Varsity Match 2019: Cambridge University RUFC women's captain Fiona Shuttleworth relishing taking on Oxford at Twickenham
Fiona Shuttleworth is excited to see if Cambridge University deliver on the promise of the term against Oxford in the 33rd Women’s Varsity Match.
The 23-year-old captain has seen her team take the step up to the BUCS League, Premier in their stride, as they sit second in the table after last season’s promotion.
The challenge is now to replicate the form at Twickenham.
“The vibe from the squad is that we’re just all super, super excited,” said the Pembroke College veterinary medicine student.
“This is the league we’re meant to be in, it’s challenging us, it’s making us improve week on week. It’s been a huge boost.
“Last season, we were turning up to a match and winning 60-0 and it wouldn’t feel like rugby or you had earned your win. This year, we’ve earned every single win we’ve had.
“We’ve gone to Bristol, Cardiff and next term we’re going to Swansea, and that takes a huge amount of effort and commitment.
“We’re playing with different people each week so the depth of the squad has to be huge, and everyone has just stepped up and it’s just been an excellent season so far.
“To top it off with a Varsity win would just be amazing. We’re pretty solid in second in the league now, so a Varsity win would be the cherry on the cake.”
Cambridge and Oxford have already faced each other this term, with the Light Blues earning a 23-5 win at Grange Road. But Shuttleworth is not reading anything into the result.
“It’s a different game,” she said. “We’d be fools to be complacent with that win. Their team has changed a considerable amount, our one not so much, and we were home, so we’ve just got to take that as a win its own right.
"Varsity is completely different, it’s who performs best on the day, who copes with the stress best, who comes back from all the different variables, it’s how you adapt.
“Playing at Twickenham is so unlike playing anywhere else. You don’t know how the pressure is going to affect people in your team.
"I hope the best team wins on the day. If we win and we’re the best team on the day, that’s fantastic. If they win and they’re the best team, then well done to them and congrats to them.
“I’m so excited, I really can’t wait.”
The Light Blues fine-tuned their game at a training camp last week, funded by sponsors Mulberry Risk, and the final phase has been about mental preparation.
“The focus now is the mentality,” added Shuttleworth.
“We have a lot of new girls in the squad so it’s making sure they are happy and ready, when it comes to it and that they’re not going to be shocked.”
