Vultures Complete Comeback

The Royal Navy Mariners and RAF Vultures were locked in a tense struggle. The Navy held the advantage for much of the evening, but the Vultures struck late to edge a 15 – 10 win, leaving supporters with a dramatic finale under the lights.

The opening Masters tie of the 2026 Inter Service Championships between the Royal Navy Mariners and the Royal Air Force Vultures was a tale of resilience, a reminder that it’s never over until the final whistle. 

Taking place at Northampton Casuals Rugby Club, the match had a real community feel to it, with both sides being supported by hundreds of voices backing their Service through every moment. 

A highly combative and physical affair with some thunderous tackles going in, the game was incredibly closely contested throughout, with both teams defending brilliantly and leaving little for their opponents to capitalise on.

Led by Adam McCrohan, the Navy were winning 5-0 at the break, before extending their lead to 10-0, but they will regret missing both their conversions, which would only have increased Captain James Norrish’s and his RAF teammates’ belief that the tie was not over just yet. 

After hitting back with a try of their own, the momentum completely turned and what seemed a comfortable lead to nil turned to a level 10-10 score heading into the remaining minutes. 

Then, just when a tie seemed inevitable, the Vultures snatched a 10-15 victory under the lights right at the death, securing their first back-to-back victories over the Mariners since 2017. 

The Mariners will now be looking to bounce back against the Army Masters at Richmond on the 1st May, before the Vultures look to make it two wins out of two when they face the Masters in Gloucester on Friday 15th May.

Mariners: S Winfield, E Gaught, P Price; L John, N Copeland; C Carr (VC), H Hales, H Mitchell-Heggs; R Cox, J Parsons, A McCrohan (C), D Waryck, C Foxwell, P Saberton, M Horton.

Replacements: A John, C Ellor, T Blackburn, A Riley, S Hillman, J Acaster, R Cadywould, M Southern. 

Words by SoCo

Images by Max Ross