“One of the
best moments
of my life”
The Varsity Matches,
through two players' eyes
On Saturday 28 February 2026, Cambridge and Oxford will meet once again at StoneX Stadium for The Varsity Matches – a full-day celebration of men and women's university rugby, kicking off at 12noon.
For many student-athletes, Varsity is the pinnacle: the weeks of training, the team bond, the rivalry, the nerves, the joy. And the reminder that Cambridge life and memories are built as much in its communities, as it is in supervisions, lectures or labs.
For Ella Glazier and Ollie East, rugby has been central to finding those communities, and to thriving academically, too.
Ella is a third-year Natural Sciences Tripos undergraduate, specialising in Plant Sciences, at Jesus College, and plays scrum half. Ollie is a second-year Veterinary Medicine undergraduate at Magdalene College whose season has seen him play both wing and centre.
Their stories are reminders of why student sport matters: for the incredible chance of lifting the coveted trophy in front of a chanting crowd, but also for the friendship, belonging, balance and wellbeing that's found there.
Whether you're a lifelong rugby fan or you've never watched a match before, The Varsity Matches are a rare chance to see two Cambridge teams compete on a professional stage - and to be part of an atmosphere players describe as unlike anything else.
Secure your place in the stands for The Varsity Matches now
Ella Glazier
From lockdown obsession to Varsity stage
Ella grew up in Manchester, attending Stockport Grammar School, and first fell for rugby in an unexpected way. “In lockdown, I started watching rugby on the TV because I had nothing else to do. I hadn’t really watched it before, but then I just got obsessed with it. I guess everyone had a lockdown obsession and that was mine.”
She’d had a brief taste of sport as a child, but it didn’t click at the time. “I’d played a little bit of tag rugby in primary school, but I wasn’t very sporty when I was little. I dreaded Mondays, because I knew it would be cold and rainy and the boys wouldn’t pass to me."
After lockdown, the turning point came through family and a local club. “My dad was the coach of my little brother’s team at Broughton Park. I asked my dad if I could go with them on a Wednesday night and it was so, so fun. I immediately fell in love with it.”
Ella joined the girls’ rugby team at Broughton Park, later playing for Lancashire County, and started the first women’s rugby team at her school, Stockport Grammar. "We really, really pushed for the boys coaches to let us have a rugby club. And eventually we got it!"
Ella, far left, with her Broughton Park team
Ella, far left, with her Broughton Park team
When she arrived at Cambridge, she joined CURUFC as a fresher where her playing position changed. Before university she had played winger, or sometimes centre, but now she’s a scrum half and loving it. “I’m really glad I got put at scrum half when I joined because you’re always close to the action and it’s more dynamic. I like being annoying too, so it suits me!"
She has already experienced The Varsity Matches in two different forms: “In my first year I played the Tigers Varsity match in Oxford. That was really fun. And then last year I played in the big Varsity Match at Stone X. That was incredible. Honestly, one of the best moments of my life. It’s such a privilege, I remember walking out and looking at the crowd with my teammates, it was such an honour.”
And the speed of that journey, from looking up to the first team as a Fresher, to stepping onto the Varsity pitch, still feels surreal.
“When I first joined Cambridge rugby, I just remember being in awe of the first team women… and then the next year I was playing in the Varsity Match and it was surreal, it was brilliant.”
The women's team, including Ella, at The Varsity Matches 2025
The women's team, including Ella, at The Varsity Matches 2025
Her proudest rugby moments? Varsity, of course, is one but also something closer to home: helping to create a pathway for girls who wanted to play rugby at school.
“At school we didn’t have a women’s rugby team, I guess most schools don’t. But we really, really pushed for the boys coaches to let us have a rugby club. And eventually we got it and then eventually we got a match as well!”
And it’s a legacy that has lasted, the team Ella helped to set up is thriving, with her younger brother telling her "it's still going strong". A news update on the school website from 2023 also reported that: “One area that has seen huge success and development has been the Girl’s Rugby programme. Year 7 girls now have compulsory rugby lessons as part of their PE programme. As well as this [there’s] an extremely successful Year 7 & 8 Girls Rugby co-curricular club, which has seen over 25 girls regularly attending. The numbers continue to grow week on week.”
“I’d probably go mad without rugby.”
Sport, study, and staying well
For Ella, rugby isn’t something that competes with academic life – it’s part of what makes academic life sustainable.
“It actually helps, it definitely helps. I think I’d probably go mad without rugby to be honest. It motivates me.”
Part of that is having role models around her in the club, older players who are also thriving academically. “In the first year, having the older role models to look up to that were academically really successful, that really motivated me as well.”
But the bigger impact is day-to-day: the relief, the friendship, the reset after a long stretch of work. “Just going through the work day and then knowing that I’ve got something to look forward to at the end of the day, that I’m going to see my friends and have a run around. It’s definitely really helpful, it keeps you refreshed.”
And Ella’s undergraduate degree often involves long, demanding days. “I’m in the lab most days and we’ve got lectures three days a week. But the last two years we had lectures six days a week and labs a few days a week as well. So it was pretty busy.” Even so, she’s clear that rugby is worth it.
“I think rugby is one of the sports that takes up quite a lot of time but it's definitely worth it.”
She also points to Cambridge sport more generally and pushes back on the assumption that Cambridge is only academic.
“I was really surprised by how good sport at Cambridge is. I think a lot of people think that it’s just really academic, but it’s not at all.” And she has some encouraging words for any students who might think it’s too late to start.
“You can definitely join in when you’re at uni if you’re thinking about it. Especially women’s rugby, because not that many women play it when they’re younger, so if you’re new, I don’t think that should put you off. It’s a really welcoming, friendly club.”
