RNRU Royal Navy Rugby Union

On a busy evening for Navy rugby, the first kick off of the day was at the Rectory, Devonport for an Inverdale Challenge match in which RN West hosted the Royal Marines.

The pitch was in great condition despite a few overnight frosts during the week and with a very light breeze the conditions were perfect for running rugby.

The story of the first half followed a similar pattern throughout. The RN West team showed great endeavour for a team that was put together from players based shoreside and those from ships that happened to be alongside. Individually, they made many great runs and put in big hits but could never quite breach the RM defence which was resolute and aggressive for the entire match. The West Team were held up on the RM goal line on a few occasions but could never quite cross the whitewash.

On the other side of the coin however the RM attack was working perfectly, and they took their chances with clinical regularity. Their first four forays into the West red zone ended up in tries with a mixture of line breaks, catch and drive mauls and multiphase quick ball attacks. This was the pattern for the rest of the half, similar possession stats for the two teams but the Royals were able to put the chances away.

Half time score: RN West 0 – 32 Royal Marines.

RN West began the second half in similar fashion to the first, with some fantastic hard carries and line breaks, but again could not finish off and turn that good work into points. They were again held up on the RM goal line by a very well drilled defence putting bodies on the line as well as forcing turnovers.

The West attacks then became rarer as the RM team kept and held possession for most of the half. With the West team also losing discipline, the RM controlled the territorial battle as well. This enabled them to go through their repertoire and demonstrate a 15-player attacking game that ran in tries from all angles. Some great individual line breaks from backs and forwards laid the platform for controlled rucks, multi-phase play and working overlaps both in close and especially out wide.

It was a shame the RN West team could not get on the score sheet which their determination surely deserved but their hard work and determined defensive effort in the face of the remorseless RM attack was to be admired. For the Royals it was a night when pretty much everything went as planned and they will be pleased with a lot of individuals but particularly the team/squad continuity as they go forward in the competition.

Final score: RN West 0 – 71 Royal Marines

Words by P Clark; Images by NAVYFit/ Jarrad Hulm