by Jordan A Jones
Mark Hutton says his side fear no-one after progressing to the quarter-finals of the BUCS Trophy after victory over Oxford Brookes.
USW beat Oxford Brookes University 10-7 at Sardis Road in what was a stop-start affair after a half-hour break due to a Brookes University injury.
This is the first time that USW have reached the quarter-final stage of the BUCS Trophy. Jordan Hopkins and Keely Ward scored first half-tries, before having to deal with a late push from the visitors as Ellie Angrove scored a late try.
Hutton said: “Before Christmas, we were particularly poor. It was because of a shock to the standard in this League but with self-belief, the two really good games and this one going forward, we fear no one really.
“We’re pleased with the match and we’re on to the next round.”
It sets up an all South Wales clash after Western 1A rivals Cardiff University beat Sussex 17-0. The two will meet on USW soil in the next fortnight. USW have yet to beat Cardiff University, having conceded a walkover in the first scheduled meeting, before being shut out in a 62-0 defeat in November.
Having started off brightly, with two tries scored in the opening ten minutes, the flow of the game was disrupted due to a lengthy stoppage. An injury to Brooke University’s Georgia Newstead saw the game paused for thirty minutes.
Mark Hutton revealed he call on the advice of Strength & Conditioning students Lewis Boswell and Rory Nixon, who have worked with the team recently.
“We have the support from the University in the Strength & Conditioning course, who are on hand to support,” said Hutton.
“I was having a conversation with them when the opposition player was injured in how best to best manage our own players, recognising body temperature and lack of focus, so I turned to them in that instance.
“It was a disjointed affair, we wish the opposition player a speedy recovery but it did obviously knock our fluidity. But all in all, we’re pleased and we march on to the next round.”
(Featured Image: Tom Pritchard)
