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Downing College clinch Rugby Cuppers glory with win over Gonville & Caius




Downing College celebrate Cuppers success at Grange Road. Picture: John Naylor (9261207)
Downing College celebrate Cuppers success at Grange Road. Picture: John Naylor (9261207)

Downing College sealed Rugby Cuppers success for the first time in six years with a 19-0 win over Gonville & Caius at Grange Road.

In the annual college cup competition, Caius had beaten Emmanuel, Robinson and defending champions St John’s to reach the final.

With the conditions in their favour in the first half, they made the stronger start as they sought to go one better than two years ago, when they were beaten in the final by St John’s.

The talk was of Caius’ slick backs against Downing’s forward power, but it never really transpired like that.

Downing, who last won Cuppers in 2013 when beating Trinity Hall 29-21, struggled to find a way out of their own 22 for the first 20-odd minutes.

The problem for Caius was that although they were enjoying the majority of possession and territory, aided by the wind it must be said, they were just struggling to break the gain line.

Caius were keeping it caught narrow rather than getting their backs involved to try to stretch the play and get the Downing forwards moving.

Once Downing got to grips with their opponents, they were able to release the pressure and that was by going through the power of their pack that included Blues Miles Huppatz, Jonny Dixon and Ollie Smart, with university loose-head prop Charlie MacCallum lining up at outside centre.

Marshalled by scrum-half and captain Connor Newell, they slowly edged their way into Caius territory and beyond - into the 22.

The deadlock was finally broken in the 32nd minute as a catch and drive from a line-out led to Will Slaughter applying the finishing touch at the bottom of the pack.

Jack Manley was shown a yellow card for a deliberate knock-on in the 38th minute, but Downing weathered the spell with 14 players with ease.

Caius scrum-half Niall McCarthy was trying to test Downing around the fringes but the defence was equal to it.

A big scrum in the 50th minute from Downing led to Olly Smart touching down Downing’s second try, with Newell adding the extras to make it 12-0.

Caius’ hopes of getting back in the game were hindered when Sean McMahon was sin-binned but, by that point, the game was being contested between the two 22s.

Downing wrapped up their win with a second pushover try for Smart, with Newell’s conversion completing the 19-0 win.

In the Shield Cup final, former Light Blues captain Nick Koster’s four tries could not stop Queens’ College losing 31-29 to Girton/Pembroke, who sealed their win thanks to a try and conversion from Blues scrum-half Chris Bell.

Churchill were 31-12 winners over St Catharine’s in the Plate Cup final.



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