Navy Getaway with it against Resilient British Police

Last night's match at East London Rugby Club was a hard-fought affair between the British Police and the Navy’s Senior Men. Gaz Evans led the charge scoring twice as the Navy beat the Police by 12 points in their last domestic fixture of the season.

Despite a quick start from the Royal Navy the early try scored by Dobson and converted by Gott was immediately cancelled out by the Police who capitalised on a Navy defence coming to terms with one another.

Not afraid to play from deep, Papp picked from the base of the scrum starting a period of phases which included a deep kick from Duncan to the Police right wing. Isolated, it was Duncan who ripped the ball that led to the penalty, the lineout, the rolling maul and the first score of the evening for evergreen Evans.

An unfortunate Will Scott soon followed skipper Kye Beasley off the field, but there were more than capable replacements waiting in the wings with Chris Mills replacing Scott in the back row and Kai Allton in for the captain.

It was the Police who took the slenderest of leads into the club house as a result of a penalty try and a yellow card for Rudder, taking the score to 14 - 12.

Like the first half the Navy was first to strike with Henry Gliddon scoring an opportunist’s try following Carter’s 50-22 and Kai Allton’s barrelling run into the guts of the Police defence. The lead restored, Gott went on to add the extras with a second conversion. Finding their rhythm, the Navy scored again this time closer to the sticks. Carter was desperate to keep things going with a quick tap. Pulled back by the referee so he could issue a Police yellow, the scrum half ensured the forwards were under his control as they went for close-range drives with Evans scoring his second of the evening.

Things were seemingly comfortable as the lead grew to 14 – 33. Sparked by the newly arrived Rutter who first popped on the right to distribute wide and then sensing space on the opposite flank then looped around to put Bowden through the gap.

Despite a huge defensive set from the Navy which included Boulton legally wiping the scrum half out, it was the Police who managed to score the final try. The final score brought a bit of respectability back for the Police with the final score British Police 21 – 33 Royal Navy.

Skipper Kye Beasley said, "....frustrating day at the office on a personal note. It was good to get a win against a side that knew exactly what they're about. We are going to have to go away and look at the video but my initial thoughts are that we need to adapt to the game in front of us quicker, and impose our game on the opposition for longer periods of time."

Head Coach Dave Pascoe summed up the performance, "It was the tough physical encounter we expected. A great test of character and attitude for the team to get back to playing after the Easter break. Great to introduce some new players to Navy Rugby with Jack Ryder impressing on his Navy debut. I am delighted that our more experienced players, Gaz, Toby and Spenny, stepped up to the challenge to give us a platform to play from. Excited to see the Army RAF game at the weekend; regardless of the result, the Inter Services is still all to play for!"

The team may still have been a bit raw from the disappointment of the draw against the RAF, and despite some frustration, the team managed to get a win against a strong opposition. The second half performance showed character and perseverance. Onwards.

The match scheduled for the 26 March against Hampshire has been cancelled. The RNRU staff are actively looking for a replacement fixture.

Words by J Campbell-Baldwin

Images by Cat Goryn and Jarrad Hulm