RNRU Royal Navy Rugby Union

Heade Üllatuste Maa (Estonia, Country of Good Surprises)

Tēvzemei un Brīvībai (Latvia, Fatherland and Freedom)

The Royal Navy Rugby Union (RNRU) President’s XV will tour Estonia and Latvia, 19 Jun to 28 Jun 15, participating in two international games against the Estonian Barbarians and the Latvian National side, before taking part in the Estonian Rugby Football Union International Rugby Festival. The diverse competition will pit the President’s XV against Estonian National Team, French International Veterans Team and a UK Invitational XV.

With an aim of developing a new batch of players, the tour looks to raise the profile of the Presidents XV while at the same time enjoying a different brand of rugby in an alien environment. This is a golden opportunity for players to put themselves forward on the back of some strong performances for selection to the Senior XV squad in preparation for the International Defence Force Rugby Cup (IDRC) and Inter-Services Championship 2016.

A squad of 25 players and 5 Training Support Group will come together on the 18 Jun at HMS Temeraire where the tour kit will be issued and allow the TSG to do the final check of passports!

Arriving in Tallinn, the squad will set up base at Rahumäe Barracks before conducting a first training session at the Stroomi Beach Park. The squad will, like the Senior XVs training camp in Malta, work to the mantra of ‘Live by the Sword…’ as the cities of Tallinn and Riga have a lot to offer the adventurous matelot.

The first match, Sun 21 Jun, will take place against an Estonian Barbarians side who if we consider that Estonia have only six registered sides should prove to be a close knit unit with the players familiar with each other’s style. His Excellency Mr Chris Holtby OBE has kindly agreed to host the team at the British Ambassador’s residence on completion; no doubt to toast the first of many wins during the tour!

Back on the bus on 24 Jun for the 210 miles journey to Riga this time to be housed in the Latvian National Defence Academy which hosts both the defence and the national police forces. Seizing the opportunity to introduce rugby to a new willing audience the squad will introduce elements of the Latvian Army to their morning training session. A floodlit match will then take place against the Latvian National Team (ranked 49^th in world rugby standings) at the Stadium Upesciems. A night in Riga would not be complete without going to the Expats Rugby Clubhouse in beautiful Vecrīga (Old Riga).

So to the main event back in Tallinn where the President’s XV enter the fray in the Estonian Rugby Football Union International Rugby Festival held at the Kalevi Stadium. The individual matches will take the form of twenty minute halves, so high tempo rugby can be expected. The French side, well you never know the standard of a French side until the day itself! As for the Estonian side only recently back within the World Rugby fold you can be assured they will want to compete and fight all the way to the end. The standard of the UK Invitational XV remains a mystery and the President’s will have to play what is in front of them. Certainly they won’t lack for competition.

We wait expectantly for a run of strong performances but it is assured the squad will welcome ‘the Good Surprises’ that Estonia and Latvia have to offer in all of its guises.

TSG and Player Nominal List

Article by Jamie Campbell-Baldwin