Dominant Downing Win The League

Robinson 7 – 28 Downing

Downing college have won the Rugby 1st division college league after a win against main title challengers Robinson. After an extremely successful season, in which their only recorded losses came against St John’s and Selwyn, yesterday’s fixture was to be the deciding game. Robinson would have needed a decent win against Downing, as well as against Pembroke and Johns to take the lead, but it was not to be their day. Earlier in the season Downing had only narrowly prevailed in this game, but any hopes based on this were soon dashed, as Downing scored four dynamic tries in the first half against a depleted Binson team who looked a shadow of their best.

Downing last year.

Even a second half resurgence by Robinson, including a grubber kick from the Robinson ten which seemed to nutmeg the Downing scrum-half twice, and led to Robinson’s only try, was not enough to bring the game back to parity. With Downing camped out on the Robinson five-metre line for what felt like the last half an hour, impressive displays of brawn and determination from both sides were in evidence, as they charged and scrapped for their respective causes.

Downing scoring a conversion.

Downing have gone through the season as a squad well-known for their physicality, and have subsequently been a very difficult team to break down. They showed this in yesterday’s game, often shrugging off tackles, and allowing particularly the centres to run dangerous attacking lines, even from well within their own territory.

Downing finish this season with their second successive league win, deserved victors, and they look to be favourites in the upcoming Cuppers rounds as well. That being said, we can expect some upsets in the coming weeks, especially as teams bring in their usually ineligible Blues players and ringers.

The Tab sends their congratulations to Downing College Rugby Club.