The defeat came on the back of a disappointing season which saw Swansea finish fifth in the Premier South A, while Cardiff finished third and completed the double over the green and white army.

The latest defeat was also the first time Swansea had lost the Varsity rugby match in three years.

Coach Richard Lancaster said: “We just didn’t execute our game plan.

“Once Cardiff scored their first try, it became a game of set plays, which was nutrition for the Cardiff side to play the style of rugby that suits them.”

He added: “It’s disappointing as it is the last game of the season. It is something to store and use as fuel for next season.”

Swansea University started off the brighter of the two teams, going 6-0 up after 10 minutes, courtesy of Swansea fly-half Aled Lewis’ boot.

Cardiff recovered from their slow start and 15 minutes later, lock Nicholas Huntley dived over the Swansea try line but the conversion was missed by fly-half Cameron Plimlow.

On the half hour mark, Cardiff’s dominance led to Swansea conceding a penalty on their five-metre line, providing the opportunity for openside flanker Arthur Ellis to cross the line and hand Cardiff a 12-6 lead with a converted try.

Three minutes later, Plimlow extended the lead to 15-6 by scoring a drop-goal from 22 metres out.

Swansea were dealt a blow in the closing stages of the first half when scrum-half Tom Rowlands was sent to the sin-bin for deliberately obstructing a player whilst in an offside position.

Five minutes into the second half, Plimlow extended Cardiff’s lead to 18-6 by slotting his second drop-goal from 15 metres out.

And soon after the their third try of the match came through prop and captain Jake Cooper-Woolley.

It started from a line-out 10 metres from Swansea’s try line which was collected by Craig Lodge and knocked down to Jonny MacDonald, and he fed Cooper-Woolley who evaded the tackles of Swansea’s Michael Thomas and Reuben Tucker to score.

The try was unconverted yet Cardiff’s lead was extended to 23-6 with 30 minutes to go.

Swansea went on the attack and 10 minutes of sustained pressure resulted in Cardiff’s Ellis receiving a yellow card for a culmination of offences.

And with 15 minutes left, Swansea scored their first try of the match following an attack down the right, and winger Jackson Szabo managed to cross over after being tackled by Cardiff’s Rhys Howells and Charlie Simpson.

Fly-half Aled Lewis added the extras and reduced the deficit to 10 points, with the score 23-13.

But Cardiff made sure there would be no late fightback by scoring two more tries.

The pick of them came two minutes from time from a delicate move along the backline which saw replacement winger Steffan Morgan switch an inside ball to fellow winger Howells who crossed the try line.

Cardiff captain Cooper-Woolley said: “We had maximum effort from the boys and the result shows it.”

Swansea University 1sts 13-33 Cardiff University 1sts

Swansea won the three disciplines of foil, sabre and epee with ease.

Richard Rapier, coach of the men’s fencing team was delighted with his side’s performance.

“Our hard work has really paid off.

“Having a huge crowd to watch us cap off a great year was amazing.”

The foil discipline saw Swansea win 45-38 against a doggedCardiff side.

George Orchant claimed several impressive victories, winning 10-2, 13-0 and 5-4 to help claim victory for Swansea.

Swansea claimed victory in the sabre discipline 45-33.

Rapier’s performance provided a highlight for the crowd, verbally contesting the decisions made by the umpire.

Swansea’s epeeists capped off a brilliant performance by winning 45-29, totalling the scores to 135-100 to Swansea.

Woodward was impressed with the way Dan Ridsdale’s performance.

“Dan cemented an excellent start with a controlled finish.”

Due to their success, the club’s sessions are free for all to try till the end of term.

Swansea University 1sts 135-100 Cardiff University 1sts

The result was a shining light for Cardiff who were relegated from the Premier South, yet the result for Swansea ended a disappointing season for them, who were relegated from the Western 1A league.

Swansea captain Brooke Collett said: “I think we could’ve won it.

“It all depends on the day, but next season is a new season for us all.”

The first quarter saw Swansea play fast-paced attacking netball and end the quarter leafing 11-7, with goal attack Rebecca Steingass scoring six of Swansea’s points.

The second quarter saw Cardiff increase their tempo and become more attacking-minded.

Cardiff’s five-point deficit turned into a lead as Cardiff ended the first half 20-19 in the lead.

