Varsity 2012: An interview with the Captain

The mood around campus seems to be that of optimism with many fans feeling Friday’s match can exorcise the demons of KCL’s shock win last year. They came back from 15-0 down to record a last minute winner in a 17-15 victory.

Tredrea claims UCL will not make the same mistake again: ‘We don’t want a repeat of last year’s game. It was embarrassing to give away such a lead in such a big game, but we’ve learnt from it’.

And this learning process appears evident when you consider their quick establishment as one of the most dominant teams in the league, showing formidable form in recent weeks. The Strand Poly, meanwhile, have struggled this season and are seemingly the underdogs for the match on Friday.

Despite this, Tredrea was keen to rule out any complacency within the squad: ‘We have had some issues of giving away points as a result of it this season’ he states,‘but we have exceptional players in our team, and as there are only two Freshers, the majority know exactly what to expect, having been part of the squad for a long time. I don’t see [complacency] becoming an issue’.

According to the UCL Captain, having two seemingly inexperienced first years in the side would not be a hindrance. Tredrea, who missed almost all of his first year of rugby, argued that the importance of Varsity is instilled in each player long before the game takes place: 

‘Ultimately, everyone in the team understands the importance of the Varsity match to students and the university.'

When questioned on tactics, Tredrea said that it would be highly dependent on the weather: 

‘If it stays dry then we can expect a quick paced and attack-minded match, but should it rain, we’ll probably play out a more traditional rugby game, with the forwards dominating. That being said, I feel we’ll get the victory whatever the conditions. It’ll be tight and it’s very possible that it’ll go down to the last 15 minutes, but our quality should see us through.’

And it appears that no one on Gower Street is taking the match lightly. It is the buildup of weeks of excitement and apprehension on campus with students trading insults with our younger, annoying and insecure siblings on the Strand. However, for the fans, bragging rights and the satisfaction of mocking your rivals is only matched by bringing home the trophy. And Tredrea reassures UCL’s students that his side will be victorious on March 2nd.

We can only hope that this confidence is mirrored by a strong team performance under the Twickenham Stoop floodlights on Friday. If this is the case we can then add ‘Terrible at Sports’ to the list of entry requirements for Kings College London.

Catch live coverage of the Varsity Rugby Match right here on The Buzz, Friday 2nd March 2012