Army seniors decisively beaten by Oxford University

The Army men's rugby union team have been defeated by Oxford University by a clear margin, as they went down 31-5 to the students at Iffley Road.

A strong and organised Oxford side proved to be the deciding factor as the Army lacked the discipline needed to repel the attacks from the dark blues. 

The red shirts also got on the wrong side of the referee, with no fewer than half-a-dozen penalties being handed out in the opening first half. 

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As the Army tried to find a breakthrough, they found themselves in the bad graces of the referee as Sapper Cam McDonald was shown a yellow card at the end of the first quarter.

A couple more penalties followed and the Army found themselves 12 points behind the dark blues after Harry Scoble scored the second try to give Oxford a 12-0 lead over the Army. 

The Army found themselves 7-0 down after 20 minutes after Oxford's Tom Osbourne broke through the Army's defence to score the first try of the game, as Vasco Faira successfully made the conversion. 

With a race against the clock to get a try in before half-time, the Army's Lance Bombardier Fitzgerald made a great tackle, but Liam Furniss was on hand to get Oxford another try, giving the students a 19-0 lead at half-time. 

The Oxford side came back in the second half with upward momentum, as repeated penalties prevented the Army push away from their own line. 

The dark blues wasted no time to widen their advantage as Edward Blake drove over the line for a try, extending Oxford's lead to 24-0. 

It didn't take long for the students to find their fifth try from flanker George Hobbs, extending their lead further to 31-0. 

Knowing that the game was all but done, the Army still had time to get a try onto the scoreboard. 

Captain Ackers came close to the try line, and Lance Corporal Vereti was on hand to get the Army's first try.

At the final whistle, a score of 31-5 will give the Army plenty to think about as they look to beat the French Army at home in Aldershot on 15 March.