OXFORD University captain Kevin Brennan felt Cambridge had been there for the taking in the second half.

He said: "Going into the second half we were confident we could win it.

"I think they were beginning to flag after 15 minutes. If we had scored then it could have been a different result.

"But credit to Cambridge, they were very physical in the contact area and forced the mistakes to turn it round.

"I think there was only one kickable penalty we had in the second half where I took a quick tap."

Oxford director of rugby Steve Hill felt crucial errors let his side down.

He said: "I thought we created a number of opportunities and, at times, kept possession really well.

"Unfortunately there were a couple of chances where the ball was spilled and the passing wasn't as precise as it could have been and that was the difference.

"I thought their defence was strong, but we showed we could break them down."

Cambridge skipper John Blaikie said: "It wasn't a game for the purists, but these games never really are. For 30 minutes in the second half we just didn't have the ball. Our defence kept us in the game.

"They had a good crack at us, but it seemed they made little mistakes at the end.

"About four or five times they had us on the ropes."