Five MBA students are set to take part in the annual Varsity rugby match against Cambridge, a tradition that began in 1872.
Alasdair King (2018 EMBA) and former professional rugby stars George Robson (2018 EMBA) and Ben Ransom (2018 MBA) will face the Cambridge Light Blues in the men’s team and Desiree Vodounon and Maria Bernier (2018 MBA) will compete in the women’s match on its 30th anniversary. The games will take place at London’s world-famous Twickenham stadium on Thursday 6 December.
Ben Ransom’s professional rugby career began at Saracens RFC when he was just 17: ‘I left school on the Friday and started training for Saracens on the Monday,’ he says.
Eight seasons in England’s top rugby league followed, including three premiership wins and the European Cup. ‘I see my team mates as my extended family. That’s what I love most about Rugby. The camaraderie and banter that goes with it is important to me,’ he says.
Despite his love for the sport, Ben always knew rugby was a ‘finite career.’ He nurtured his passion for finance alongside the sport, and passed his Bachelor’s degree in Economics at Hertfordshire University with first class honours.
The Oxford MBA will complete Ben’s evolution from rugby star to finance professional. ‘The diversity of the cohort is something that really appealed to me about Oxford Saïd,’ he says. ‘The fact it’s a one-year programme is also very beneficial, as I want to transition quickly into the world of business.’
After almost 15 years as a professional rugby player and a coach, George Robson – a onetime teammate of Ben at London Irish rugby club – transferred into business with a role at MusclePharm corporation in 2017.
‘You can do a lot more with your time when you stop playing professional rugby, because you’re not permanently exhausted,’ laughs George. ‘But now I’ve come here to Oxford, and I’m playing rugby again. It’s tough - our module in analytics reminded me of being a young player and coming face to face with a seasoned professional on the pitch for the first time. Now I realise that getting accepted here was the easy part. But you don’t come to Oxford for a pat on the back. I’m here to be challenged.’
George states that he would not be at Oxford were it not for the mentorship of MusclePharm’s CEO Ryan Drexler, as well as the support of his wife Bantika. ‘I’ve been incredibly lucky to have such strong support behind me,’ he says.
In sport there’s a fundamental difference: you don’t compete for profit, you compete to win.
2018 Marks the 30th anniversary of the women’s match, and PR professional Desiree Vodounon, a co-chair of the Oxford Saïd Women’s Leadership Alliance, is under no illusion when it comes to the game’s high stakes. ‘As an American, the idea that you can play at Twickenham is incomparable. There is nothing like it in the US for college rugby. It’s like being a division one football player and then getting to play at the Superbowl,’ she says.
Desiree described the challenges of training for the blues while studying an MBA and adapting to new cultures: ‘My career background is different from most other students, so I'm learning business finance for the first time while adapting to a new team and style of play.’
For the former rugby professionals, skills learnt during many years of competition can be transferred to the boardroom, and Ben states that leadership and team work are two obvious examples.
However, George warns against drawing too many parallels.
‘It’s a common misconception,’ he says. ‘Some skills like leadership do transfer easily. But it’s not plug and play. There’s far more complexity in business, and though one can learn from the other, in sport there’s a fundamental difference: you don’t compete for profit, you compete to win. If your strategy is wrong, you’re going to find out at the match on Saturday. However, if you make mistakes in business, you might not find out till your quarterly report three months down the line, and then it’s too late.’
The Oxford Blues laid down their challenge to the Cambridge Light Blues on the 21st November. With the challenge accepted and the match fast approaching, the MBAs thoughts have turned to preparation and focus. ‘I try not to build it up in my head too much,’ says George. ‘We’re the underdogs. They’ve won the men’s game the last two years and they’ve got the same team. I’ve spent my time thinking about what we’re going to do and making sure we get our preparation right. If we do that, whatever happens I’ll be proud. The emphasis for us is on enjoying the experience.’
George pauses for thought.
‘But of course, we want to win. Nobody plays sport without wanting to win.’
Photos of the challenge and George Robson provided by Matthew Impey, Wired Photography.