Navy Rugby Name an Unchanged Starting XV for the Inter Services Finale
The last Wednesday in November heralds the culmination of a short but sweet season for the Navy, Army and RAF u23s. The u23s Inter Services is finely poised with all sorts of permutations on how the championship can be won. To keep it simple, to start with the RAF and the RN have won a match. Both the RAF and the Army have lost a fixture and so if the RN win, they win outright. For another team to be crowned it comes down to maths! But more on that later…
"I think we had to make a statement after last year, we knew it wasn't a good year for us," said Navy u23s captain ET Dom Cleverley. On the back of a combined points difference of 37, it is easy to see where he is coming from. Cleverley and team showed on Havant ‘Hill’ that they were up for the occasion but not only that they had the players and the structures, hard-earned during the season to match their determination.
The coaches when selecting the team didn’t have to do too much white-boarding, the team sheet wrote itself; there was a brief concern that vice-captain Jack Mills wasn’t going to pass his fitness test (we are not talking RNFT!) but he pulled through. His pick from the back of the scrum and his defence would have been missed. Brodie Paterson could not be released by his Chain of Command so Rhys Owen is named as the replacement scrum half.
RNRU U23s ADoR, Owen Salmon said, “Following a great performance against a tough RAF side last week, we are all looking forward to the game against the Army at Aldershot on Wednesday evening and the chance to regain the Interservice Trophy. We are under no illusions about the enormity of the task against a talented Army side on their home turf. The TSG have done a brilliant job in preparing the team this season, I am confident they will produce another great performance in the final u23 Interservice fixture.”
A quick recap as promised:
Royal Air Force Rugby Union 8 - 7 Army Rugby Union
Royal Navy Rugby Union 24 – 7 Royal Air Force Rugby Union
Therefore, a win, a draw or a defeat by 8 points or fewer will deliver a 5th IS Championship in the last 7 competitions played. Finally, for those at who are unable to make the game, BFBS are live streaming this fixture, as they have the previous 2.
https://www.forces.net/sport/rugby-union/how-watch-and-listen-army-navy-matches-bfbs
RNRU u23s: Dom Cleverly (C), Jack Wright, Harry Wright; Andrew Hussell, Charlie Kerr; Harrison Utton-Smith, Lucas Cann, Jack Mills (VC); Eli Steinberg, Kieran Manson; Jack Davis, George Prentice, Jack Bartlett, Charlie Penrose-Toms, Freddie Elliott.
Replacements: Ben Rees, James Wales, Oscar Sanders-Mortimer, Rhys Owen, Charlie Davis, Lewis Clayton, Ryan Scott, Ben Ravi.