Varsity 2024 saw the addition of a new sport, rugby league. To those who are unaware of how the game works, here is a brief overview. Each rugby league team has 13 players and 4 substitutes at any time in the game. Each team is made up of 7 ‘backs’ and 6 ‘forwards’. In which the backs are generally regarded as the attacking players and tend to have more pace than the bigger more powerful forwards who are usually the ‘yard’ makers. Rugby league rules work similar to rugby in terms of using the same ball and passing backwards. Each team gets 5 goes with the ball where on the fifth go the ball gets kicked back to the opposing team if they have not successfully scored by then. Now onto the main event, Cardiff vs Swansea Varsity Match at Singleton campus. Swansea who are unbeaten this year and finished top of their league take on the underdogs, Cardiff. The first half was underway and Swansea started strong, getting a few tries under their belt. But Cardiff fought back and commitment from the boys shines through as they manage to break through the Swansea defence and score their first try. After half time, the Cardiff boys take the field with a new found determination. With some wonderful steps from individual players the Cardiff side began to gain some positive momentum. A brilliant interception was made by number 12, Brandon Cahill, that resulted in an impressive try after a great run from the halfway line. Unfortunately Cardiff weren’t quite able to catch up with the Swansea scoreline and as the whistle blew for full time, Swansea took the victory. With this being such a fresh team there are definitely some fine adjustments to be done but they have laid the groundings for a side that I believe can go all the way in a couple years time. It’s incredible to see how far the team have come in their first ever year competing at Varsity and BUCS. They may have lost Varsity but resulting 3rd in their BUCS league is something the boys should be proud of. I look forward to seeing how the team develops and the squad grows at Cardiff in the future.