The University of Nottingham Women’s Rugby Union team has a strong Varsity tradition, having dominated Varsity in recent years, winning each of the past five meetings.
The UoN 1st team should be confident of continuing their success having had a very successful BUCS season. They finished second in the Midlands 1A, having won 8 matches and lost 2, with a whopping points difference of +254.
“It’s a huge event, it’s like no other game we play in”
Meanwhile, Nottingham Trent University play in the division below, which interestingly the UoN 2nd team also compete in. Trent finished top of the league, winning all their matches, including a comfortable 61-7 victory over the UoN 2nd team. Clearly, both teams will go in to the contest in top form, and full of confidence.
Captain of the UoN side Aoife Fehilly underlined the importance of Varsity, stating: “It’s a huge event, it’s like no other game we play in”.
When asked about the mentality of the team, she was quick to emphasise the togetherness of the Green and Gold, pointing out that: “We play for each other, its not just one player playing to make themselves look good”.
But despite the positive mood in the camp, Aoife expects it to be a difficult match, suggesting that Trent were unfortunate to have been relegated last season. She also pointed out that Trent possess a number of sports scholars which will no doubt make this a tough contest.
Men’s Rugby Union
Last year’s Varsity match was a tight affair, with Trent edging it 20-17 and this year also promises to be a close contest between the two sides.
Neither the University of Nottingham nor Trent have dominated the men’s Varsity rugby union. Trent were victorious in 2015 and 2016, but UoN came out on top in 2011 and 2013 and throughout the years the scoreline has tended to be close.
Both teams have performed well in BUCS this season, both competing in the North A division. Trent have had a storming season, finishing top of the table with 10 wins and 4 draws, while UoN had a solid season finishing 5th.
The second meeting between the two sides was 49-12 in Trent’s favour but the earlier meeting was an incredibly close affair with Trent edging it 17-15. This suggests that despite what the league table shows, there isn’t too much to choose between the two sides and in a one off Varsity game anything can happen.
Sunday 14th May Lady Bay Stadium: Women’s 13:00, Men’s 15:50
Tyler Gerrard
Follow @ImpactVarsity17 for all the updates from the second week of the Nottingham Varsity Series!