The second half started positively for Cardiff whose lead was extended to five points.

Steingass scored nine of Swansea’s 10 points in the third quarter, yet Cardiff led 34-29.

The final quarter saw Cardiff increase their lead to nine points as they were ruthless in attack and did not give Swansea chance to regroup.

Cardiff captain Angharad Williams was delighted for the win.

“This win was so important for us, after such a disappointing season this was everything for us,” she said.

“The game has come close to our exams but it’s provided us with a break.”

Swansea University 1sts 34-45 Cardiff University 1sts

Ryan-Lowes, more commonly known as ‘Flash’, is targeting a win over Cardiff and to get more people involved in sport.

“The target for Varsity is to simply beat Cardiff,” he said.

“The target is for everyone to get behind the ‘Green and Whites’ and celebrate our success.”

Ryan-Lowes is proud of the Swansea teams from this year, whose successes he has celebrated.

“Our teams throughout the Bucs season and individual competitions have seen us beat Cardiff on many occasions and quite often we have been the clear winners,” he added.

“If you’re a player, there is nothing better than seeing a crowd of Swansea students singing and cheering you on.”

This season, there have been occasions where higher crowd numbers have been evident, such as the Intramural Ents cup final and certain men’s rugby 1sts’ matches.

Ryan-Lowes also has a lot of respect for the coaches and backroom staff involved in preparing the teams for Varsity.

“It is important not to forget the hard work that goes on behind the scenes from all that are involved,” said the out-going president.

“Preparation for Varsity can take weeks, even months and everybody should be congratulated for their hard work.”

Ryan-Lowes believes student’s motives for Varsity should be positive, not negative towards Cardiff.

“Varsity is not about how much you ‘hate’ Cardiff, it’s about how much you love Swansea and the student life in Swansea,” he said.

“Varsity is not a one-day event, it is a tradition. Make history for you and your club and above all, please enjoy it.”

Swansea finished the season at the foot of the table without any points whilst Cardiff finished top, also securing the Bucs Fencing Trophy.

“I’m looking forward to Varsity, despite the challenge this season,” said Kinsella.

“With each member being assessed of their skills, this should rekindle our team’s competitive streak which we’ll definitely need for Varsity.”

Kinsella is anticipating the most experienced member of the team Ruth Bowley to perform “out of her skin.”

“I’m also looking forward to seeing Anna Lawrence, Zoe Beynon and Madeline Swift perform, all new to the sport at the start of the year.”

Kinsella is also aware that her side will have to train hard to beat a successful Cardiff side at Varsity.

“We all have our strengths and weaknesses within our team,” she said Kinsella added that fan support would be a huge boost for the team.

Swansea finished bottom with six points from 10 games and their cup run was ended in the last 16 after a 35-33 home defeat to Portsmouth 1sts.

Cardiff were relegated from the Premier South league after also picking up six points from 10 games and they also reached the last 16, being beaten 44-36 at home to Brunel 1sts.

Previous years have seen Cardiff dominate this fixture.

In 2010, Cardiff narrowly won 39-28; however in 2011, their dominance was evident after scoring more than double the points in an emphatic 135-72 points win.

The match takes place at the WIS.

Swansea have enjoyed success in recent years at the Varsity event, winning 16-12 at the Liberty Stadium in 2010 and 28-18 in the inaugural game at the Millennium Stadium last year.

Last season’s win capped a fantastic season for Swansea, who finished second in Premier South A division.

But their fortunes have changed this season as Swansea have been plagued by poor performances and results to match, picking up just 15 points in 12 games and finishing fifth.

In contrast, newly-promoted Cardiff finished third in the same league with 21 points.

And to add further Swansea’s misery in the league this year, Cardiff did the double over them 18-13 and 25-12.

But Smart still feels that Swansea will come out on top in the Varsity finale.

“I believe there is a strong chance for us to win,” he said.

“The boys have to take the opportunity now and put in the hard work that is needed to win such a big game.”

Smart feels the delicate blend between experience and youth will be the key recipe for the squad ahead of the varsity clash.

“This year we have a squad with experience.” he added: “The boys have previous varsity caps but we also have some good, fresh talent coming through.”

Smart thinks the biggest hurdle for his side is to overcome is his team’s fitness ahead of the clash at the home of Welsh rugby.

