NEW captain George Messum has pledged to dedicate himself to making history at Oxford University.

The No 8 featured for the Dark Blues in their record-breaking fifth successive Varsity match victory over Cambridge in December, after coming to Oxford to read Historical Studies at St Anne’s College.

Neither side have ever claimed six successive victories in the 142-year history of the Varsity match, but Messum is not intimidated by that fact.

“As a group, we’re very wary of the pressure that is on us and we’re aware of the potential to make history,” he said.

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“We have the opportunity to make history this year and that’s certainly something that will motivate us.”

The Dark Blues’ emphatic 43-6 victory over their old rivals was the biggest winning margin in the history of the fixture.

But their form since Messum’s appointment in January has not been so good, with defeats to the Army and Crawshays.

However, Messum is determined not to let standards drop as he begins his preparations for this year’s Varsity.

He said: “There’s a firm sense every year of rebuilding, because obviously players move on and they graduate to bigger and better things.

“Each year you have to try and bring players together and try and bring some through who have been playing well for the Under 21s.

“You have to take each Varsity match on its merits, because it’s unique every year.

“I expect it to be a different side and you can’t just assume that performances will be satisfactory, you have to be constantly striving to do better.”

A former captain of Loughborough University and England Students, Messum already has a vast wealth of experience to draw upon.

But he admitted that coming to Oxford was a real eye-opener and something he intends to learn from.

“Those were all big experiences and I learned a lot from them all,” he said.

“But by far the biggest experience for me in terms of leadership has been since I came to Oxford.

“It’s just a place where you get so many unique individuals all coming together for a common cause.

“It’s really a unique situation that you don’t get anywhere else.”

And Messum cannot wait to get stuck into his new role as soon as possible.

He added: “The captain’s job is to add value in all aspects of the club – not just on the pitch, but throughout the club.

“It’s a great challenge, but I will put all my heart into it.”