Henry Thomas may never live this down, if he ever remembers what happened.
The Oxford captain lasted all of 22 seconds in the Varsity match against Cambridge, at Twickenham, this afternoon.
Welsh inside centre Roberts, who is studying medicine at Cambridge, had seven inches and 4st 8lbs on his opposite number in a collegiate mismatch for the ages.
Cambridge got the ball into Roberts’ hands in the opening forays and Thomas just happened to be in the wrong place, and the wrong stance, at the wrong time.
What happened next was brutal.
Thomas was slow to get up and needed prompt treatment.
Amazingly, for a Varsity level encounter, play steamed on, unbroken, for three minutes until the ball was eventually knocked on.
By that stage, a dazed Thomas was already on the sideline and wondering what hit him.
Roberts himself had to go off with a dead leg in the second half – something his new club, Harlequins will not be pleased with.