“We just need to keep working on fitness,” he said.

“The pace of the Varsity game is the quickest we face all season, so you can never do too much fitness for it.”

Swansea have sought further help in preparation for Varsity with the appointment of former Ospreys head coach Sean Holley.

When speaking to AU Media, Holley said: “I have the upmost respect for Richard Lancaster [head coach] and Steve Mallalieu [back’s coach].

“It’s quite a big preparation time to the Varsity and they’ll be looking for some type of experience to give them an edge.”

Holley added: “I’m more than happy to try and bring that.”

Captain Richard Smart was pleased with the win and admitted it was the “only option.”

He said: “We needed to get the winning momentum going.

“It’s always a great feeling to get a win against someone who beat you previously.”

Swansea started brightly capitalising on Hartpury’s poor discipline.

Fly-half Aled Lewis converted two penalties in the first 11 minutes.

The second coming from inside Swansea’s own half.

The opening try of the game came after 27 minutes when Jackson Szabo scored.

The winger finished off a sweeping move involving the back line and evading two tackles to cross over the line in the left corner.

Lewis missed his conversion and moments later attempted a drop-goal from 45m which drifted right of the posts.

Four minutes before the break, Hartpury’s Sam Harrsion hit back with a try of his own for Hartpury.

He received the ball from the ruck and breached the Swansea defence to go over unchallenged for an uncoverted try.

With Swansea leading 11-5, they looked to increase their lead with an early break in the second half.

Wing Tom Bonnell was set free by outside centre Elliot Jones but Hartpury’s Graeme Lawler dived in to make try-saving tackle.

And it spurred the visitors on as in the 56th minute fly-half Jack Debreczeni barged his way through the Swansea back line to score their second try of the game and keep their championship dreams alive.

But Swansea were boosted soon after when when Hartpury’s No 8 Brandon Walker was sin-binned for a culmination of offences which reduced the  travelling side down to 14.

The consequent penalty conceded by Walker was converted by Lewis leaving the home side with a 14-10 lead at the hour mark.

Then, with eight minutes left, Swansea upped the tempo and prop Chris Francis crossed under the posts to score for Swansea and confirm the victory.

Replacement fly-half Ianto Griffiths adding the extras.

“We showed a lot of promise in attack which is always good, we are looking more threatening,” said Smart.

“There is still work to be done but overall I am very pleased with the win.”

Swansea will now try to finish the season in the highest possible position.

Hopes of third remain a possibility.

Captain Becky Gosney was ecstatic with the win.

“We’re currently second in the league, one point behind Bath and we have ambitions of winning the league,” she said.

“This win today has really boosted us and has given us the confidence to make a real push for the league, as well as the cup.”

The first half of the match allowed the poor weather conditions to dictate the slow pace of the game and neither side was troubled defensively.

The second half was slow-paced, lacking attacking flair from both sides.

With the game at 0-0, it went to extra time.

The first half of the extended period belonged to Bath whose possession and attacking flair were troubling the Swansea defence without any penetration.

But Swansea finally broke the deadlock two minutes before the end of extra time after a succession of short corners.

Bath goalkeeper Izzy Tiemann made two great saves to deny Swansea.

But Chloë Guy fired the ball into the bottom right corner after another short corner sparking jubilant celebrations from the Swansea side.

Swansea University 1sts 1-0 University of Bath 2nds

Imperial College London were second after securing four top-three finishes and Manchester University came third, also with four top-three finishes.

The one-day event, which consisted of 13 sports, saw Birmingham win six events and finish second in tennis.

The Midlands-based university started off brightly by winning four of the first six events which included hockey, netball, squash and tag rugby.

They went on to win two more events later in the day – basketball and bowling.

Second place finishers Imperial College London came first in ultimate frisbee, table tennis and the ultimate kids sports day, while they finished second in bowling.

Manchester University came second in both ultimate frisbee and netball, and third in both bowling and football.

The day ended brightly for Swansea also, after they secured two podium finishes in both basketball and laser tag, finishing in third and second respectively.

Event organiser, Dan Eade was happy with the event’s success.

“Frank Morton 2012 was a fantastic opportunity,” he said.

“We are engineers, not events organisers.

“The students’ union has been fantastic and pivotal to our success.”

Next year’s venue is yet to be announced.