There were several changes to the starting line up at Burnaby Road following last Sunday's match against London Scottish and the during the first half it looked like the Royal Navy U23 side had the match in the bag. It was a glorious sunny day at the United Services ground and the Navy U23s' superior power and possession took them into a convincing half time lead only for Dorset and Wiltshire to turn the tide and hold on to what was a very exciting game of rugby to win by 2 points in the final minutes of the match.
It didn't take long for Dorset and Wiltshire to get on the score sheet. With possession from the start they tested the U23s' defence with a number of pick and g...
The second Royal Navy Rugby Union community rugby competition kicks off today with four of the five teams taking to the pitch. In Scotland, the RN North host the RN West, while in the West Country the Royal Marines travel to RNAS Yeovilton to take on the Fleet Air Arm. The teams compete for the trophy, named after Surgeon Captain (Dentist) John Inverdale, a former RNRU Secretary. Last year the Royal Marines were victorious in the final, convincingly beating the Fleet Air Arm 28-12, and the trophy was presented by Mrs Jendy Weekes and Mr John Inverdale, the daughter and son of the former RNRU executive committee member. The aim of the competition is to prov...
A thoroughly entertaining game of rugby played at United Services Ground in Portsmouth saw the Royal Navy Under 23 team face London Scottish Academy. The game was played at a fast pace and it was the Royal Navy U23s who dominated the territory in the first 20 mins. Poor discipline from the London Scottish team allowed the pressure to build however the Royal Navy U23 were unable to create an opening and turn the territory and possession into points.
The opening score went against the play. London Scottish Academy, having won a scrum on the half way line, followed up with some tidy phases of running rugby, forcing the Royal Navy to concede a penalty at the break ...
The Royal Navy Under 23s squad endured a long night at the hands of the Exeter Chiefs' Academy side which saw them go down 15 – 43. The score however flattered the Chiefs as they made the Navy side pay for their mistakes and ultimately their skill, speed and fitness was the decisive factor in a well-contested, enjoyable and competitive 80 minutes of rugby. Having narrowly lost a 2 point game to Cambridge University in their previous fixture the U23s were looking to draw their game back and play some simple rugby but show aggression and tenacity in their play and for large parts of the game they stuck to their game plan. However any slight lapse in concentration al...
If there was one big lesson that the students of Cambridge University taught the 2016 Royal Navy Under 23 team last Sunday afternoon at Grange Road, it was that you can’t play rugby without the ball. Time and time again, the Navy spilled the ball or were out played at the ruck, gifting possession back to the University side who were not quite so careless. The University side, made up predominately of undergraduates, started the better and save for some dogged defence by the Navy full-back, Rory Penfold, they would have been the first to score. However, the first of two long injury breaks (which saw Navy fly-half Weale replaced by Mills), appeared to throw the University side...
