Decisive Cornwall Overpowers Navy U23s

Navy Rugby U23s fell 50 - 12 to a dominant Cornwall President’s XV side, struggling in the first half but showing improvement after the break with tries from Jack Cross and Freddy Elliott. Their second-half fightback offers positives ahead of their final warm-up against Devonport Services on 5th November.

On the last Wednesday of October, Navy U23s faced their toughest challenge of the 2025 campaign against a talented and ruthless Cornwall team. Playing against the formidable St Austell slope in the first half, the RNRU were put under early pressure through some excellent handling by the Cornwall backline.

Moving the ball with speed and precision they went over in the corner for an early score. With the conversion missed the Cornwall team led 5 - 0 from the same number of minutes. After the restart, further pressure this time by the powerful Cornwall forwards again resulted in a quick score under the posts with Cornwall racing into a 12 - 0 lead. The RNRU forwards were struggling to gain a foothold and only some astute kicking from fly half George Edson was able to relieve pressure.

The Navy did start to put together some phases and gain territory, but some quick breakaway tries by the Duchy after several missed tackles in the Navy midfield stifled their progress. The half time score was a daunting 36 - 0.

Some stern half time words from the coaching staff followed and the young Navy players returned to the pitch with a fresh mindset. Quick scores from the Navy’s Jack Cross and Freddy Elliott immediately after the break was exactly what the coaches wanted, and the team started to execute with higher accuracy.

The second half was much more even with the Navy’s fitness beginning to show. Edson was having a stellar game with the boot and finding space which the backline was content to chase restricting the Cornish options. Despite pressure in the Cornwall 22, errors and critical turnovers helped the Cornwall team relieve the pressure.

Subsequent counterattacks let the players in Black and Gold return to the Navy half and get two further scores before the final whistle. The game concluded with the young Cornwall team’s exceptional ball speed, power, and skill, particularly in the first half, proving too much for the Navy to overcome. The Navy can however glean some positives from the second half fight back and the physicality of the contest bodes well going into the final warm-up friendly against Devonport Services on the 5th of November.

Backs and Head Coach for the match Jay Toogood said, “It was a challenging game, particularly in the first half where Cornwall’s speed and precision really put us under pressure. In the second half, we managed to regroup and focus on our structure, which allowed us to create opportunities and put some points on the board. While the result wasn’t what we wanted, there were moments where we showed what we’re capable of, and it’s clear we’re building towards something stronger. We’ll take the time to analyse this performance and work on the areas that need improvement ahead of our next match.”

Navy Rugby MoTM: George Edson

Navy U23s: B Chaston, L Evans, J Deveraux; T Ashton, H Utton-Smith; D Pescadore-Smith, B Smith (CC), Finlay Harvey; A Sly, G Edson, H Johnston, F Elliott (CC), L Leeman, C Over, B Callard.

Replacements: ⁠J Arrowsmith, F Walls, O Doyle, M Betteridge, E Bailey, J Houghton, J Cross, J Tyler.

Words by Matt Bowden

Images by Simon Bryant for Cornwall RFU