BEN MILLS, the former Enfield Ignatians’ first team hooker, enjoyed a magical moment after being deployed as an impact sub by Cambridge in their 15-10 win over Oxford in the Varsity game at Twickenham (March 25).

The former Hertfordshire youth county player replaced acting captain Ben Gompels with over ten minutes to go, and the impact of a strong bench proved one of the a key factors in helping the Light Blues close out a tight game.

He said: “I was a bag of nerves beforehand and was really worried about the outcome of the game before getting on the field. However, once on the pitch, I felt fine.”

However, such is the intensity of the build-up, that this is clearly no ordinary rugby game. He added: “You can really sense the intensity building after Christmas as the attendance at training really picks up.

“It’s also THE game that defines the season. It’s the match that neither side wants to lose nor, and no matter how good the build-u, or what has gone on before, your season could be viewed as a rubbish one in the event of a loss.”

The understudy to hooker Ben Gompels has also been keeping very good company. “Ben, a medical student, is a very good player, and the squad also boasts a couple of former internationals, Toby Flood (England) and Tommaso Castello (Italy), in its ranks.

“Toby Flood, (60 caps), the captain, wasn’t part of the match-day squad, having picked up an injury, but I do recall him saying [from the sidelines] that he was able to take in all the atmosphere for once which wasn’t the case in the past, as he was so focussed on events on the pitch.

“Tommaso Castello (18 caps) has played for Italy. He has had his injury problems which caused him to retire from rugby [in 2021), and he was introduced as an impact sub at centre during the second-half.

Ben Mills also acknowledges the role of the coaching set-up which comprises head-coach James Shanahan and the London Irish assistant forwards’ coach Ross McMillan.

“They’re two really good coaches. James Shanahan is the head coach at Blackheath, a side that has just been promoted from League Two to League One, whereas Ross McMillan can come across as a big, scary guy. However, everything he says is so clear and spot-on.”

It’s been a fairly meteoric rise for the player, who prior to embarking on a one year Mathematics Masters’ Degree at Wolfson College, was playing level seven rugby at Enfield Ignatians.

So how did his Varsity rugby journey begin? “It was through someone I know Owen Perks, and it was he who put me in touch with the relevant people. I began by playing for one of the reserve teams, having come on at half-time in the Oxford-Brookes University fixture, and it has all gone on from there.

“It’s been quite a build-up as we have faced the Army, the Navy and the Police, and select teams from Bishop’s Stortford, Coventry and The Police, plus Trinity College (Dublin), which is game we lost by a last minute drop-goal.”

Ben’s stay at Cambridge is only a short day. A move to York to study Algebra now beckons, but you can bet your bottom dollar that the memory of winning the Varsity Game will last a lifetime.