The Oxford University Maroons and Coventry 2nds both came into Wednesday’s game with two losses and one win apiece, making this match the archetypal six pointer. At University Parks, tensions were high and sweat adorned both teams’ brows as the ball sailed into the air at kickoff.
Oxford were quick to establish their dominance with Worcester’s speedster Stephen Wilks opening the scoring to make it 4-0 to Oxford after Jake Whittaker failed to convert. Calum Lomas maintained Oxford’s momentum by steamrolling the Coventry centre and popping the ball up to Loftus, who scored directly under the posts for the first of a brace of tries in what was soon to become an unequivocal man-of-the-match performance. Whittaker’s second conversion could not have been easier yet confusion over whether the game was one of rugby league or crossbar challenge led him to fire a powerful effort into the horizontal bar, leaving the score at 8-0 to Oxford. Oxford’s fourth try epitomised the levelof control they had over the game, with Lomas catching the ball straight from the kickoff and running across and around the Coventry backline to streak down the touchline before offloading to Bentley, who stumbled over the line in a mouth-watering exhibition of proficiency that came a mere 30 seconds after the third try. The conversion was taken successfully by James Clark: a disgruntled Whittaker looked on wistfully as the ball sailed over the bar for the first of 5 successful kick attempts. Oxford continued to put pressure on Coventry throughout the first half, with Abeku Nelson and Joe Nour making numerous powerful runs whilst Loftus ran the backline like an approachable yet stern drill-sergeant. The key to Oxford’s success in the first half was their monopoly over possession, driven primarily by virtue of a firstclass defence.
The second half, however, told a different story. The home team’s 38-0 half-time lead added an element of apathy, building on occasional lapses in concentration from the first half such as Whittaker’s decision to shepherd a second row through the Maroons’ ranks. Despite this, Oxford did well, with occasional brilliance in defence resulting in risible unforced errors from the visitors that were met with scornful screams of ‘knocky knocky’ from an obnoxious sideline contingent. They also managed to keep the scoreboard ticking over, though at a slower rate than in the first half, scoring 22 second half points, including a pinpoint crossfield kick by Loftus for Bhaduri to score that chimed as it landed on a penny. Lomas completed his brace in the second half whilst Whittaker’s unfortunate day continued with his role in Coventry’s sole try of the day. An excellent first half performance secured the victory for the home team and the second-half saw the team do enough to secure a final score of 60-4 to Oxford.
Moving forward, things are starting to look up on all fronts for the fledgling club.
