Suwi Chibale gets try double as Cambridge University RUFC beat the Pringle Farm Pillagers

An open, free-flowing game delivered on the promise for Cambridge University’s first game of the new season against the Pringle Farm Pillagers at Grange Road.

The newly-formed invitational side were contesting their first XVs match, having entered a couple of sevens tournaments during the summer, and the objective was to put the fun back into rugby.

It may have been dismal weather, with torrential rain throughout, but there was plenty to smile about on the pitch with the freedom of running rugby and an end-to-end feel about the game.

It was the students’ first match of what will ultimately be a long season, with the Varsity Match against Oxford at Twickenham not until April 2, and so they will be delighted to get off to a winning start.

It came about thanks to four tries in a 26-17 victory, with the Pillagers weighing in with three touchdowns.

As is so often the case with invitational teams, it was not too much of a battle at the set piece or in the tight, this was all about both teams trying to keep the ball alive.

At times it paid off to perfection, at points it was just lacking the finishing touches and on other occasions it needed a complete reset.

You could say that a more traditional approach got things going, with a catch and drive for the Pillagers being rewarded with a try for hooker Joe Richardson.

The Light Blues had taken a while to get fully up to speed, and when they did it brought a first try, with a move off the top of a line-out reaching Max Loveridge, who had impressed in the adapted games during the summer, and he drew an opponent before putting in Suwi Chibale to touch down.

Scrum-half David Holroyd was doing well in tricky conditions at the breakdown for the university, and good ball from the base of a ruck saw play spread right for James Moore to slide over in the corner. The winger converted his own try to make it 12-5 at half time.

The Pillagers, who included players from Cambridge and St Ives, had threatened a number of times in the first half to scythe through before being either thwarted by the last pass or a blitz defence, and they delivered in the 49th minute.

James Martin, who had impressed a couple of seasons ago on loan to Cambridge from Coventry, picked up possession a long way out and a mixture of a great running line, quick feet and a body swerve went all the way through to touch down.

Three minutes later, Coventry’s Joe Brock passed outside after a break from just inside the hosts’ half and had Martin in support, with the winger bursting clear to get his second try for the Pillagers to give them a 17-12 lead.

It was a glut of tries as just four minutes later, another good pass by Holroyd set Chibale away to touch down, with Moore’s conversion putting the Light Blues back in front, 19-17.

As the rain started to fall even heavier, the going became harder for both sides and it was therefore perhaps inevitable that while the conditions may have been getting wetter, the points dried up until four minutes from time.

The university hunted down a turnover inside the Pillagers’ 22 and were successful, with the ball ending up in the hands of Sam Odu to get his first try on his first appearance for the Light Blues.

Odu added the conversion himself to seal the 26-17 win, and wrap up an encouraging start for the Light Blues in a match that will become a permanent fixture in the years to come.

In the women’s match, the Pringle Farm Pillagers, who featured a number of old Blues and Shelford players, defeated Cambridge University 56-0.

Cambridge University RUFC: King; Moore, Chibale, Loveridge, Andrew; Millen, Holdroyd; Collins, Wright, Pettit, Friend, Walton, Froud, Obembe, Smeaton.

Replacements: Parry, James, Harris, West, Lloyd-Williams, Hide, Odu, Jovanovic, McIntosh.

Pringle Farm Pillagers: Tom Stanton (Gloucester); Tuoyo Egodo (London Broncos), Louis James (Coventry), Joe Brock (Coventry), James Martin (Coventry); Ollie Betteridge (Coventry), Mike Gillick (Shelford); Henry Peck (Cambridge), Joe Richardson (Worcester), Jake Bridges (Coventry), Rhys Thomas (Coventry), Ben Meakin (Coventry), Ben Adams (c) (Cambridge), Tom Ball (Coventry), Akapusi Qera (unattached).

Replacements: Corey Lewis (Cambridge), Bradley Robinson (St Ives), Zianna Alexis (Cambridge), Andrew Hutchinson (St Ives), James Dobbler, Liam Stone (Coventry), Fin Ogden (Coventry), Chris Lewis (Sudbury), Joey Patrick (Cambridge), Jayden Courtenay-Robin (Coventry).

Scorers: 11min Richardson try (0-5), 24 Chibale try (5-5), 35 Moore try - Moore con (12-5), 49 Martin try (12-10), 52 Martin try - James con (12-17), 56 Chibale try - Moore con (19-17), 76 Odu try - Odu con (26-17).