England Ladies Scrum Half, Leanne Riley, took time out of her busy schedule to present the Royal Navy Rugby Union (Women) with their match shirts prior to their Inter Service match with the Army (Women).
Leanne, who hails from Coventry, was first capped by England Ladies against South Africa Ladies in 2013 and since has been capped a further 6 times for England Ladies. She has played for Lichfield, Worcester and Saracens and is now a regular on the Richmond RFC team sheet. Leanne said ahead of the presentation.
"I was really honoured to be invited to present the shirts to the RN Women. Managing a career in the Royal Navy and still managing to find time to train an...
The Friday before Army Navy is the one occasion each year when three of the Royal Navy’s representative sides are together. On completion of their shirt presentations the Royal Navy Rugby Union presented two of its end of season awards – The Soapy Watson Award which is for TSG Members and the Mick Connolly Award which is for the Mariners player of the season.
First presented in 2007 the trophy, in memory of Warrant Officer ‘Soapy” Watson is presented to the team support member who has contributed over and above the call of duty. Soapy was the most consummate of team players and his legacy as an administrator continues to this day. He was instrumenta...
With fifty minutes of the 99 th Army Navy match gone, the Army were leading 26-7. They had taken control of a match which had started with the early skirmishes being shared. Not for the first time in their illustrious history the Royal Navy were facing what seemed insurmountable odds. However, for the next half hour, led by their youth but guided by some of their experienced warriors, they stemmed and then turned the tide in their favour to twice level the match in the last ten minutes. The Army Navy trophy was shared but the draw gave them the greater prize, a first Inter Services title since 2010.
It was the Royal Navy who drew first blood as the game reache...
With the referendum looming later this year it is natural to look back to 1973, the year when Britain joined the Common Market and a year when two Royal Navy hookers combined to win an Inter Service title. Ben Priddey is the first hooker to captain the side since the legendary Binge Gatehouse lifted the title in 1973 under the guidance of Selector, and fellow hooker, Glynn Thomas. Both played and viewed the game in a way that is as applicable today as it ever was and were leaders in the truest sense of the word.
Alongside Binge that day was Leigh Merrick, a Number 8 whose name is on the most prestigious award in Navy Rugby, the Cossack sword. Gatehouse and Merrick wo...
A match which saw optimism replaced by disappointment across the Mariners team as they produced a lacklustre performance in defeat to the Vultures. Set piece, handling and their kicking game all deserted them as the Mariners defence of their trophy faltered from the very first whistle. Whilst it is no longer any use to think of what might have been the team know that in the words of Yazz’s 80s hit, ‘The only way is up’, and they must deliver a better performance when they meet the challenge of the Army at Kneller Hall on the 30 th April 2016. Russ Sayer’s consolation try with the last play of the match may have give a little shine to the final 2...
