BUSA Annual Review 2005

ANNUAL REVIEW 2005-6
ANNUAL REVIEW 2005-6
stage of the Championship.
Semi-Finals
Bath 28 Nottingham 26
Loughborough 20 UWE Hartpury 17
Final
26 April 2006, RFU Twickenham
Loughborough 10 Bath 7
Loughborough opened the scoring with
a try from Dan James early in the first
half, and took a five point lead with the
conversion being missed. This was the
only score in the first 40 minutes as both
teams struggled to make any further
headway.
The second half started the same as the
first with both teams strong in the scrum
and hard in the tackles, but it was Bath
who broke through with a determined try
from Hooker Daniel Oselton. This try was
converted by James Gibson meaning that
for the first time in the match Bath led, by
2 points.
However this lead proved short-lived as
Loughborough pulled back the lead with a
2 nd try from Dan James, who placed the
ball down after some strong scrum play by
Loughborough. This try was not converted
but proved to be the decisive points for
Loughborough. The final score ending in
Loughborough’s favour 10-7.
TROPHY
Semi-Finals
Loughborough 2 nd 43 Leeds Metropolitan
22
Brunel 18 UWE Hartpury 24
Final
Loughborough 17 UWE Hartpury 16
SHIELD
Semi-Finals
Glamorgan 35 Newcastle 25
Exeter 11 Dundee 20
Final
Glamorgan 35 Dundee 17
PLATE
Semi-Finals
Leeds Met 2 nd 24 UWE Hartpury 3 rd 12
UWIC 4 th 78 Reading 2 nd 3
Final
Leeds Met 37 UWIC 51
WOMEN’S TEAM CHAMPIONSHIPS
It is extremely encouraging to see more
women play student rugby each season.
Several of the students play for the first
time on their arrival at University. A total
of 99 teams competed in the Domestic
Championships.
Premier League
A total of 11 teams played in the Premier
Leagues: 6 North and 5 South.
Loughborough won Premier League North
and UWIC won Premier League South.
CHAMPIONSHIPS
In the last 16 and Quarter-Finals most
of the matches were very one-sided,
although Leeds Metropolitan only narrowly
beat Edinburgh (13-10) and Birmingham
beat the College of St Mark and St John
(24-13) in the Quarter-Final.
Semi-Finals
Birmingham 14 Leeds Met 8
Loughborough 15 UWIC 5
Final
26 April 2006, Twickenham
Loughborough 71 Birmingham 7
UWIC got off to the perfect start when
England international scrum-half Danielle
Waterman dummied and found a huge gap
in the Birmingham defence for the opening
try in the first minute of the game.
Welsh international hooker Rhian Bowden
added UWIC’s second try, and fellow
international Philippa Tuttiet rounded off a
great move to make it 17-0 with less than
ten minutes gone.
Tuttiet added another after captain
Helen Amos was stopped just short, and
Waterman also got her second, running
from her own half and jinking her way to
the try line.
Amos set up Amy Day for another try on
the half-hour mark, and though Birmingham
pushed hard for a score, it was UWIC who
had the final score of the first half as centre
Christie Thompson picked up a loose ball
for an easy run in, making the score 45-0
at half time.
The second half was just as exciting with
a strong Loughborough side finishing
victorious.
TROPHY
Quarter-Finals
Sheffield, St Andrews, De Montfort
(Bedford), Leeds, Gloucestershire,
Canterbury Christ Church, Brunel,
Nottingham Trent.
Semi-Finals
Brunel 45 Gloucestershire 22
Sheffield 24 De Montfort Bedford 10
Final
Brunel 7 Sheffield 8
SHIELD
Quarter-Finals
Lancaster, Keele, Warwick, East Anglia,
Oxford 2nds, Exeter, Essex, St Mary’s
University College.
Semi-Finals
East Anglia 0 Exeter 24
Keele 12 Essex 5
Final
Exeter 84 Keele 7
A well attended and successful Student
RFU/BUSA/RFUW Rugby Union Conference
was held at Twickenham on the Tuesday
and Wednesday morning before the BUSA
Women’s/Men’s Finals.
RUGBY UNION 7S CHAMPIONSHIPS
30 April 2006, University of Northumbria
Although the conditions were extremely
cold for the time of the year the standard
of play was exceptionally high. Several of
the players in attendance were invited to
attend a Great Britain Universities selection
weekend at the University of Cambridge.
MEN’S
Semi-Finals
Loughborough 10 Durham 5
Nottingham 17 Bristol 12
Final
Loughborough 26 Nottingham 5
WOMEN’S
Semi-Finals
Loughborough 24 UWIC 0
Bath 19 Northumbria 17
Final
Loughborough 19 Bath 7
Our gratitude goes to the University of
Northumbria for hosting the 7s at relatively
short notice and especially to Neil Graham
for organising the event on the day.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Our gratitude to the clubs/universities
who hosted BUSA matches, the Referees
Societies for the provision of referees/
touch judges and all administrators,
coaches, team officials, medics and
grounds staff who have contributed to the
Championship programme. We are also
extremely grateful to the Rugby Football
Union for allowing the Men’s and Women’s
Finals to be played at Twickenham each
season.
REPRESENTATIVE
ENGLISH UNIVERSITIES
This was to be the first full season that the
current English Universities management
team had worked together. At the
beginning of the season it was agreed by
the staff that the only measure of success
for English Universities was that it should
truly represent the strength and quality of
rugby being played in the universities.
ENGLISH UNIVERSITIES 57 WELSH
UNIVERSITIES 23
The first fixture against the Welsh
Universities was held at the Imperial
Medicals RFC ground in Teddington on
Friday 13 February.
