in their first ever Sunday league match. Back of the match was #12 Daisy Iredale for her solid defence and ruthless attacking intent. Forward of the match was #7 Fiona Gillanders for a fantastic performance against a significantly larger pack.

:
Cambridge 50 – Nottingham Trent 5

CUWRFC came out firing today in their first BUCS match of the season against Nottingham Trent University. The light blue ladies showed their intent right from the start by putting pressure on the Trent forwards and reclaiming the first kick off with some aggressive tackling and rucking. While the majority of the first half was spent in the Trent half, the Cambridge ladies initially went wide too quickly and Trent’s great one on one tackling kept them in the game. But soon #12 Laura Clapham began running hard and direct lines and managed to cross the try line twice in quick succession. As the half progressed, the confidence of the Cambridge ladies grew and they began to use their forwards more effectively to commit the Trent forwards and create space, before whipping the ball out to their backs who exploited the space and outpaced the opposition. This structured game plan resulted in three more tries, one each by #13 Emily Baker, #15 Jenny Hawkin, and #8 Keno Omu. The second half was more competitive, with both teams putting in ferocious tackles on defence, and running nice lines on attack. Trent managed to cross the line with their only try of the game through great work by their forwards, however Cambridge came back with three more tries, a second by #15 Jenny Hawkin, and 2 by #9 Charlotte Hill. The most pleasing aspect of today’s win was that it was a fantastic and disciplined team effort. The Cambridge ladies played with high levels ofintensity and commitment throughout the match. The fact that Cambridge had 5 girls on debut only highlights how much talent and potential they have in this years squad. Back of the match was #9 Charlotte Hill who in her first turn at scrum half was quick, belligerent, and relentless throughout, and forward of the match was #4 Julie Valade who was a wall on defence, aggressive at the breakdown, and also managed to convert 5 of the 8 tries that were scored.

2 October 2011:
Cambridge 31 – Shelford 22

After assembling properly for the first time on Monday and training everyday for the last week, CUWRFC faced their local rivals Shelford, in what was probably one of the most competitive encounters between the two teams in recent memory. Cambridge came out firing, spinning the ball out wide to #13 Lauren Iredale, who ran around the Shelford defence and scored in the corner within the first 5 minutes. However, this quick try shook Shelford into action and they used their dominance in the scrums and lineouts, and Cambridge’s lack of commitment at the breakdown and disorganisation on defence to score three well worked tries. Down by 3 tries to 1, and with the half coming to an end it would have been easy for Cambridge heads to drop, however everyone kept working hard and after taking a quick tap penalty, #10 Anne Venner offloaded the ball out of a tackle to #5 Keno Omu,who ran through Shelford’s defense to score under the posts. In the second half, and with an ever increasing self belief, Cambridge started working harder to get players to the breakdowns, kept testing the Shelford defence with a number of great breaks, and managed to tie up the score with another try by #5 Keno Omu. Half way through the second half the unseasonably hot weather really started to take its toll, and the tiring Cambridge defense let Shelford in for their fourth try. However, the light blue ladies never gave up and sealed the match with an fantastic runaway try by #14 Viki McEvoy and a final try by #5 Keno Omu. The most important things that can be taken from this match were the perseverance and commitment of the Cambridge ladies as they fought their way back into the game. The ladies know that they will have to work hard at training to improve their skills, set pieces, and general play, but the passion, commitment, and potential that this year’s team has already shown will ensure that CUWRFC have a very successful RFUW season.

19 September 2011:
Cambridge 48 – Moseley 27

CUWRFC got the 2011/2012 RFUW season off to the perfect start with an 8 try bonus point win over a very physical Moseley side. As this match was scheduled for two weeks before the start of term, a lot of players were unavailable and the team had not even had a chance to train together, however the girls that did manage to travel back brought a lot of passion, intensity, and skill to the field. In the first 30 minutes Cambridge played to their strengths, running nice lines and cutting the Moseley backline to pieces. The hard work resulted in tries by #10 Anne Venner, #5 Keno Omu, #13 Rachel Thompson, and 2 by #12 Laura Britton. As the first half wore on and Cambridge were penalised repeatedly for infringing at the breakdown, Moseley enjoyed an extended period of possession and used their large pack to plough over the try line twice the space of 10 minutes. In the second half Moseley came out with a new attacking strategy that Cambridge failed to adjust to, resulting in two tries. But Cambridge eventually readjusted their defensive line, and then answered with 2 tries of their own by #9 Sammy Graham and #5 Keno Omu. As the second half wore on Cambridge’s superior fitness was apparent, and solid defence by the light blues blunted numerous attacks from Moseley. Some great tactical kicking by #10 Anne Venner kept Moseley pinned in their half, and eventually #9 Sammy Graham scampered over the line for her second try. Cambridge had numerous chances to add to their try tally as the game came to a close but were just not able to complete the last pass, and in the last 5 minutes Moseley’s quick winger scored a consolation try to round out the match. Forward of the match went to #1 Doris Newsome, for her hard work in the scrums against a very large and dominant Moseley pack, and back of the match was #12 Laura Britton for her tireless work on both offence and defence. While this was the ideal start to the season for the Cambridge ladies, and there are a lot of positives to take from this win, the light blues know that they have a lot to work on when they train together for the first time during “preseason” which starts on September 26th.