At Broughton Park with Samoa during RWC 2025
At Broughton Park with Samoa during RWC 2025
Ella's first match for CURUFC (Tigers)
Ella's first match for CURUFC (Tigers)
Ella makes a run for CURUFC during the Town v Gown match
Ella makes a run for CURUFC during the Town v Gown match
Ella makes a pass during The Varsity Matches
Ella makes a pass during The Varsity Matches
Ella making a tackle during The Varsity Matches
Ella making a tackle during The Varsity Matches
Ollie East
Coventry roots, Cambridge rugby, and “three bubbles”
Ollie’s rugby story started early, growing up in Coventry, he played for Broadstreet Rugby Club and then Barkers Butts RFC and says the move to Barkers was where everything accelerated.
“I started rugby in the under 8s at Broadstreet and later moved up to Barkers Butts in Coventry, which was the team I spent my longest time at, from the start of secondary school onwards. Barkers is where I really fell in love with rugby and I have a lot of friends there I still chat to." As a teenager, Ollie also played for his school, Bablake School, as well as at county level.
A young Ollie at Broadstreet Rugby Club
A young Ollie at Broadstreet Rugby Club
This season, his on-field role has shifted: he grew up playing in the centres (12/13), has spent much of the Blues season on the wing, and has recently moved back to 13.
“Growing up, I’ve always played in the centres but recently, this year for Blues, I’ve been playing on the wing for most of the season and then recently I’ve been put in the centres at 13. I think my favourite position is 13. It’s the one that I’m most used to.”
Ollie played in The Varsity Matches last year with the second team and says that even in defeat, the day stays with you. “I love the team. I love the bond as a team. The big thing for me is that I play for my mates, and I love my team, and I want to win for my team.”
"Rugby was good for establishing new friendships."
Finding balance and finding your people
Ollie says rugby gave him an immediate community when he arrived in Cambridge. “One big thing is there isn’t a lot of people from Coventry that get into Cambridge or Oxford. I came to Cambridge really knowing no more than a handful of people. And so that was quite scary but rugby was really good at establishing new friendships and branches outside of college and my course, because they're my three bubbles: sport, college, and course.”
He continues: “And I think CURUFC is really good at linking them all together, exploring the whole city by going to visit my rugby mates at different colleges and seeing all these other colleges. I’ve really enjoyed doing that.” He admits he had worries about whether he’d fit in but the reality was the opposite. “I was worried it was going to be a bit toxic or something… but no, it’s been great, I’ve loved it.”
Now in his in second year studying Veterinary Medicine, he’s candid about the workload and that finding the right balance takes planning. “It’s a lot of contact hours, there seems to be a lot of things that I have to be at and I’ve got to do a lot of rearranging with matches and supervisions. But I love my degree and once it hits 6pm, let's go get a bit of food in, training, come back.”
And he’s clear about what rugby adds beyond the pitch, including the skills he’ll need in his future career. “I like to think my communication skills and social skills are pretty good and rugby helps a lot, there's lots of different people from different backgrounds and I've gained more understanding on how to communicate with different people. And that's vital for if I hopefully become a vet.”
For students thinking about trying rugby for the first time at Cambridge, Ollie's advice is simple: "I think just give it a go. The lads are really accepting of new people, we love more people at the club, we love to welcome new faces."
Ollie on the pitch for Barkers Butts RFC as a teen
Ollie on the pitch for Barkers Butts RFC as a teen
“It feels like a World Cup final”
Ask Ollie about Varsity as a player, and he goes straight to the nerves – the good kind.
"Just talking about it gets me nervous. It is a big thing, but nerves are good. It means I care so much about it, which I do. Realistically, as soon as you come back at the start of the academic year, you’re already thinking about it. All the preparations up to this big game. It’s always in the back of your mind.”
His favourite memory so far is from last year’s Varsity: not the scoreboard, but the moment of stepping out, backed by teammates and the wider club.
“Hearing them cheer me on was really powerful. It made you feel important. I remember running through the tunnel and it’s all my mates, all cheering you on, shouting your name, hitting you on the back. And the adrenaline rush was unbelievable.”
Playing for Cambridge wearing the iconic 'Blues' kit
Playing for Cambridge wearing the iconic 'Blues' kit
When it comes to encouraging people to come along to watch The Varsity Matches Ollie’s message is simple: you can’t replicate this anywhere else.
“It's such a big event that's carried on for so many years and matters so much to both sides. And what an atmosphere, it just has so much rich history to it and there’s so much passion from each team, like nothing I’ve seen before. It feels like a World Cup final, but we’re just two universities in England.”
Beyond the scale and spectacle of Varsity, it is often the personal support that means the most. Asked who they would most want in the crowd. Ella remembers her best friend Liv's grandmother, Julie, who followed her rugby journey closely but sadly passed away before she could see her play at StoneX. "I wish she could've seen me on the TV playing in the big Varsity Match. I think she would have loved that."
Ollie's answer is equally close to home. "That would be my great granny Betty. She was a big fan of the rugby and she didn't quite make it to see me get into Cambridge, but I think she would have loved it."
Their answers are a reminder that while Varsity is one of university's biggest stages, it is ultimately about the people - past and present - who support our players every step of the way.
The day of The Varsity Matches is the day these stories converge on the same pitch: two students, two squads, one rivalry – and the thousands of people who become part of it in the stands.
For the players it represents months, even years, of commitment, teamwork and preparation. For supporters, it offers the chance to witness one of Cambridge's great sporting traditions, on one of rugby's biggest stages. It's not to be missed...
Secure your place at the Varsity Matches 2026 now.
Tickets start from just £5 for children.
Gates open at 11am. Matches start at 12noon.
The text in this work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Story and design: Jessica Keating
Date: 24 February 2026
