Varsity match honours fallen Blues

It is the centenary of the start of horrid World War I in which 55 Oxford and Cambridge rugby Blues were killed. The 2014 match on 11 December 2014 honours their memory.

Of the 55, 28 were Cambridge Blues, 27 Oxford Blues.

There will be ceremonies at Twickenham to honour their sacrifice. The teams will take to the field for the game via a guard of honour made up of players from the University Colleges representing the fallen Blues and the Last Post will be played before kick-off.

There will be military bands, a minute’s silence, and big screen references to all 55 players with Eddie Butler, the great player and prominent broadcaster, a Cambridge Blue in 1976-78, to read out the names of the ‘55 Fallen Blues’ as the teams line-up before kick-off and their photographs will appear on the big screens and perimeter signage at the ground.

Both teams wear poppies on their jerseys, the Band of the Parachute Regiment perform on the pitch before the game, the Band of the Adjutant General Corps perform in the West Car Park and the museum at Twickenham is having a special display to commemorate the Varsity Match.

Then each player will particularly carry the name of one of the fallen. The Oxford vice-captain, Zander Macdonald, has been given the name of Reg Hands, Rhodes Scholar, who played rugby for England and cricket for South Africa. He was one of three brother -along with Pam and Ken - to get Blues for rugby.

Zander Macdonald's father is one of the next set of three brothers to get Blues - Dugald, Donald and Coll. Like the Hands brothers, the Macdonald brothers were all at the Diocesan College (Bishops) in Rondebosch, Cape Town - as were Mike Dickson and Stephen Steyn who also died in that war. As Reg Hands did in 1908 and 1909, Zander will earn his second Blue on Thursday.

Oxford: Edward Boyd, Harry Cheyne, Mike Dickson, John Farquharson, William  Geen, Reg Hands, Rupert Inglis, Stephen Steyn, Francis  Tarr, Francis Thomson, Thomas Allen, David Bain, Harold Hodges, Allan Gilmour, Maxwell Robertson, Frederic Turner, Charles Bourns, John Raphael, Ronnie Poulton-Palmer, John Bussell, Leonard Parker, Harry Alexander, Arthur Dingle, Cecil Baker, Ronald Lagden, Lawrence Blencowe

Cambridge: Patrick Blair, Robert Campbell, Roland  Gibbins, Percival Powell, Horace Thomas, William Wallace, William Baxter, Rowland Fraser, Lewis McAfee, Charles Vintcent, Alan Wilson, David Revell Bedell-Sivright, John Campbell, Arthur Pringle, Robert Ward, Maurice Black, Ronald Kennedy, RO Schwarz, George Chapman, Alexander Todd, Edward McCosh, Cornelius Thorne, Miles Atkinson, Alfred Maynard, John Will, Bernard Holloway, Harvey Staunton, Brinley Lewis

2014 Teams

Oxford have 14 returning Blues in their side, two on the bench, to Cambridge's 10 returning Blues. That should make Oxford favourites after last year's huge 33-15 victory over the Light Blues.

Last years win was Oxford' fourth in succession. If they win again on Thursday they will equal Cambridge's record of five consecutive wins.

The Oxford loosehead prop Lewis Anderson played in all four victories and a win this time will set a record of five successive Blues wins. This is possible now that regulating the number of Blues has been removed.

A player with an unenviable record is Sam Egerton, the Oxford scrumhalf. in 2013 he became the fist player sent off in the Varsity Match.

The Oxford captain Jake Taylor played Sevens for Australia while the Cambridge captain, Harry Peck is the son of Ian Peck, a Cambridge Blue.

Teams

Oxford: 15 Jacob Taylor * (Keble) (captain), 14 Edward Doe * (Kellogg), 13 Matt Janney * (Oriel), 12 Alexander Macdonald * (St Peter's), 11 Henry Lamont * (New), 10 George Cullen (Kellogg), 9 Samson Egerton * (Keble), 8 George Messum (St Anne's) 7 Gus Jones * (St Catherine's), 6 Fraser Heathcote * (St Edmund Hall), 5 Tom Reeson Price * (Lady Margaret Hall), 4 Fergus Taylor (Regent's Park), 3 Ian Williams * (Kellogg), 2 Nick Gardner * (St Anne's), 1 Lewis Anderson * (Trinity)

Replacements: 16 James Wisson * (St Anne's), 17 James Scaife (Linacre), 18 Guy Western (Pembroke), 19 Graeme MacGilchrist * (University), 20 Will Thomas (Somerville) 21 Henry de Berker (Green Templeton), 22 Henry Hughes * (Magdalen), 23 Basil Strang (St Stephen's House)

Cambridge: 15 Sam Allen, 14 Ilia Cherezov*, 13 Toby May*, 12 Fraser Gillies, 11 George Smith, 10 Don Stevens*, 9 Henry Peck*, 8 Sam Farmer*, 7 Hugo Kelly*, 6 Richard Bartholomew*, 5 Rob Hall; 4 Jack Baker*, 3 Jacob Poulton, 2 Tom Pascoe*, 1 Will Briggs*.

Replacements: 16 Max Montgomery, 17 Oliver Exton, 18 Frank Sanders*, 19 Charlie O'Sullivan*, 20 Daniel Dass, 21 Seb Tullie*, 22 John Wylde, 23 Andy Rees.

* Returning Blue

Referee: Luke Pearce (England)