About the University
Varsity Rugby Match
Rugby has a long history at Oxford. William Webb Ellis, the founder of the sport, was a student at Brasenose College. The Oxford University Rugby Football Club (OURFC) was founded in 1869, fifteen months before the foundation of the Rugby Union in 1871, and is regarded as the oldest club in this country.
During the Varsity campaign, the Blues compete against top quality opposition. The highlight of the Varsity build-up is the match versus the Major Stanley’s team. Once used as a trial for the England XV it is named after the selector who first acquired Iffley Road for the use of OURFC. All the games and preparations build up to what is the defining moment, and highlight, of the season – the Varsity.
The sole focus of Oxford and Cambridge University rugby teams is to win The
MMC Trophy (originally known as the Bowring Bowl) and the title of
Varsity holders. In February 1872 the first ever Varsity match
was played in Oxford at ‘The Parks’. The following year (February 1873)
the return match was played in Cambridge on ‘Parkers Piece’. In 1877 it
was decided to move the match to a neutral ground and the
Kennington Oval - scene of England’s first home international fixture
the previous year - was chosen. The game had a number of different
venues, each offering the current best facilities. In December
1921 it was moved to the Rugby Football Union’s ground at Twickenham, where it has been played ever since. 
Varsity Rugby Match 2007