Case Closed: Warwick Men’s Rugby win at the death to seal Varsity victory

Warwick Men’s Rugby gave Varsity 2016 the climax it deserved by snatching victory in the final seconds of their clash with Coventry. In a match where the momentum swung back and forth, it was Warwick who gained the upper hand at the crucial time as Hooker Ed Wilkinson dived over the line to secure a 22-20 victory.

From boarding the bus in Leamington you couldn’t fail to notice the Varsity passion. Overheard were conversations regarding the Women’s futsal, men’s Football and, of course, the Rugby finale. The enthusiasm increased as the Ricoh Arena loomed large on the horizon – Warwick had well and truly caught the Varsity bug.

Once the small matter of Wasps v Harlequins was out of the way, it was time for Warwick’s finest to take centre stage. As ‘Seven Nation Army’ blared out of the speakers, Coventry’s fly-half kicked the ball into the evening sky and the game began.

Coventry were backed by an impressively vocal support and started strongest. An early line break almost brought the first try of the match, but our rainbow-clad rivals had to settle for a kick under the posts. The penalty was dispatched to open the scoring.

Warwick immediately looked to reply but were met with some resilient defending. Our opponents were clearly not deterred by the fact that Varsity was already a foregone conclusion for another year, and a second penalty was inches away from making the score 6-0. You could sense a try was coming and it went Warwick’s way. A lineout in front of the two sets of fans was won and the subsequent maul was too strong; Wilkinson going over for his first try of the afternoon.

Minutes later, Coventry led again with a try that showed the fine margins of the match. All it took was one missed tackle and after a tidy offload their number eight touched down, with the successful conversion making it 10-5.

The Coventry contingent continued to back their side and were buoyed by Warwick second row Will Taal being sent to the sin bin. The red and blacks were momentarily hanging on and were fortunate to go in at half time only five points down.

Warwick returned revitalised and deservedly drew first blood, with Patrick Stuff diving over to level the scores. Unfortunately, fly-half Harry Kernick wasn’t benefited by the ‘respect the kicker’ signs that had been displayed during the Wasps game; the rival masses doing enough for Kernick to skew the conversion wide.

Once again, it didn’t take long for Coventry to regain the lead. The score mimicked Warwick’s first try, as a lineout followed by a maul saw their number eight go over once again. The Rugby suddenly took second billing as the atmosphere in the stands heated up. One student was ejected and, in the time it took Warwick to mount an attack, a line of stewards had formed to prevent more trouble.

Back on the pitch, Warwick remained in control and were rewarded with their third try as Byron Cabrol scored after yet another maul. George Teeboon’s successful conversion put Warwick 17-15 up.

The tension was ramped up as our rivals searched for a reply. Coventry’s kicker missed a penalty, but in a flash their inside centre broke through to score what looked to be the match-winning try. With minutes left on the clock, Warwick hopes were fading fast.

But wait. As the clock ticked into overtime, phase after phase saw Warwick inch closer and closer to the Coventry line. The ball disappeared under a mass of bodies and, for what seemed like an age, everyone held their breath. Suddenly, Wilkinson emerged and lunged for the line. The despairing dives of defenders wouldn’t deny him, and Warwick had won in the most dramatic circumstances imaginable. Players hugged, fans roared, our Sport Editor ran around a lot. A truly fitting finale to one of the most hotly-contested Varsity’s in years.