A lack of cohesion and an attacking style bereft of confidence left CURUFCW disappointed on Wednesday afternoon, as they fell to a 45-7 loss on home turf against a newly-promoted University of Bristol side in their first BUCS Premiership match of the season.

There was promise for the Light Blues in the opening seconds. Kicking off the match, Bristol conceded a penalty within the first 16 seconds of the game which CURUFCW fullback Alice Middleton kicked into touch to give the home side early territory. Yet Bristol proved dominant in the lineout, and the formidable combination of fly-half Lucy Attwood with centres Erin MacDermott and Tilly Vaughan-Fowler allowed them to gain ground – it took a superb tackle by the Light Blues' Jess Charlton to hold up the play in the midfield.

A clash of heads between CURUFCW's winger Katherine Monks and Bristol's flanker Frankie De Lavis led to some early use of the replacements bench by both sides. And the first try came in the 10th minute after a beautiful move from Bristol: MacDermott broke through the Light Blues' line before offloading to Vaughan-Fowler, who sprinted from the halfway line and evaded Alice Middleton's last-ditch tackle to score the try, which was subsequently converted.

But the CURUFCW defensive line rallied. Proving formidable despite superb attacking from the Bristol backline, sheer determination from the Light Blues denied the away side several try-scoring opportunities. But eventually, under siege, their resistance caved in by the 26th minute as Vaughan-Fowler found a gap to score the try and, with the conversion missed, the scoreboard read 12-0 to the Bristolians.

That was to change moments later, however: Bristol’s quick hands and a stronger pack in the scrum left CURUFCW under the posts, and Vaughan-Fowler went to on to complete her 31-minute hat-trick to take the score to 17-0 after the conversion was missed.

Though quick to dive on Bristol’s mistakes, some handling errors and a lack of cohesion in the CURUFCW team meant they struggled to put points on the board. And while the away side were held up again and again by the Light Blues' defence, they were to eventually break through on the stroke of half-time, MacDermott grabbing a try which she converted herself to leave the score at half time 0-24.

Refusing to give up, CURUFCW rallied and returned to the field determined to cause a nuisance to Bristol’s hitherto dominant back-line trio. The home side were unfortunate that nothing came from a brilliant steal by plucky Molly Byrne, and their well-coordinated and well-communicated defence continued to deny a speedy Bristol side space.

There were injuries woes again early into the second half, however, as former Light Blues' captain Nikki Weckman, hobbled off the pitch  to thunderous applause – demonstrating the respect the flanker commands on the team having led CURUFCW to their first every Varsity victory on the Twickenham turf last year.

Changes to the Cambridge side seemed to make immediate impact – there was noticeable improvement in the home side's  lineout and scrum after the introduction of Alice Elgar and debutant Gabriella Johanssen, both of whom also put in vital work to help the forwards gain ground. But Bristol continued their first half form: in the 44th minute and 56th minute respectively, Clea Fawcett and MacDermott grabbed a try each which, after two successful conversions, left the score line looking woeful at 0-38.

CURUFCW continued to be strong in defence, but missed opportunities for space in attack – an unfortunate collision between Sophie Farrant and Middleton stopped the Varsity hero from working her magic that was so evident against Birmingham last week. Meanwhile, Bristol's aggressive rucking style was allowing the away side to turn the ball over frequently. 

Yet CURUFCW persevered, and credit should be given to Laura Nunez-Mulder and Jess Charlton, who managed to give the Light Blues some vital attacking impetus with huge drives forward in attack. But the Bristolians refused to let up: in the 62nd minute, Fawcett slipped through again to take the score to 0-45. 

Middleton’s magic fails to save CURUFCW

Fortune appeared to be against the home side: a heroic attempt at defence also saw Chloe Withers, a consistently excellent player throughout the match, pick up an injury. Determined to end on a high, however, CURUFCW finally had some luck in the 72nd minute: some superb play by Elgar out the back of the scrum allowed the ball to shift across the field, where a Bristol fumble forced a Light Blue scrum just metres from the line. And fantastic play from Byrne at the breakdown allowed Middleton to pick up her trademark try, which she converted to leave the score at 7-45.

Though a disappointing result, the Light Blues showed true determination to the very end and, with some extremely promising play, this leaves some positives to take to their next match, away at league giants Cardiff on the 19th October.

Indeed, speaking to Varsity after the game, CURUFCW's skipper Middleton noted that "although our BUCS league campaign isn't off to the ideal start, we knew Bristol were coming with some stand out players and they used that talent well. We've taken away some good learning points for the fixtures to come and have already been working hard to improve them in training."

CURUFCW's try-scorer also picked out her vice-captain Jess Charlton for praise: "(she) put in a real shift in the forwards, and the team will take inspiration from her determination and work rate in future games!"

The Bristol team were gracious in victory, telling Varsity that “they were honoured to be welcomed into the Premiership by a skilled and sporting team on such a historic pitch. The CURUFCW girls' performance was clearly premiership level, with intense pressure in defence, excellent discipline and strength in contact areas. We are very grateful for their hospitality and wish them the best of luck for the rest of the season."