John Carter would not rule out returning for one more year after leading Oxford University to a third successive Varsity Match victory over Cambridge at Twickenham yesterday.

The 31-year-old No 8 went off after 22 minutes with torn medial knee ligaments and was delighted with how the side performed in his absence as they came from 19-6 down to win 26-19.

“I am enjoying my rugby now more than I ever have,” said Carter.

“There is something special about the Varsity Match.

“I am hoping this is not the last of my rugby days.

“I will speak to the players and ask whether they still want me around.”

Carter added: “It wasn’t a difficult decision for me to make to come off the pitch because I knew I couldn’t sprint or twist and change direction.

“Coming off the pitch, I had complete faith in the squad.

“It was very rewarding for me to watch from the sidelines.”

Cambridge captain Rob Malaney admitted: “I think we probably got a bit complacent.

“We always expected a comeback, but I don’t think we expected them to come back quite so much.”

He added: “Disappointing would probably be an understatement.

“We were completely dominant for 60 minutes then threw it away.”