Mariners Triumph in Season Opener

In a match where territory gained and penalties won might have suggested a different outcome, the Royal Navy Mariners emerged victorious with a decisive 26 - 12 win over HMS Queen Elizabeth (QNLZ) to kick off their inter-service season.

The Mariners' charge was led by Kieran Heffernan and skipper Hugo Mitchell-Heggs, who were instrumental in the loose. The first points of the match came from a brilliant play by flanker Chris Hart, whose deft back-of-the-hand pass to Rodelana set up the opening try, which was successfully converted by Saberton.

Despite QNLZ's dominance in territory, they only came close to the try line once in the first half, but the final pass was ruled marginally forward. The Mariners maintained their lead, but QNLZ's outstanding fly-half Pennington scored the first points of the second half, converting his own try to close the gap.

The Mariners had a moment of relief when the referee called play back for a penalty, sparing them from the consequences of a squandered three-man overlap that would have made backs' coach Luke Cador wince. Replacement back-row Steve Hillman came to the rescue scoring from the back of a rolling maul, with Mike Plant adding the conversion. The relief that something came from the field position was palpable.

Hillman continued to make his presence felt, contributing to the next try with a powerful charge that set up Jonny Acaster for a coast-to-coast score. The second half also featured two significant turnovers: one by QNLZ's Charlie Carr, playing for the Mariners, and another by the Carrier's George South, both of whom executed expertly timed tackles to regain possession.

QNLZ managed to score their second try through Navy U23s captain Alex Einchcombe, but the Mariners sealed their victory with a final try by Ed Boden, who enjoyed a simple run-in to end the proceedings.

Head coach, Loz Salisbury said after her first game in charge, “As a group we're pleased with the performance last night. Of course, it wasn't perfect, but we integrated some new players well, and those returning have blown away the cobwebs. The QE side put a lot of pressure on us in several areas and I think the lads did a good job of not conceding more points. There were lots of exciting phases in attack which showed the lads are keen and ready to build on the wins last season. With lots of exciting players still yet to return, we're looking forward to another competitive IS.”

Mariners S Winfield, A John, T Blackburn; P Kewn, K Heffernan; E Johnstone, C Hart, H Mitchell-Heggs (C); R Cox, M Plant, B Jones, D Waryck, R Rodelana, S Mahony, P Saberton (VC).

Replacements: P Erne, C Carr, A Shonk, S Hillman, R Cozens, J Acaster, E Boden, D Fraser, A Kent.

Words by J Campbell-Baldwin

Images by K Woodland