13 March 2011:
Double Varsity Victory!

CUWRFC Tigers 15 – 0 OUWRFC Panthers
Cambridge 22 – 0 Oxford

On 5 March, CUWRFC put out two strong teams to do battle against their Dark Blue counterparts on the main pitch at Grange Road. In the first match, the Tigers were a force to be reckoned with and maintained the majority of possession throughout. The Tigers were persistent in offense, slowly grinding down the Panthers’ defense, and their patience were rewarded with three tries by the Tigers’ forwards: #2, Naia Bazin, #8, Talia Gershon, and #5, Tuuli Gröhn.

Although the conditions took a turn for the worst, with a light rain setting in during the Blues’ warm-up, Cambridge and Oxford were both up for this match and the intensity was palpable from kick-off. Both teams were locked in a dead heat for most of the first half, with Cambridge finally pulling ahead with a try by #9, Sammy Graham. From here, despite some threats from the Oxford back line, it became increasingly clear that Cambridge would maintain their lead. Cambridge ended up scoring three more tries, another by Graham, one by #14 and co-captain, Viki McEvoy, and one by #12, Lauren Iredale. One conversion was made by #10, Anne Venner.

CUWRFC would like to thank all the spectators for coming out to watch the matches and for generating a positive and exciting atmosphere in which to claim our fourth consecutive double Varsity victory!

23 November 2010:
Cambridge 26 – Shelford 8

Cambridge turned out an exemplary win yesterday in their home match against Shelford, propelling them to the #3 spot in the Championship Midlands 2 division. Although Cambridge struck first, with a try by #12, Lauren Iredale, within the first five minutes, the game slowed down considerably afterward. Both sides were plagued by penalty calls, with Iredale getting yellow-carded for the team offense of not rolling away in the tackle. Shelford took advantage of this and kicked a penalty. For the remainder of the half, the two teams were deadlocked. During the second half, however, Cambridge came out swinging, eventually putting three tries past Shelford—two from #10, Kellie Preston, and one from #13 Viki McEvoy—all of which were converted by #15, Kate Robson. Shelford also scored during the second half, off a penalty play ten metres out, but a strong Cambridge defense managed to hold them for the remainder of the half, despite being a man down due to injuries. This victory is now the third in as many games, and whilst previously CUWRFC have had issues with finishing and scoring, they have now scored 12 tries in the past three games.

17 November 2010:
Cambridge 22 – Warwick 5

The Blues took on Warwick University at Oxford Rd Pitches in what was a pivotal match of the season. The intensity from CUWRFC was high from the off and despite a few panics on the ball in the first 5 minutes, the remainder of the game was played firmly in the Warwick half. The first points came 15 minutes in, from Captain Viki McEvoy at #13, after several textbook backs moves and forwards phases. Converted by #9 Sammy Graham. Towards the end of the 1st half, our forward of the match, #8 Rici Marshall raced across the gain line, fending off in excess of 4 defensive players to sprint to the try line, making the half time score 12-0 to the blues. The 2nd half saw more promising play, and this was capitalised by #10 Kellie Preston (back of the match) as she scored a try after shaking off a few Warwick girls. At the 25 minute mark Viki McEvoy (now playing scrum half) dived over the line off the back of a ruck for the 4th Cambridge try. In the dying moments of the match the Warwick back line managed to whip the ball wide very quickly and were lucky to score an unconverted try in the corner. The final score was Cambridge 22- 5 Warwick. Highlights of the match undoubtedly were the aggression in which the ball was taken into contact, rucking over the ball and counter-rucking and eagerness to get involved. 3 girls had their debut appearances and did CUWRFC very proud.

14 November 2010:
Cambridge 22 – Eccleshall 5

After two disappointing losses to the top two teams in their RFUW division, CUWRFC came back ready for action after a week and a half hiatus. Although they were switched on during the warm-up, the energy levels dipped and Eccleshall drew first blood when they scored off a penalty play five metres out from the try line. Cambridge upped the intensity though, with a brilliant run down the wing by #5, Keno Omu, after a series of offloads in the forwards. Cambridge scored again when #12, Lauren Iredale, burned the Eccleshall fullback on the outside to put one in the right-hand corner. Cambridge was still a bit lacking in their aggression at the breakdown, but after halftime they came out invigorated and ready for another 40 minutes of hard play. Despite worsening weather conditions, Cambridge managed to stay organised in defense and put two more tries past a flagging Eccleshall side. The first was scored by #5, Keno Omu, after an astonishing 90m run down the centre of the pitch. This was converted by #9, Sammy Graham. The second try was scored by #14, Viki McEvoy, when the ball was shipped out wide after a series of textbook forward phases. CUWRFC is very proud of this victory and believes that a corner has been turned in terms of the development and cohesion of the squad.