University of Liverpool crowned league leaders with win over Lancaster University

A comprehensive report on all the latest action happening in University Rugby League!

University of Liverpool 1st clinched top spot in the BUCS Northern 2A Division with a comprehensive 36-10 win over Lancaster University 1st.

The visitors from Lancaster were fired up pre-match, determined to play spoiler for their firstplaced hosts. University of Liverpool, fresh from being lauded by rivals Manchester Metropolitan University as “the best team in the league”, quickly quelled the Lynx enthusiasm with bruising defence that forced a succession of errors.

It was an error that led to the game’s first try on 8 minutes. The Lizards of Liverpool forced Lancaster to knock on 10 metres from their own line, shifted it to the right and fed Ellis Abrams, who squeezed into the corner to open the scoring.

The next score came straight from a scrum as the ball was sent left this time. James McConnell outpaced two Lancaster defenders to double Liverpool’s lead to 8-0 on the 10-minute mark.

It took 15 minutes for the visitors to show their attacking prowess. They opted to run the ball from their own half on the last tackle with Caleb Kynaston. The winger skipped effortlessly through two despairing Liverpool tacklers, but his pass inside to his left was ahead of a supporting teammate and adjudged to be forward.

They were made to pay soon after as the Lizards continued to apply pressure to the Lancaster line before McConnell was sent crashing over the line to register his second try of the game.

Abrams’ failed to capitalise on his team’s attacking exploits as he missed each conversion attempt, although the degree of difficulty on the kicks had something to do with it.

Abrams was soon able to convert, however, following a superb line break from Mason McMurray, who crossed the line unchallenged and produced a spectacular dive to touch down underneath the posts. 

Lancaster had the final say in the first half as they finally got on the board through Kai Roberts. The second-rower exploited a hole in the Liverpool defence and scored with relative ease. Gabe Black added the extras to bring his team to within two scores and suddenly turn the match into a contest.

HT: University of Liverpool 18-6 Lancaster University

The Lynx started the second half the stronger of the two teams and forced Liverpool into a series of handling errors without really troubling the opposition’s try line themselves. The hosts weathered the storm for 20 minutes and extended their advantage through hooker Joe Butler.

Butler produced a bullocking run and burrowed underneath the sticks with 3 Lancaster defenders trying to haul him down.

Abrams added the extras to bring his scoring tally to 8 points.

Tensions between the two sides were high throughout the game, but tempers eventually flared after a late challenge from Black on a Liverpool player. Black was given a yellow card and from the resulting penalty, Liverpool’s Liam Turner carried the ball right and shovelled a pass to Samuel Wilkinson, who added his name to the scoresheet.

The two sides confronted each other yet again before McMurray missed the conversion attempt from the right touchline.

Having been starved of attacking territory in the second half, Lancaster forced a repeat set in the Liverpool half and after a few near misses, Kynaston was not to be denied this time. The Lynx winger evaded a few tired-looking Lizards tackles to dive over the try line and register his team’s first score in the second half.

That was as good as it would get for the visitors as Liverpool scored from two trick-plays with just minutes left in the contest. Lloyd Hughes was the grateful recipient of a neat chip over the top from Olly Oldroyd, and even had time to juggle the ball before putting down to break the 30-point barrier, and in the final passage of play in the game, McMurray emerged from the back of the scrum, kicked into the corner and raced 40 metres to get on the end of his own kick and have the
final say in the match by diving over for his second try.

University of Liverpool lived up to their pre-match billing and produced a commanding performance to snuff out the threat of Lancaster Lynx and register an impressive win and confirm pole position in the Northern 2A Division.

FT: University of Liverpool 36-10 Lancaster University

University of Liverpool:

1. Mason McMurray 2. Jonny Rajo 3. James McConnell 4. Ellis Abrams 5. Samuel Wilkinson 6. Matthew Biddle 7. Olly Oldroyd 8. Ollie Skeech 9. Joe Butler 10. Kaiss Hussain 11. Leo Irabirren 12. Lloyd Hughes 13. Sean Metcalfe (C) 14. Django Jones 15. Alex Meyer 16. Matthew Williams 17. Tom Birtles

Tries: James McConnell (x2), Mason McMurray (x2) Ellis Abrams, Joe Butler, Samuel Wilkinson, Lloyd Hughes

Goals: Ellis Abrams (x2)

Lancaster University:

1. Tyler McKenzie 2. Caleb Kynaston 3. Max Harrison 4. Theo Sumner 5. Tom Maguire 6. Gabe Black 7. Alfie Mather 8. Dylan Taylor 9. Dom Hughes 10. Will Emsley 11. Kai Roberts 12. Michael Bould 13. Charlie Rudman 14. Jack Blundell 15. Liam Turner 16. Will D 17. Minay Gunawerdena 18. Eric T

Tries: Kai Roberts, Caleb Kynaston

Goals: Gabe Black

Elsewhere, In the Premier: National League, Loughborough University 1st edged out University of Exeter 1st in a tight contest, emerging as a 26-20 victors. In an even more fiercely contested battle, just 2 points separated University of Leeds 1st and Newcastle University 1st, the visitors clinching the 24-22 win.

In Northern 1A, Liverpool John Moores University 1st were crowned champions without throwing a ball in anger. Their opponents, Edge Hill University 1st, were forced to forfeit due to a lack of players, gifting the walkover win and the league title to LJMU.

University of Manchester 1st ended their winless streak by following up last week’s 10-10 draw with Northumbria University 2nd withan impressive 44-28 defeat of University of Central Lancashire 1st. Despite 8 losses in a row this season, Manchester rallied and remain unbeaten in 2025.

Back-to-back-to-back Varsity winners University of Nottingham 1st also celebrated achieving a 100% season in the Nottingham derby, defeating Nottingham Trent University 1st to make it five wins out of five and secure the Southern 1A Division title.

In Gloucestershire, Swansea University 1st edged out University of Gloucestershire 1st 32-22 to claim second place. In the South East, University of Exeter 2nd and St Mary’s University College traded blows in an 80-minute points fest before the visitors from Twickenham edged ahead and won a thrilling contest 56-44.

After a resounding 74-10 defeat of Newcastle University 2nd, the Rangers of Sheffield Hallam achieved an unprecedented invincible campaign and avoided defeat for a second consecutive season, securing the Northern 2B Division title in the process.

It was an entertaining final day in the Southern 2B Division as Oxford University 1st and 2nd scored a combined 90 points between them and conceded only 14 to University of Northampton 1st and University of Brighton 1st, respectively.

By Patrick Bratin