Whilst attending a NATO StratCom Conference in Latvia last week, I was able to join the RM Rugby tour to Estonia and Latvia. On my arrival, the team had already conducted an outreach training session with the Estonian Scouts Battalion and beaten an Estonian Barbarians team (86-7) on the Wednesday. The first game was against the top Latvian club side (Miesnieki Army Sports Club), who fielded a number of national players. Royal was denied in the last play of the game; up 20-15, the Latvians proved too strong in the dying minutes, with a much stronger and bigger pack, scoring at close range to square the scores with the conversion to come; 22-20 the final score. Saturday was the main event...
The Sharks went to Rugby Rocks London with a large number of the squad that played at Manchester 2 weeks previously but reinforced by 3 senior XV players in Nath Huntley, Tom Davies and Greg Welling as well as one of last years squad, Loz Blackburn. This is a much more high profile tournament with some very well respected teams finding themselves in the Open Tier 1 with the Sharks.
First up in the pool for the Sharks was the Saxons, who beat the Sharks 10-5 at Manchester. The Sharks exacted revenge in spectacular style with a 50-10 win, with 3 tries for captain Ian Cooper and 2 each for Nath Huntley and Kyle Wood.
The Soy Galacticos were up next and they were similarly dispatched w...
