Report by Harry Wilson (2018, G)
After a brief rain delay and some characteristically shaky warmups, the Serpents took to the field against the Oxford Brookes 1s/2s preseason squad. As ever, the opening exchanges were shaped by new combinations, rusty skills, and a few brave souls playing out of position – all contributing to a tentative start. Brookes capitalised early with a sharp line from their centre to open the scoring.
Once the dust had settled, the Serpents began to find their rhythm. Sustained pressure pinned Brookes deep in their corner, culminating in a box kick that was heroically charged down by Harry Wilson (2018, G), putting his nose to good use. Regaining possession, the men in red strung together some tidy phases before Charlie Saunders (2010, H) picked from the base of a well-contested ruck and slipped through untouched to score under the posts. Conversion good – 7-7.
Defensive grit from Alex House (2012, B) and Henry Cowen (2018, A) around the ruck forced Brookes to go wide, where a long pass was picked off by Harry Wilson, who finished the job but missed the conversion. The format was three 20-minute thirds, and at the first break, the Serpents held the lead.
In the second third, fitness began to wane, and cracks emerged. Brookes took advantage, but the centre pairing of Hugo Eyre (2012, F) (playing out of position, despite repeated claims of “I’m a 12 now”) and Nikita Tutus (2018, F) caused real problems. A powerful carry through the heart of Brookes’ defence left several defenders flailing.
Further attacking phases from Louis Jacobs (2019, C) and George Wilson (2019, F) created space, but Brookes’ deep bench allowed them to score again out wide. Tensions flared when their flanker unwisely challenged Robin Bridge (1997, D) to a tussle – a brief cuddle that ended with the Brookes youth reconsidering his life choices. Nick Wood, kindly officiating and a former Bigside teammate of Robin, couldn’t decide whether to laugh or issue a fatigue.
A well-struck conversion from Brookes’ 10 widened the gap, but the Serpents weren’t done. A slick scrum moves saw Harry Wilson crash through the defensive line for another score. Unfortunately, Brookes’ superior fitness began to tell, and they exploited space out wide as the Serpents tired.
The final score ended at an admirable 33-19 to Brookes.
Post-match, the squad enjoyed dinner in hall and a nostalgic beer or two in the JCR. All in all, a fantastic day for Radley & OR rugby – made even sweeter by the College First XV’s win over Epsom.
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