Old Priorians moved up to third in the Regional 2 Thames table with a nine try victory against Oxford Harlequins II, consigning their opponents to sixteenth straight league loss in the process on a chilly and overcast afternoon at Horspath Sports Ground.

The match got off to a frantic start, OPs the first on the scoresheet with a little over two minutes gone, kicking to the corner from a penalty and then driving over from the lineout with Raphael Mutu claiming his second try of the season, Charlie Harte unable to convert from the touchline ; an excellent restart from Quins saw them level immediately, causing consternation in the Twisters ranks as they cantered in for a converted score to establish a slender lead.

That advantage lasted no longer than three minutes, Rory Gaffney starting and finishing a fine move from a tap and go, winger Jared Braddock making a decisive break before offloading to the scrum half and giving him a clear shot at the line from metres out, Harte successful with his second attempt at goal. Ethan Wetherell's puncturing run following a scrum set up Barney Morris for OPRFC's third of the day ten minutes later with a much healthier ten point gap emerging.

The bonus point came within half an hour, Oxford too ponderous in clearing their lines, a kick out from the 22 charged down by Gaffney who did ever so well to juggle and control the ball to get his second try of the day and sixth of 2026, as Harte claimed another two points to move on to 70 points for the season. A somewhat scrappy and fractured quarter of a hour came in the lead up to half time - with a fairly lengthy delay for an injury - with neither side able to make the clinical difference in the final phases, yet Priorians went into the break 24-7 up.

Oxford may have felt they could build their way back into the match from seventeen points down but hopes were soon dashed as the Twisters began to move play up a notch, as vital carries by Guy Djedje and Kit Mawer pushed OPs into dangerous territory, setting a platform to go along the line to James Paxman who was strong enough to get out of the tackle and score, Will Taylor now taking over kicking duties and on form with his first kick.

Taylor finished off a fine move for the visitors with half an hour to go ; running it from deep within their own 22, Priorians first made headway via Wetherell, then Harte, the latter's clever change of direction allowing blindside support to emerge with Taylor doing well to neatly finish a 90 metre effort and then converting to boot to make it 38-7.

Oxford were dogged and industrious all afternoon and a well timed kick over the backline on the hour was well chased up by Quins for a well deserved second try, the win very much a distant wish but with a try bonus point very much achievable. Yet, fatigue began to set in and the Twisters capitalised. A misplaced pass off the base of the ruck was fielded by Cathal Sheehan, who accelerated past defenders for his sixteenth try of 2025/26, running all of 60 metres to ease under the posts ; Mishka Fibbens completed the complement of substitutes scorers for OPs soon after, a typical crash ball from the giant prop proving too much for Quins to deal with - bringing up a half century of points for Priorians in the process.

A deserved try for Wetherell after the ball was turned over at the ruck ended the procession with a few minutes to go, Taylor following it up with an impressive touchline kick and 13 points for the afternoon, before Quins got a consolation with the last play of the game, 57-19 the final score in Oxfordshire.

By no means a vintage performance, OPs rarely got out of first gear, save for a strong first quarter of the second half, and could well have punished their opponents further. Without wishing to patronise the hosts, the difference in quality was far too apparent, yet credit must been given for a determined performance, which on another day may have seen them come away with at least one point from the fixture.

The result moves OPRFC up to third in Regional 2 Thames, helped by the postponement of the Belsize Park v Aylesbury fixture, while Oxford Harlequins II remain rooted to the bottom of the table with relegation now a near certainty. There is a week's break before OPs host Grasshoppers at Perivale on the 14th February.

OPRFC SCORERS

T : Mutu, Gaffney 2, Morris, Paxman, Taylor, Sheehan, Fibbens, Wetherell

C : Harte 2, Taylor 4