Jess Gurney, captain of Cambridge University Women’s Rugby Team, is an experienced player herself, but the vast majority of her 40 regular squad members were complete beginners on arriving in Cambridge. Nonetheless, participation and enjoyment are certainly on the rise: “There are so many girls that come to Uni having never played before and leave saying they don’t know how they ever lived without it.”

Despite the initial inexperience of many players, women’s rugby is as much a lifestyle choice as any other university-level sport. With two matches per week, in addition to training, weights sessions and individual fitness, most of the women have only one day of rest per week.

The team compete in two league competitions: British Universities and Colleges Sport (BUCS) and Rugby Football Union for Women (RFUW). They have had a promising season so far, winning 13 of 16 matches, reaching second place in both leagues. League competition gives the season a different dynamic to the men’s fixture list, which is centred on the Varsity Match in December. For the men, “the season is all about Varsity,” whereas for the women, Varsity “is just another match that we should be just as hungry to win as the rest.”

Moreover, Women’s Rugby is a conditional full blue sport. This means that in addition to participating in the Varsity match, the team must win their BUCS division or reach the quarter-finals of the Cup. Every match counts: “If we want to qualify for our blue we much achieve consistently.”

The women’s relationship with the men “is a work in progress” after a merger at the start of this season. The men’s club has been accommodating so far, but “equality is the end goal and there is an awful lot to be done before we reach that.” The profile of the Women’s Varsity Match is a key target. Rowing will set an example from next year, when the women’s Boat Race will take place over the same course and on the same day as the Men’s. For rugby, “the current aim is for the women to play at Twickenham by 2017.”

This year’s Varsity Match is away on Saturday 8th March. Cambridge have lost the last two women’s Varsity matches, but it is difficult to determine the favourite this year. Cambridge have won 7 of 8 games in BUCS, while their opponents – playing in the league above – have lost 7 of 10. The women’s team are running a supporters’ bus for the Varsity Match, which will depart Grange Road at 8.30am: “we hope to have plenty of supporters to help us on the way to a victory!”