James Shanahan emphasises Cambridge University RUFC's strength in depth ahead of the Varsity Match at Twickenham

James Shanahan has admitted that it was a tough call in naming the Cambridge University RUFC side to face Oxford in the 138th Varsity Match at Twickenham on Thursday, December 12 (kick off 3pm).

Former internationals James Horwill and Flip van der Merwe are the standout names in the Light Blues starting line-up, which includes eight returning Blues.

There are a further three returnees on the bench, which is the area that head coach Shanahan singled out to emphasise Cambridge’s strength in depth.

“Of the team that is starting, there are probably two or three players on the bench that may feel slightly aggrieved,” he said.

“But I think we have the balance of the starters and the ability to bring on the bench, who can make an impact which is something they have done really well over the last three or four weeks, was too huge to ignore.

“We’ve gone out with our best team to start, with eight quality guys on the bench who can really add to us and I think that’s something we haven’t had before in the years I’ve looked after the Varsity team.

“It will be nice to have that ability to make a change that makes an impact, kills a a game off, chases a game or increases the energy levels to kick on, so I’m quite excited by the bench.”

While there is the experience of the likes of Horwill, van der Merwe, Fergus Jemphrey and Tom Lovelace, as well as Charlie Watson in the centres, who is on the books of Saracens, there are also a large number of undergraduates in the Cambridge side.

They have had another year's rugby under their belts, and that has boosted the squad, leading to Shanahan praising the strength in depth.

“If you’d asked me this time last year when we were looking at boys that were moving on, boys returning and what was potentially coming through, I was a little bit worried," he said.

“I was worried that we were going to be very much an undergrad team with no real experience. But maybe the benefit of having a lot of undergrads is that they have played a lot of rugby this calendar year.

“Most of those boys played all of the games after Varsity last year, have gone on the pre-season camp and have been involved in a lot of rugby in the Michaelmas Term.

"We’ve done a lot of sessions against the LXs and it’s been very competitive, a lot more competitive than previous years."

He added: “I do think there is a lot of depth in the Cambridge squad, whereas previously you had your XV best players and maybe three or four who could make an impact off the bench and that was about it. I now think we have a genuinely strong side and depth in it. But with the Varsity game it’s always so tight you never know on the day."

The LX Club suffered a 17-14 defeat to Oxford's Greyhounds in the second team Varsity Match last Wednesday.

The returning Blues are captain Stephen Leonard, Joey Gatus, Rory Triniman, Mike Phillips, Chris Bell, Charlie MacCallum, Miles Huppatz, Sean McMahon, and on the bench it is Sam Schusman, Rowan Beckett and Oliver Smart as the bid for glory after last year’s 38-16 defeat to the Dark Blues

Oxford have named 12 Blues in their starting XV, including captain Ed David, who is back for a fourth time.

Cambridge University: Gatus; Lovelace, Triniman, Watson, Jemphrey; Phillips, Bell; MacCallum, Huppatz, Harbone, Horwill, van der Merwe, Walton, McMahon, Leonard.

Replacements: Schusman, Collins, Cook, Beckett, Smart, Smeaton, Gliksten, Russell.