It seems as though the malaise of the modern game has filtered down even to the lower echelons of Cambridge college rugby.  On a bitterly cold Tuesday afternoon Robinson and Emmanuel played out a turgid and uninspiring fixture in which kicking took over from passing and running as the mainstay of the game.

Robinson needed a win to seal promotion and had attracted a vocal rabble of support who easily out-shouted the one lonely Emma supporter running the far touchline.  Yet it was Emmanuel who had the better of the opening phases, pressing Robinson back into their own twenty-two with some aggressive ball carrying from the forwards.  After a missed penalty early on, they eventually made the first impression on the scoreboard with a try in the 14th minute.  The first time either side had dared to move the ball past the outside half resulted in some sharp interplay between the Emmanuel centres allowing full back Stamp to touch down in the corner.

In a game dominated by handling errors, imprecision and aimless kicking, the Emmanuel scrum was the one highlight, consistently putting the Robinson pack under increasing pressure.  Eventually they  succumbed and from the half-hour mark onwards the referee had to resort to uncontested scrums after complaints from the Robinson front row. 

Emma’s control of the game extended when they scored their second try on the stroke of half time.  A quick tapped penalty found its way into the hands of the inside centre who beat two members of the languishing Robinson defence before giving the ball to his right-winger who crossed the try line.  It was without a doubt the best moment of rugby in the half and gave a small slither of hope that the game would be slightly more entertaining after the break.

Such hope was ill-founded.  If anything both teams seemed even more determined to kick any ball away with both fly-halves for some reason preferring to trust their boots to their backs. 

The Robinson half-time team talk, which reverberated around Emma playing fields, did something to provide impetus and they played with much more purpose and aggression in the opening exchanges of the second half.  However, despite the efforts of the forward pack they were unable to penetrate the home side’s defensive line, which was temporarily bolstered by the additional player who came on as a substitute without anyone coming off.  Even the efforts of the Robinson fly-half, who for a while thought he was Carlos Spencer throwing passes between his legs and offloading out the back of his hand, could not liven up a dire second 40, in which there was plenty of effort but little quality. 

Robinson’s increased exertions could only yield them a penalty which they duly scored. The reality was they never looked like they would score the try they needed to have a chance of levelling the game, giving Emma a hard-earned victory. Commendable effort but almost comedic execution mean this one will certainly not live long in the memory.