22 Oct 08

Action from the 2007 varsity match (© John Gaisford)

Nomura, the Asia-based investment bank, has announced its exclusive 4-year sponsorship of the rugby varsity match.

This year’s match is the 127th Oxford v Cambridge varsity rugby game and will be known as The Nomura Varsity Match. Kick off is at 2pm on Thursday 11 December at Twickenham Stadium.

Since the first match in 1872 the University of Cambridge has won 60 times compared to Oxford’s 52 wins, and the match has been a draw on 14 occasions.

Nomura will also sponsor the women’s varsity match which will be played on Saturday March 7 2009 in Cambridge.

Sadeq Sayeed, Chief Executive of Nomura’s acquired businesses, said ‘We’re delighted to be building on our existing relationships with two of the world’s top universities and look forward to continuing this in the future.’

Paul Vaughan, Rugby Football Union Business Operations Director said, ‘The annual varsity match is always well supported by the universities’ passionate fans. It’s a huge occasion in the build up to Christmas and an important part of the Twickenham fixture list. We’re extremely pleased that Nomura has agreed to sponsor the match for the next four years and excited about our new partnership with the company.’

Lord Butler, President of OURFC said, ‘We welcome and are deeply grateful for Nomura's decision to take over the sponsorship of the varsity match. We look forward to a mutually beneficial relationship with Nomura, which is bound to reinforce our links with the Japanese universities with which we have had greatly valued contacts for many years.’

His comments were echoed by Ian Minto, General Manager of CURUFC, who said, ‘We at Cambridge are really looking forward to the development of our association with Nomura and believe it will bring tremendous benefits to all concerned.’

England Attack Coach, Brian Smith, who represented Oxford in the 1988 and 1989 matches said, 'Playing in the Varsity Match is a really unique experience. You could play 40 times for your country but you may only ever get to play two Varsity matches and that’s if you’re lucky. I captained Oxford in 1989 and I remember the fans were so passionate and energetic and a real mix of people from students to city bankers.  For the players and fans it’s a massive fixture in the rugby calendar.'

Tickets for the rugby varsity match on December 11, 2008 (kick off 2.00pm)  are available from Ticketmaster online or on 0844 8472492, or from Oxford University Rugby Club (01865 432000) and Cambridge University Rugby Club (01223 354131). Students can also buy tickets from varsity vendors at their respective university. Tickets are priced from £20 for adults, £10 for students (in possession of a valid NUS card).