Richards starts in Oxford Cambridge Intervarsity

Former UCT fullback James RIchards who was last seen in a varsity jersey warming up for the UCT vs Saracens match in August, has moved back to the UK and will again don the Cambridge Blues jersey when the team meet traditional rivals Oxford.

Both Unis have also been the rugby home of many a UCT player, among them Club President Dougald MacDonald, Barry O’ Mahony and more recently Danny Palm and Anthony Knox. The 2009 Nomura Varsity Match at Twickenham kicks off on December 10th.

Oxford will be led by three time Blue and former Barbarian Dan Rosen who is in his eighth year at Oxford and is the first former undergraduate to captain Oxford since Rupert Vessey in 1988. The team that will represent the Dark Blues includes last year’s hat trick hero Tim Catling, John Carter, a former Premiership winner with Sale Sharks, Canadian international Stan McKeen and former Amateur Springbok captain Nicholas van Zyl.

“To be captain of Oxford is an amazing feeling,” said Rosen. “It is the pinnacle of my rugby career and I’m really excited and a little nervous. The rivalry between Cambridge and us is pretty big. The Varsity match itself is a great match and a big occasion.”

The Cambridge captain Dan Vickerman has the experience of 55 caps with Australia to call on as well as a talented team that includes American scrum half Doug Rowe, Ross Broadfoot, formerly of Leicester Tigers and London Irish, and former Ulster prop Niall Conlon.

“It’s been a good, new season for us,” said Vickerman. “We’ve embarked on a journey and we’ve had some good games in preparation. All in all we’ve come together well. We’re enjoying it and we’re moving in the right direction.”

The teams for the 2009 Nomura Varsity Match are as follows:
The teams:

 
Oxford University: 15 Christopher Mahony, 14 William Browne, 13 Alex Cheesman, 12 Julian Allfrey, 11 Timothy Catling, 10 Ross Swanson, 9 Nick Haydon, 8 Christopher Davies, 7 Stanley McKeen, 6 John Carter, 5 Nik Van Zyl, 4 Ian Kench, 3 Oliver Tomaszczyk, 2 Daniel Rosen, 1 Richard Lutton.

Replacements: 16 David Rogers, 17 William Johnson, 18 Karl Outen, 19 Makoto Tosa, 20 Willem Klopper, 21 Rhodri James, 22 Sean Morris, 23 Govind Oliver.

Cambridge University: 15 James Richards, 14 James Greenwood, 13 Frederick John Alexander Shepherd, 12 Fred Burdon, 11 David Riley, 10 Ross Broadfoot, 9 Doug Rowe, 8 Ben Maidment, 7 Joey Wheeler, 6 Ed White, 5 Daniel Vickerman, 4 William Jones, 3 Tom Harris, 2 Patrick Barry Joseph Crossley, 1 Niall Conlon.

Replacements: 16 Jamie Stuart Davidson Gilbert, 17 Andrew Daniel, 18 Predee Anuvatnujotikul, 19 Haden Henderson, 20 Jamie Hood, 21 Sandy Reid, 22 William Balfour, 23 Alexander Cheetham.