A GROUP of Oxford forwards huddled together and wept in an intense moment in the dressing room before the University Match of 1990. The build up to the game had been fraught, Oxford's Irish captain Mark Egan had decided not to play the Australian duo of Brian Smith and Troy Coker and the in fighting had had, echoes of the `True Blue' rowing intrigue three years earlier.

Many tears have been shed in the last six weeks and emotions will be raw in the Oxford dressing room at a quarter to two this afternoon. And, on the pitch, too, where there will be a minutes silence for another missing Australian.

Ian Tucker's death from head injuries on October 27th after the centre had made a tackle during a game at Saracens the previous day has overshadowed the game. It was the first fatality in Oxford's history, the first in the first class game in the modern era and all the more poignant, perhaps, for the fact that the 23 year old economics graduate from Sydney University would have been one of five players from the same Sydney school in this fixture.

There will be no Oxford number 12 today in memory of the 23 year old Tucker and much public sympathy has understandably been with the Dark Blues. But Cambridge's number 12, too, has been deeply affected by the tragedy. Nick Hill, who, is reading economics at St Edmund's, would have been playing opposite his old friend.

Hill said: "I won't be thinking I could be playing against Ian, it will be like he's playing with me. He was so determined in everything he did that a lot of people will find something positive to take from his death. I certainly have."

The Cambridge blind side flanker Marty Hyde and the Oxford duo, the full back Richard Maher and the lock Tim Eisenhauer, are other former pupils of St Ignatius College.

Eisenhauer, a 24 year old studying for a diploma in social studies at St Anne's recalled his final year at St Ignatius when Ian Tucker played at fly half. "I was Ian's captain in our final year and his memory will be a driving force for me," he said.

Tony Rogers, the Cambridge" coach, said: "The two universities are very close in many respects and we've all been very upset about Ian's death. It has helped us that the two, Australians here, Marty and Nick, have been able to articulate their thoughts to us.

"They will both have their own thoughts during the minutes' silence but once the whistle goes, they'll be crashing into each other and playing in the same wholehearted way that Ian would have."

The past six weeks have seen the tragedy help bind the Oxford team together. "It was difficult playing the Stanley's game four days after Ian died. In the end it was like getting back on the horse after falling off," said Steve Hill. Oxford's directors of rugby. "By the time we had played two or three games things had got easier and we've been in close contact with Ian's family who have been to our games.

Hill has been so impressed with his Australian contingent that he has, been in talks with two of the Wallabies squad who finished their British tour last weekend in the hope of, them exchanging the gold and green jersey for dark blue next season. Where Smith and Coker had been a disruptive influence, Maher, Eisenhauer and Tucker himself have been as popular off the pitch as they are competitive on it.

The University Match of 1990 was won by Oxford against all the odds. Cambridge, who included the future England internationals Chris Sheasby and Tony Underwood, had been overwhelming favourites. After their emotional 21-12 victory, Egan, who had been outstanding throughout the game, said that the Oxfords rugby club was a happy place again. It is to be hoped it will be again soon. Even the most die hard of Light Blue supporters will wish them well today.