Less than two years ago, geography undergraduate Lucy Harding stepped onto a rugby pitch for the first time as a novice player. This Saturday (8 March) she will follow in the footsteps of elite players as Cambridge take on rivals Oxford in the Varsity Rugby Match at Stone X Stadium in London.
I’d never played rugby until I arrived at Cambridge last year. I was quite a sporty child and played a lot of different sports when I was younger, but rugby wasn’t really an option for girls at the time. When I came to Cambridge and wanted to pick up a sport, I thought ‘this is my opportunity to try something new’.
I started as a development player last academic year and really enjoyed it so when I came back for my second year, I did some pre-season rugby and just continued from there. A lot of our experienced players graduated last year so there was an opportunity for players like me in the selection process so here I am now, playing in Varsity this year. I’m in the second-row, right in the thick of scrum action.
It’s going to be so cool for a relatively new player like me to be running out of the tunnel onto a big, professional pitch like the Stone X Stadium and singing the National Anthem. It’s terrifying but amazing. I’m going to try to soak it all in and really enjoy being part of it. We’ve all earned our place in the team and we need to embrace that and believe in ourselves and each other.
A lot of my friends and family are coming to watch and I’m really excited to have them supporting us in the stands and watching me play. My family is coming, my partner and his mum, and even my partner’s next-door neighbour. My dad has told all our family and there are messages about it in our family group chats.
I don’t have anything particular I do just for me, but we do have set things we like to do together as a team. On match day we tightly plait each other’s hair, which is an important practical step because we’re getting physical out there so we need to secure our hair out of the way, but it’s also a bonding experience. We’ll also share some sweets for a hit of sugar. Then I’ll go through my process of getting ready: get changed, take my earrings out, put my scrum cap on, and tape up any old injuries.
One of the best things about a team sport is that you can rely on each other. Before the game, we share how we’re feeling and help regulate each other’s nerves. I get quite nervous before a match so I really appreciate the team support.
On the face of it, it can seem like an impossible task but having activities you enjoy outside of academic study can be really beneficial. I like to be busy so outside of rugby season I do ballet and rowing, and I also tutor during term time. Sometimes study and sport overlap, for example, my Tutor played Blues Rugby when she was a student, so we often find ourselves talking about our experiences, as well as any pastoral or academic matters.
I like to keep a diary to help me stay organised and focused, and I’m not one to sacrifice sleep so I make sure that I sleep well too.
It’s really good for me to go away and do something different. It sort of scratches a different bit of your brain. You’re going out and having a run around and actually not thinking about your work for a while. Cambridge can be intense sometimes so it’s good to take a breath and spend some time away from studying.
Sport gives you that social side of life as well as physical activity and a different environment. We’ll have a practice session and then spend some time together socially.
I think the best advice is to just give it a go. Try one session and see how you get on. I had a really positive experience and although I was a bit daunted to begin with, you soon realise that everyone in that first session is probably feeling the same way as you so there’s a sense of solidarity and camaraderie. After those first few sessions you see the same people again and again and start to build friendships.
It wasn’t your typical, straightforward path. I started a course at another university but realised early on that it wasn’t for me, so I dropped out. I had no idea what I was going to do with my life and suddenly had all this time on my hands, so I went back to speak to the head of sixth form where I did my A Levels. She suggested I might like a different course at a different university, but I was worried in case the same thing happened again and that university wasn’t actually for me at all. She suggested I look into Cambridge and Oxford because I might like the community feel there rather than a larger, more impersonal university. It was 8pm when we discovered that the application deadline was midnight that day. I decided to go for it and rewrote my personal statement, filled in all the information, and submitted my application. Between then and starting at Cambridge I worked, travelled and just enjoyed life.
When it came to choosing a college, I decided based on how I felt when I’d visited with my mum when we came to see a friend who lives in Cambridge. We visited a few colleges and what stood out in my mind about Trinity Hall was just how good it felt when I was there. The Porter on duty was incredibly friendly and welcoming, and I liked the community feel. It was a good choice. A very good choice.
I think if you ask anyone on the women’s rugby team right now, they would say someone like Ilona Maher, the American rugby union player, or Ellie Kildunne who’s an English rugby union player. They’re extremely talented and celebrities in that space. People like them are showcasing the brilliance of women’s rugby and increasing its visibility and popularity.
The Varsity Matches take place on Saturday 8 March at Stone X Stadium in London.
Women’s KO 12noon. Men’s KO 3pm.
Dedicated coaches are running between Cambridge and Stone X throughout the day.
Come and cheer on Cambridge as they take on Oxford in one of the world’s major sporting rivalries.
