SPORT


Picture: LA(Phot) Jason Ballard, FRPU East Navy blow away the Eire force


THE Royal Navy Rugby Union Senior XV renewed its rivalry with the Irish Defence Forces in


Portsmouth last month. This was the 11th meeting of the


two sides, the first being in 2002 at London Welsh. The overall series stood at seven victories to three in the Royal Navy’s favour, with the home side being the current holders of the trophy after a win in Cork last season, writes Maj Steve Melbourne RM. Results aside, this encounter has been notable for the closeness and competitiveness of the games. Every game played has gone to the wire; last year was no exception and could easily have been won by either team, with the margin of victory being just seven points. The


RNRU is currently


building its senior squad as a result of higher than normal changeover of players due to operational commitments,


retirements and


redundancies. However, the new management


team is keen to


quickly bring together a squad from across the full spectrum of the Navy life. This match against the IDF undoubtedly provided a good opportunity for aspiring players to make their mark and stake their claim to wear the coveted Navy shirt in this year’s Inter Services. The game started with both


teams testing each other’s defence, the IDF close in and the Navy continuing as they had done against Cambridge University playing a wide expansive game. It didn’t take long before the


Navy caught the IDF ‘napping’ and right wing S/Lt A Vance (Yeovilton) ran 60m to score the first try of the game with captain POAET Dave Pascoe (Culdrose) converting the try, 7-0.


A score so early in the game ‘rousted’


the IDF and they


continually pressurised the Navy line only to be thwarted by


handling errors which were caused by an aggressive RN defence and good set piece play from lineout specialist POAET M Cormack (Yeovilton) and a back row of Mne B Fox (45 Cdo), MA S Laird (Collingwood), ET (WE) I Cooper (Ambush) who all made the life of the IDF back row difficult. As the clock ticked to 25


minutes the Navy constructed a good move that provided AET Davis – a late replacement for Navy centre Dale Sleeman – a gap which he exploited to perfection. This pulled the IDF defence


to the right and with the overlap on the left, the RN switched the attack to allow AB D Bamford (Dragon) to score a well-worked converted try 14-0. Pascoe added to the total a few minutes later as the IDF were penalised for an infringement at the breakdown for 17-0. If anyone left early to get a place


at the US Portsmouth clubhouse bar then they missed a great try.


Miners strike too late


SUCCESS for the RN in Rugby Union was mirrored by success in the other code of the sport. The Brothers are through to the third round of Rugby League’s


prestigious Carnegie Challenge Cup – the sport’s equivalent of the FA Cup – after a thrilling tie at home in Portsmouth, writes WO1 Keith Humpleby, RNRL spokesman. After a draw for the competition aboard HMS Illustrious a few weeks


earlier, RNRL had to face top Lancashire Amateur side Leigh Miners Rangers. The first-half performance by the RN was probably the best 40 minutes of attacking rugby league seen at Burnaby Road for many years and saw the Brothers stack up a 22-0 lead at the break. Former St Helens player and RN Full Back Darren Bamford scored


a first-half hat trick as the Navy pack dominated midfield, allowing the backs to penetrate the visitors’ defence time and time again. The final score of the opening period half went to Royal Marine Kitione Kamicamica who shrugged off three defenders to touch down, capping a fantastic performance by the home side and with Jon Humphrey scoring three good kicks it seemed the RN had an unassailable lead.


The second half began with ‘business as usual’: Kyle Larvin and Tim


Vodonaivalu scoring early on for the RN, Darren Bamford converting one of the tries.


Then the game changed dramatically as the Leigh outfit began


to show their class to score at over a point a minute during a frantic 20-minute period in the middle of the half. Inspired by their skipper Scott O’Brien, the Miners threatened to spoil the RN party coming within eight points of the home side before the Brothers, led by Mark Robinson, regained their composure and held off sustained pressure in a nerve-jangling final ten minutes making for a fantastic climax to the game. The 32-24 result was a great start to the 2012 season for coach


Danny Johnson, who had to call up three new caps from the Academy side to cover deployed players – but all 17 men played their part in this historic victory.


52 APRIL 2012: Picture: LA(Phot) Darby Allen, FRPU East Published by Navy News, HMS Nelson, Portsmouth and printed by Wyndeham (Roche) plc. www.navynews.co.uk This provided proof of the hard


work the coaches and squad had put in as both backs and forwards worked together;


excellent off-


loads in the tackle and support play that gave NA(AH) J Quarnivalu (Culdrose) his first converted try of the evening 24-0. From the restart the Navy made clear its intentions to keep the pressure on the IDF to keep them out of the game, as history of this fixture had seen the IDF always come back hard when behind. The Navy pushed the IDF back into their own five-metre line and gained a lineout.


showed paid


From this the forwards great patience


which off to give hooker Lt D


Smith (Vanguard) another late replacement for Ben Priddey his first try 31-0.


From the restart, the Irish again pressured the Navy line and eventually gained a penalty 31-3. From the restart, fly half Mne N Huntley (40 Cdo) lofted his kick


off which allowed Cormack to claim the ball and set up another phase of play which the IDF illegally disrupted. This was a kickable penalty, but


the Navy selected to kick to the corner for a lineout on the IDF five-metre line. The catch and drive from the lineout was dropped by the IDF for another Navy penalty. The ball ended up in the safe hands of man-of-the-match Quarnivalu for his second try. The restart did not go well for


a way, as after several warnings the referee yellow carded the Navy. This didn’t stop the 14 men of the Senior Service as they raised their game and good work between the forwards and backs that gave Vance his second try for 48-3. The final action of the game


This tactic did have an effect in


the IDF as Worcester Warriors winger Josh Drauniniu (HMNB Portsmouth) eventually did what he had threatened to do all game and got on the score sheet for 41- 3.


The IDF continued to drive close to the break-down in an attempt to drag in the Navy players to make some space for their back line.


saw the IDF attack make some good ground with their close-to- the-breakdown driving game and then spinning the ball wide to free the back line. However, a floated


intercepted by the ever-present Drauniniu who had a free run to the line, conversion by AET J Humphrey (Yeovilton) for a final score of 55-3 to the Royal Navy, giving it an 8-3 lead in the series. This game now sets the Navy up for a trip to Bath on April 3 before travelling to Toulon to face the Marine Nationale following week.


the pass was


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