Grand Slam stars Sam Warburton and Jamie Roberts, a student at the university, were on hand to offer a few words of wisdom ahead of the big match, while head coaches Justin Burnell and Gareth Baber helped in the training session last week
And Baber knows all about the magnitude of a Varsity match having won a Blue for Oxford during his playing days.
“There are huge rivalries when it comes to Varsity games. I was fortunate enough to play in one up at Twickenham but every educational institution has its rivalry with its and this is the big one for Cardiff.
“It’s a great occasion for the two universities, rugby in Wales generally and a good place for students to demonstrate they have the skills to play regional and professional rugby.
“The universities are still a great breeding ground for players. Not everyone is going to be picked up at 16-years-old and come into development structures at professional clubs.
“There are a lot of boys going off to uni and there are good links with rugby clubs. We certainly have a good relationship with Cardiff and it’s important that we maintain that to make sure any quality guys come into the regions.”
Cardiff are aiming to avenge two consecutive defeats at the hands of Swansea to regain the Varsity crown in front of 30,000 students at the Millennium Stadium and Baber reckons the capital city outfit are in good shape for the crunch encounter.
“We’ve helped out with the session,” added the former Oxford scrum-half. “We spoke about a couple of elements of their game and what they want to do. It’s been a pleasure and they’ve taken everything on board despite the rain and enjoyed themselves.
“They’re all fit, healthy young men and I’m sure they can get it done.”
