One year ago the Inter-Service (IS) Cup was presented by Admiral Sir Philip Jones to Under 23 captain Greg Loydall who accordingly hoisted it into the air having beaten the Army 26 – 22 in one of the most exciting displays of rugby seen at Burnaby Road in recent memory. On Wednesday, with the battle lines drawn against the Army, the side will be missing the likes of Hayler and Dimmock-Williams, both having made the transition to the senior squad, however some experienced players who know how to hold on to a lead and win have been retained with Dan Mason, Rory Penfold, Nick Burgess and Gareth Rees providing the nuclei and know-how. Preparations have been hindered by the loss of team...
The Under 23s produced an encouraging first half display taking a converted try advantage into the dressing room. When both teams returned to the pitch it was a markedly different performance from the boys in blue who came perilously close to snatching defeat from the jaws of victory to record an appropriate draw against Ealing Trailfinders’ Academy. Tries from Craig Jones, Tom Hughes and Rory Penfold helped the U23s to a 19-12 half-time lead with Gareth Rees adding the remaining points in the second half with a kick at goal. The Academy side fought back hard and had the upper hand for most of the second half, bringing the game level in the final moments of the game. Ealing...
Having joined the Royal Navy as a fifteen year old junior seaman in 1957 Robert Keith 'Bob' Easson will be remembered by followers of Royal Navy Rugby as honest and hard-working. He always delivered a full shift as backrow forward and once he retired from playing, he continued to do the hard yards, as the Royal Navy's Selector and then as an administrator. It was following his off-field drive and contribution to the RNRU that upon leaving the Service in 1994, he was made a Life Member. Bob had to wait quite a time before winning his first cap, at twenty nine years old in 1971. He then carried on to represent the Royal Navy for the next two seasons and was a key ...
2016 will go down in Royal Navy Rugby Union history as a special year. For the first time in the history of the Inverdale Challenge community rugby competition one of the matches was played overseas. Teams from RN North and RN East travelled from Helensburgh and Portsmouth to the Dutch town of Leeuwarden, at the request of the Rugby Make a Difference Foundation based in Holland. The reason for the request was to mark the centenary of a very special occasion when the first international game of rugby was played in the Netherlands. The players in the match in 1916 were sailors from the Royal Naval Division who found themselves interned in a camp in Groningen, Hollan...
The second round in successive weeks of the Inverdale Challenge saw the Royal Marines host RN West at the Commando Training Centre, Lympstone. In the opening round the Royal Marines team had come from behind to secure a 20 – 43 victory away to the Fleet Air Arm whereas the RN West side secured a losing bonus point when they narrowly lost to RN North 20 – 17. This match turned out to be a comfortable win for the Marines who achieved maximum points for the second game in a row leaving the travellers to disappointed and left to re-group before their next fixture against RN East, knowing they will need a big result if they are to salvage anything in the competition....
