James Lunnun: Winning against UKC was good

James Lunnun, left, all smiles after winning Varsity
with Sam Bailey, centre, and Joseph Wood, right.

Nicolas Verdier: What did it mean for you to win the Mark Burgeff Award for service to rugby at this year’s Sport Fed dinner?

James Lunnun: Some very nice people have won it before so I felt very proud to be one of them. I was very surprised as I was not expecting to win it at all. I have heard about the award before but I did not even know I was up for it this year. It was a great surprise.

N. V.: How was Varsity?

J. L.: It was amazing. It was so good to win against UKC. It is always very hard to win Varsity as the team we play is always a league or two above us. But we gave everything we had on the pitch and at training and it paid off at the end.

N. V.: What was the key of the game?

J. L.: I think like every year, the key was determination; everyone was so pump up and passionate for the game. That is why we won. In a high pressure game like Varsity, it always comes down to determination. In the past UKC did not take us seriously. We are always the underdogs but this is what makes us so pumped up and get the win.

N. V.: How did you feel after the last whistle?

J. L.: It was a massive feeling of relief. I was very nervous going into the game. I knew it was my last chance to win Varsity as a third year but also as I was the captain. I won it in my first year but lost last year so I knew what it meant for the team and the whole University to lose. I really did not want to experience that feeling again.

N. V.: When did you realise you won Varsity?

J. L.: I was a bit shocked at the end of the game to be honest. The atmosphere was amazing and when the entire crowd came on the pitch to celebrate it was surreal. It is only when we calmed down and sat down in the changing room that we realise what just happened. It is by far my best memory as a rugby player.