Dramatic Finish Sees Navy Triumph Over Oxford

Navy Rugby Senior Men edged out Oxford in a nail-biting 40 - 36 victory. Oxford University, donning white as the home team, sought to avenge their previous five-point defeat. This time, the students narrowed the gap to four points, but the Navy emerged victorious in a captivating encounter.

Marines Henry Gliddon and Rory Dingemans displayed early enterprise, combining effectively. However, an injury to Matt Scott tempered the excitement, as he left the field to warm applause. Birthday boy Toby Horne was brought on much earlier than anticipated.

The Navy quickly opened the scoring with a lineout driving maul, Alex O’Brien emerging with the ball. Jake Hanley converted, maintaining a perfect record throughout the match. The game was characterised by play within the 22s, with both teams struggling to execute effective exit strategies, keeping defenders on edge.

Oxford responded with a rolling maul try, levelling the score. The Navy's dominance in the scrum was evident, with Jay Toogood scoring from close range. A high tackle on Toogood resulted in an Oxford yellow card. In strong field position the RN continued to build a healthy lead; a slow to retreat university backline did not expect a tap and go as Toogood went over the line again. Despite a quick response from Oxford, the Navy's strong scrum play enabled Teear-Bourge to score just before halftime, bringing the lead to nine points.

The second half saw the Navy face challenges, including a yellow card for Rory Mitchell and a converted try for Oxford. Wholesale changes disrupted the Navy's cohesion, but they regained momentum with four dominant scrum penalties. A brilliant inside support line by Robbie Hume led to a spectacular try, highlighting the growing understanding between replacements Brink (fly half) and Edson (inside centre).

Oxford's determination was clear as they opted for a penalty goal, narrowing the gap to 33 - 29 with ten minutes remaining. They briefly took the lead with another driving maul, but last season’s ‘Proud Heritage, Exciting Future’ recipient Ben Mallett's try from a Navy maul sealed the victory. Despite Oxford's late rally, the Navy held firm, securing a memorable win in a highly entertaining fixture.

Head coach Dave Pascoe said after the game, “It was a solid performance against a strong Oxford team. We showed good transfer from the 2 days training onto the pitch. It was great to be able to give the opportunity to lots of new talented players to wear the shirt for the first time.”

Senior Men: K Beasley (C), A O'Brien, H Wright; M Scott, D MacAdams; L Roxby, B Mallett, R Mitchell; J Toogood, J Hanley (VC), H Gliddon, J Bartlett, R Hughes, K Teear-Bourge, R Dingemans.

Replacements: A Einchcomb, B Smith, D Horack, T Horne, L Clayton, T Babb, R Hume, R Brink, M Hall, G Edson, J Davis, J Tyler, O Raynor.

Words by J Campbell-Baldwin

Images by Cinnabar Studios