Scrum-believable! SOAS Rugby upset UCL in Historic Victory
Matthew McMahon, BSC PPE, 03/02/2025
It is an unavoidable fact in any competitive sport that no match is played without preconception. As seasons progress and tables start to form, a clear hierarchy of clubs makes it so that we ought to be able to predict the result of a game before we even go and watch - writing certain teams off prior to the first whistle being blown. Logic dictates that underdogs should be blown out of the water, left defenceless as the better team collects their bonus points and departs.
Once in a while however, a squad so determined turns up that is able to turn the tables. Sometimes, the underdogs get their chance at glory, producing magical spectacle memorable moments to all those lucky enough to see it happen. That is exactly the fairy tale story that SOAS Women’s Rugby managed to write in their history book this last-Sunday.
Having only played one game prior to this fixture against City St George’s, a 36-17 defeat, the match up against second of the table UCL was going to be far from an easy game. SOAS banded together all in the hopes of putting our small university on the map, securing it the respect it deserved on the University of London sports radar.
SOAS Womxns’s Rugby since the start of the year has been rebuilding, overseen by an ambitious committee eager to redefine the team starting from the ground up. Throwing themselves into the project with little reservation, they set about exploiting the talented player pool, patching up the weaknesses in their game and building on their strengths - the fruits of which were fully put on show on Sunday.
The game began as a stalemate, with both teams showing brief glimpses into what they were capable of, but not being able to convert hard earned meters into tangible points. This thankfully didn’t stay the case for long as the explosive Number 8, Zoe Hart crossed the line for the first try of the game.
Understanding the level at which SOAS had come to play forced UCL to muster up all that they had to respond just before half time, as they crossed the try-line through their Blindside Flanker Logan Randle. However, this would constitute the only points that the opposition could produce, as half-time restructuring saw the home team reinstate the tactics that would let them breeze to victory.
SOAS put an emphasis on building more than just a team, but a community, fostering links of friendship, support and collaboration that make every other sports team envious of their solidarity. This meant that when times get tough and it was needed to stand together, players showed unwavering bravery in shattering a more that competent opponent.
The areas where SOAS’ game shone brightest was the aspects that feed on heroic cohesion - notably a level of physicality in defence hitherto unassociated with SOAS teams impressively led by co-captain and lock Marta Rey Santiago. Stand-out performances from Loosehead Prop Naza Iwe and Fly-Half Coaa Amor guaranteed that the metal and physical battle was no-longer up for discussion.
Momentum firmly with them, SOAS was able to capitalise with a powerful try by Blindside Flanker Giorgia Valdivia and a blistering finish by Ola Ogan putting them firmly in the lead with 12 points on their opposition. The team was adamant to keep UCL try less in the second half - making the final score 17-5.
To the great enjoyment of the large number of overjoyed supporters, SOAS produced an awe-inspiring performance to materialise the handwork put in. On and off the pitch, Womxn’s rugby has for the first time in a long while, made people proud to call this university their own
