NIALL HOGAN, Ireland's scrum-half and captain against Western Samoa, is one of three Irish players in the Oxford University team to meet Cambridge at Twickenham next Tuesday.

Hogan will be joined by forwards Kevin Spicer and Colman McCarthy. Spicer, more at home in the back row, has been named in the second row. He played for Leinster this season against Ulster.

Spicer, who played for UCD and Old Belvedere last season, was not available for Leinster in the European Cup due to his commitments with the university. Hogan regained his place on the Leinster side from Alain Rolland for the European Cup after being left out of the side for the interprovincials, though he played against Ulster when Roland was ruled out by illness.

McCarthy, a former Trinity player, was on the Oxford team that was defeated by Cambridge last season and is one of only three former Blues in the side. Cambridge include eight.

Oxford will not field any player in the number 12 jersey as a mark of respect to their former centre, Australian Ian Tucker, who died in October following, an injury on the field. A minute's silence will be observed in his memory.

The World champions South Africa crashed to the second defeat of their tour of France yesterday, beaten 20-13 in Lille by the French Universities.

South Africa, whose first string beat France 22-12 in the first Test in Bordeaux on Saturday, lost their opening tour match 10 days ago against the French Barbarians.

The French University team, who won the world crown when they beat South Africa's students in a Johannesburg final in July, showed they could live with the best, fly-half David Aucagne securing victory with five penalties.

Inspired by the Barbarians' success, the students put up stern resistance against the strong Springbok pack and troubled the touring side when they played the ball out.

"We took them by storm and I hope we gave our elders a few ideas for Saturday," said the students' coach Christian Lanta, looking ahead to the second Test at the Parc des Princes in Paris.