The match was a good advert for
University Rugby played in a great
environment in front of a good crowd, with
two strong competitive teams giving it
their all. Although the English Universities
started really well and produced some fine
rugby the Welsh team kept coming back
and at the start of the second half had a
sustained period of pressure. However, the
English Universities were able to pull away
in the final quarter and produced some
really good rugby in the process. The final
score of 57-23 reflected the ambition of
both teams.
ENGLISH UNIVERSITIES 73 V SCOTTISH
UNIVERSITIES 11
The game was held at the University ground
at Peffermill on Friday 24 February. Although
the English Universities went behind to an
early penalty the strength and commitment
of the squad shone through and went on to
record a 73-11 victory producing some fine
attacking rugby in really difficult conditions.
It is enormous credit to the Scottish
management that they provided a very
competent referee from France.
ENGLISH UNIVERSITIES UNDER 21S 23
V COMBINED SERVICES UNDER 21S 26
Despite taking an early lead, the English
Universities XV were outplayed by a
very good and well-prepared Services
team containing a number of students on
military scholarships who deservedly won
the match 26-23. The University team
were unable to compete in the forwards
and combined with astute kicking from
the Services the previously dominant back
row were unable to function. Despite this it
was an entertaining game and tense until
the end for the neutral.
Scottish Universities also played 2 fixtures
(home and away) against Irish Colleges.
Although both fixtures were lost a great
deal of credit must be given to everyone
concerned, especially as funding remains a
paramount issue.
Sincere thanks to Mike Wall (Wales), Barry
Sinclair (Scotland), Keith Green (England),
and the respective management back-up
‘teams’ (coaches, medical, administrative)
for their support and enthusiasm
throughout the season, and for giving so
many students the opportunity to play at
representative level.
OTHER NEWS
For a report on the World University
Championships please see the International
section.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Several individuals contributed to the
organisation of BUSA and studentrelated
rugby events throughout the
season, and so would especially like to
thank Anna Liddell (BUSA Programme
Manager), Andrew Scoular (RFU
Community Rugby Director), Peter Bath
(RFU National Students’ Development
Manager), Terry Burwell (RFU Tournaments
and Competitions Director), Douglas
Sommerville (Scottish Universities Rugby
Union Chairman), Bob Reeves (SRFU
Chairman), Katy Storie (RFU for Woman),
John Richardson (SRFU President/RFU
Past President), Derek Morgan (SRFU
Treasurer/RFU Past President), Tony
Lanaway (England Students Team
Manager), Ian Elvin ( SRFU Development
Sub-Committee Chairman) and the entire
BUSA Rugby Union Sports Management
Group.
SAILING
FLEET RACING
5-6 November 2006, Weymouth & Portland
Sailing Academy
The first event of the season provided a
good turn out with students representing
their university from across the UK.
Unfortunately strong winds meant that
despite the best efforts of the race
officials, only one race was sailed, and no
BUSA points were awarded.
TEAM RACING CHAMPIONSHIPS
Hosted by Cambridge University at
Grafham Water
After a series of regional qualifiers, and
playoffs hosted by London University the
qualified teams assembled in Cambridge
for 3 days of excellent sailing. A high
standard of sailing was shown by all,
complimented by the brilliant job, which
the organizing committee had done
in preparing all aspects of the 3-day
Championships.
Mixed Championships
1. Cambridge 1
2. Oxford 1
3. Southampton 1
Women’s Championship
1. Southampton 1
2. Oxford
3. Southampton 2
MATCH RACING FINALS
Hosted by the RYA on behalf of the British
University Sailing Association at Queen
Mary's SC, London
After a difficult series of qualifiers, due to
weather conditions, and poor uptake the
Finals had a promising range of sailors
from those who had Match Raced before,
to those who had only started this year.
The racing was close, and ended with the
team ranked last, winning the event.
1. Exeter
2. Bristol
3. Southampton
STUDENT YACHTING NATIONALS
Hosted by Southampton Solent University
in association with Royal Southern SC,
Southampton.
Having successfully run the event last year,
Southampton Solent University and Royal
Southern SC, repeated their performance,
and hosted another successful event.
Despite an unsettling incident early in the
event, the week continued successfully
with only a small number of equipment
failures.
1. Southampton Solent
2. Cambridge 1
3. Strathclyde
SNOOKER
INDIVIDUALS CHAMPIONSHIP
10–12 March 2006, Willie Thorne Snooker
Centre, Leicester
As always, the Individual Championship
(Senior) had to be limited to its maximum
complement of 64 students, from 17
Universities. Eight players were seeded on
the basis of last year’s Championship and
Home Nations Festival. First-year student
James Hill became Warwick’s first-ever
Individual Championship gold Medallist,
defeating Andy Teale of Durham, also
making his debut, in the Championship
Final (3-0). In the previous round Hill had
defeated Andy Hutchinson of Queen’s
Belfast 2-1, while Teale had edged out the
fancied Manos Paspatis (Cardiff) in the
other Semi-Final (2-1).
The Trophy Individual (Junior), with 40
students from eight teams, saw a fine
performance from Stuart Jell of Warwick,
keeping procession of the Patrick
McWilliams Trophy at Warwick with a
2-0 victory over David Lyness of Queen’s,
a previous winner. The defeated Semi-
Finalists were James Latimer (Warwick)
and Merlin Fisher-Levine (Bristol).
TEAM CHAMPIONSHIPS
10–12 March 2006, Willie Thorne Snooker
Centre, Leicester
30
31