Rugby Union / University Match: Lion-Cachet's dream transpires

CHAD Clinton Lion-Cachet, incorporating a lake, a president and the king of the jungle, not to mention a hyphen, has a name to conjure with. The Oxford University captain, who has enough letters to fill a back row, has emphasised throughout the season that this would be a team effort.

'I've always said we'd have an holistic approach,' Lion- Cachet said, prompting a search for the dictionary. Lion- Cachet was born in Johannesburg and educated at Pretoria High School and the University of Cape Town before espying the dreaming spires. He lost here last year. 'The defeat sat with me for a year,' he said. 'This time I told the team we were here to make history. For us it was an international but above all it was a team effort.'

Nevertheless, a team effort that revolved around Gareth Rees, the Canadian stand-off with Welsh descendants. Rees, one of the stoutest fly-halves, was the heavyweight in mind and matter for the Dark Blues, having come hotfoot from kicking Canada to victory over Wales in Cardiff. When he returned to Iffley Road he presented Lyn Evans, Oxford's Welsh coach, with a leek. Victory at Cardiff Arms Park, victory at Twickenham, home to Canada for Christmas and back here to join Harlequins. From holistic to ballistic.

'He's been a real team man,' Lion-Cachet said. 'Gareth has put back what he's got out of it. He's helped in the youth development and even coached the women's team at Oxford. The key decision-makers were the Nos 8, 9, 10 and 6.' No 6 is Lion-Cachet, who had worked out that the left foot of Alasdair Kennedy was worth putting pressure on. That pressure led to a match-winning try from Fanie Du Toit.

Lion-Cachet will now attempt to play for the Netherlands, the land of his fathers, in the World Cup qualifying matches against Czechoslovakia and Italy in the new year. 'This victory,' he said, 'was down to the coach, team and then God.' Even so, he admitted that, in All Blacks fashion, he would happily concede penalties in order to prevent the opposition from scoring tries. 'In a Varsity match,' he said, 'you don't lose the game.'

Philip Callow, the Cambridge captain, suffered a broken nose and also a bang on the side of the face. 'I was seeing stars,' Callow said. And smelling salts. Even the University match is no game for a callow youth.