Oxford have beaten Cambridge 9-6 to secure the 120th Varsity Match and lift the MMC Trophy.

Seb FitzGerald's three first-half penalties secured a 9-6 win, while his opposite number Sam Howard landed two goals for Cambridge.

It was Oxford's first Twickenham treble for 30 years, but a hugely-disappointing match ended tryless, the first time that had happened in a Varsity Match since 1981.

Morning mist had been replaced by bright sunshine, providing perfect playing conditions as the 120th university showdown swung into action.

Top English referee Steve Lander took charge of his first Varsity Match, and an Oxford pack containing three internationals - Australian skipper Brett Robinson, Canadian Kevin Tkachuk and USA prop Ray Lehner - quickly made their physical presence felt.

FitzGerald, winning his third Blue, booted Oxford into a fifth-minute lead to reward that early territorial dominance as Cambridge found themselves absorbing considerable pressure.

After weathering the storm, Cambridge drew level through former Bedford player Howard's 13th-minute penalty, before another FitzGerald strike four minutes later restored Oxford's lead.

Cambridge were struggling to cope with the Dark Blues' robust approach - Lehner making a powerful charge into the heart of Light Blues' defensive territory - and as they began conceding inevitable penalties, FitzGerald completed his hat-trick for a 9-3 advantage on 21 minutes.

A FitzGerald blunder - he fumbled and knocked on a 29th-minute Cambridge clearance under no pressure - allowed the Light Blues their first real attacking platform.

And good work by the forwards enabled wing James Baker to break clear before he was hauled down by two Oxford defenders just five metres out.

It was an excellent fightback by Cambridge, who could easily have buckled under such an early onslaught, and with their back division growing in confidence, they sensed a try.

Another unforced error though, this time when Cambridge full-back Ali Newmarch spilled possession on his 22-metre line, allowed Oxford an opportunity to reassert themselves.

But both defences were well-organised, and a tryless first-half ended with Oxford six points in front.

FitzGerald missed an easy drop goal chance within three minutes of the restart, but Oxford's forwards resumed normal service through immediately regaining a territorial foothold.

Handling errors frustrated both teams' attempts to string threatening passages of play together, and the game desperately needed a lift.

Cambridge though, were running out of ideas in an increasingly-anxious bid to break down Oxford's well-marshalled defence, yet with only six points still separating the sides, it remained anyone's game.

Approaching the hour-mark, Howard's second successful penalty cut the Oxford lead to 9-6, setting up a nerve-jangling closing quarter for both sets of supporters.

Oxford managed to fight off their opponents, and claimed a hard-fought victory.

Cambridge then launched a thrilling counter-attack from inside their 22, which had Oxford's defence scrambling, and that adventure allowed the Light Blues a dangerous attacking platform.

But they lost the subsequent line-out on their own throw, and Oxford needed no second invitation to clear the danger.

Oxford's set-piece supremacy meant the Dark Blues should have been clear on the scoreboard, yet Cambridge knew they were still in contention and sought manfully to steal the win.

Howard missed a 73rd-minute penalty chance after Oxford strayed offside, and that looked to be Cambridge's final opportunity.

Oxford kept them at bay during the inevitably frantic closing minutes, winning 9-6 as FitzGerald's early exploits earned him man-of-the-match honours.