Varsity Match 2025: Cambridge University RUFC Women’s head coach Will Cotterill unsure what to expect from his new-look squad at the StoneX Stadium

There are a number of unknowns for Cambridge University RUFC Women’s head coach Will Cotterill going into Saturday’s Varsity Match.

Cambridge are set to head into the prestigious fixture against their Oxford counterparts with only a handful of players that featured in the battling 10-5 triumph 12 months ago.

It means that for the majority of the squad, this weekend will mark a first ever experience of the encounter, which for the second year running will be played at the StoneX Stadium – home of Saracens – in north London.

And while another victory remains of great importance to Cotterill, he also has an eye on the bigger picture.

He said: “We’ve had a challenging year this year with a massive handover of players.

“We have only four or five returnees so it’s been a steep learning curve for everyone.

“There have been some really good signs, particularly in the last couple of weeks when it feels like things have started to come together.

“We’ve shown some signs of playing some really good rugby, but the challenge is putting that together for 80 minutes.

“Of course we’ll go out there and give it our best shot. We want to win the game and have something to celebrate.

“But we also want to show signs of improvement and that we’re moving in the right direction as a group.

“We’re determined to make the best of the situation and ensure that the experience puts us in a good position for the future.”

In terms of how Cambridge will approach the contest from a tactical standpoint, Cotterill believes that their major strength lies in wide areas, where the ‘challenge’ will be to try to utilise the speed within the ranks.

Cotterill added: “We’ve been working hard on all aspects of attack and defence, but we definitely have some genuine pace around the edges of the pitch.

“Our challenge will be to get the ball in the right part of the pitch on a regular basis so that we can move it out wide for those players to do their thing.

“We also pride ourselves on our set-piece and we’ve got a good scrum that we’ll be looking to utilise.

“And defensively we’ve been working hard on the organisation side of things. It’s key that we have the ability to frustrate the opposition.”

Cambridge have the superior head-to-head record in recent years, with Oxford having triumphed just once in the last seven meetings.

However, overall Oxford lead 23-15 since the first women’s fixture in 1988, with the one draw being played out in 2022.