The Navy season kicks off with 2 games on Wed 2 Feb with a very different feel about them. At Iffley Rd, the Senior XV will open their account with a match against Oxford University. Meanwhile, the Navy Mariners will be taking on their younger adversaries from the Fleet Air Arm at St Ivel Barbarians RFC for the Paul Dunn Memorial Trophy.
The Memorial Game has grown year by year and is a fitting tribute to one of the greats of Navy Rugby. Wherever Paul Dunn served, rugby flourished and considering he was still playing in to his 50's it is appropriate that the Mariners take on the challenge of his beloved Fleet Air Arm. As an acknowledgement of the contribution P...
After 4 months of the HMS Cumberland Men's XV grabbing all the headlines it was the turn of the Ladies to show off their rugby skills whilst the Ship was alongside in Dubai. First up were Sharjah Wanders, a Gulf Women's championship side who play regular 7s matches within the Gulf Region. HMS Cumberland has only 30 girls to choose from but are blessed with having 3 Royal Navy Union players in MID Becky Chapman, LCIS Mamie Battersby and ETME Lavenia Vakuruivalu and a Royal Navy Rugby League player, LCT Carla Pashby. Having 4 experienced players helps but 7s is a tough game at the best of time so when no less than 10 of the other girls onboard pulled on their boots for the first ...
Due to the bad weather in the later part of 2010 Newbury have a fixture backlog and are unable to fulfil the fixture against the Royal Navy scheduled for Tue 8 Feb. The Royal Navy will now play Coventry at Barker Butts Arena ground on Wed 9 Feb, kick off 1930. Also the Royal Navy have agreed to play a development fixture against Combined London Old Boys at Richmond RFC on Wed 16 Mar, kick off 1930.
Commenting on the fixture changes RN Director of Rugby, Lt Cdr Geraint Ashton Jones RN said "We are very grateful to Coventry for stepping up at such short notice. They are a club with a very proud heritage, who have recently gone through some tr...
Servicemen Retain 7s Places
Navy Rugby's Greg Barden and the Army's Isoa DamuDamu have both retained their places in the12 man England squad announced for the next round of the HSBC World Seven Series in Wellington.
The first 2 legs of 2011 will see Greg miss the Navy's match away to Oxford University (Iffley Rd 2 Feb) but he will be back for the Navy's first home game against Cambridge University at Burnaby Rd on 16 Feb. Commenting Navy Director of Rugby, Lt Cdr Ashton Jones said: "Losing a player from your first choice team will always cause some disruption. However what Navy Rugby gains from having a player involved with International Rugby far out-weigh...
2011 Senior XV Squad Announced
The Royal Navy Rugby Union Senior XV squad for their defence of the Inter Service trophy is as follows:
Cpl Barden (RM Poole), AB Bamford (HMS Collingwood), S/Lt Blackburn RN (HMS Sultan), LPT Cadmore (HMS Raleigh), Cpl Chambers (30 Cdo IEG RM), AB Cairns (WMO Porflot), ET(ME) Cooper (HMS Astute), Lt Copeland RN (HMS Collingwood), POAET Cormack (854 NAS), PO Court (HMS Westminster), LOGS Drauniniu (HMNB Portsmouth), Cpl Evans (UKLFCSG), Capt Evans-Jones RM (Warminster), Mne Glastonbury (CTCRM), Lt Glover RM (CTCRM), AET Humphries (848 NAS), NA Hunt (RNAS Yeovilton), POET(WE) John (HMS Liverpool), AET Jones (848 NAS), Mne ...