Cambridge completed a Varsity double as they comfortably beat Oxford 56-11 at a raucous StoneX Stadium.
The Light Blues dominated from start to finish, and scored eight tries on a memorable day for everyone associated with them as they recorded their biggest ever win in the history of this fixture.
Oxford came flying out of the blocks and went in front with just two minutes on the clock. Sam Reynolds’ grubber through put the defence in all sorts of bother, and then they forced a penalty which Archie King kicked straighter through the posts.
Cambridge hit straight back though with a brilliant try to settle any nerves. They moved the ball to the right wing, and Jamie Benson’s juggle of the ball allowed him to offload inside to David Holdroyd who could slide over from 10 metres out. The conversion went wide, but Cambridge had a 5-3 advantage.
In an all-action opening, Hector Skipworth then thought he had broken down the right wing and found himself in acres of space but the referee came back for a forward pass.
Oxford were then penalised at the breakdown, and two brilliant long-range penalties from Jamie Benson in quick succession extended the Cambridge lead to 11-3.
Oxford cut the deficit to five points with a second penalty from King, pointing to the posts after a brilliant break from captain Jack Glover.
Just as one captain took the game by the scruff of the neck, so did the other as Ben Gomples scored a captain’s try for Cambridge to give them some breathing space. A penalty was kicked to the corner, and then the hooker broke away from the rolling maul to dot down. Benson’s conversion extended their lead to 12 points.
Cambridge were threatening to run away with it, and crossed for their third try on the 30 minute mark. James Ferndale’s brilliant break took play right up to the line, and then Charles Kantolinna bundled over from close range to make it 23-6.
There was still time for one more try before the break, this time Fergus Hughes crossed from just a metre out as Cambridge continued to assert their dominance. The conversion from Benson with the final play of the half sent them down the tunnel with an incredible 30-6 lead.
Cambridge started the second half as they finished the first, with another brilliant try to extend their advantage. Farndale’s excellent offload found George Bland in space who had the pace to run straight under the posts.
Harry Jones was then sent to the sin-bin for a high tackle, giving Oxford a chance to get themselves back in contention.
It got even better for Cambridge 10 minutes later, this time it was Makoto Tosa who carried over the line from the base of a scrum as the lead continued to grow.
They were rampant, and on the hour Farndale used his searing pace to go round the outside of the defence and acrobatically finish another outstanding score as they edged towards the 50 point mark.
To their credit Oxford refused to lie down and Jack Hamilton’s sniping finish gave them some hope with 15 minutes remaining.
Benson then added further gloss to the scoreboard with a brilliant individual try to bring up the half century, and that proved to be the final notable act in a stunning performance from Cambridge.
