Shark Attack Near Teignmouth Beach!

After weeks of rain, the Royal Navy Mariners faced the Torbay Sharks Veterans XV in a high-scoring and entertaining match at Teignmouth RFC. Despite their efforts, the Mariners were outplayed by the Sharks, who dominated with impressive skill and pace. The game highlighted the quality of veterans’ rugby and provided valuable experience for the Mariners ahead of the Inter Services competition.

The daily rain that had drenched Devon since New Years Day finally broke for a brief period and allowed the pitch at Teignmouth RFC a short time to recover to be made ready for the annual fixture between long term friends and rivals the Royal Navy Mariners and the Torbay Sharks Veterans XV. Those favourable conditions paid a huge part in the try fest that developed over the 80 minutes. The scoreboard operator deserved a bonus at the end of a night which saw nearly 90 points scored and a game which showed that veterans rugby can be and is played at very high levels of both pace and skill with end-to-end tries being scored by both teams.

Operational commitments meant the RN side would have liked to have been a little more bolstered on the night but those that took to the field played their part in a hugely entertaining game and one which showed the standards that can be achieved by those players over 35 years of age….and in some cases a long way over!

The Sharks are an invitational Barbarians type side that invite players from several clubs to don the colours a few times each season and those that played at Teignmouth took the Barbarians spirit to heart and ran the ball from everywhere. However, and unusually for a Vets game, the first points of the night were scored from the kicking tee as the RN chose to convert their first opportunity and Richard Cadywould gave them an early 3-point lead after 5 minutes. That lead lasted about a minute however as a charge down of a Navy clearance kick from the kick off resulted in a Sharks lineout which their pack drove over the line, scored by Alex Chase and converted by Rio Cooper. A second try for the Sharks followed shortly after the first with George Mills making a 60m run down the right wing to score in the corner, a superb touchline conversion from Cooper saw the lead pushed out to 14 - 3.

The Mariners were right back in it a few minutes later when No.8 Stevie Hillman made a strong run to score near the posts which Cadywould duly converted. The end-to-end action continued as the Sharks scored three more tries before halftime from Jon Woodhead, Garryn Basson and Jonny Brown with the RN replying with one of their own from Harry Hales to end a breathless first half.

HT Torbay Sharks 31 – 17 RN Mariners

The second half turned into a display of running rugby by the Sharks with the Mariners trying their upmost to stay in the game. They managed a great team try with fast handling which was finished off by Richard Cadywould in the right corner at which point he dusted himself off to land the very difficult conversion attempt. However, the majority of the second half belonged to the Sharks who scored 6 more tries which included full back Jonny Brown of Torquay Athletic RFC grabbing himself a hat trick. What with second row Jon Woolhead and back rowers Dan Williams and George Mills also on the scoresheet it was a good night for the players from Torquay (this writers hometown club…hence the mention!). All the second half scores were of great quality and were very much appreciated by the knowledgeable crowd gathered in the grandstand at Teignmouth.

It will have been a learning experience for those RN players new to Vets rugby and a demonstration of the level that can be achieved and one I’m sure they will work towards as the Inter Services competition draws nearer and they have a full squad to select from.

Head Coach Loz Salisbury reflected on a tough match for her players, “A great game by the Sharks who showed, especially in the second half, the levels that can be achieved in Vets rugby. Our guys can learn from that and work hard to improve as our season continues. I’m pleased how the team worked hard to the end and am very thankful for Teignmouth RFC for hosting us this evening.”

 FT Torbay Sharks 65 – 24 RN Mariners

Words by Paul Clark

Images by Jarrad Hulm