Navy v Army

• 2009
• 2008
• 2007

Army v RAF

• 2009
• 2008
• 2007

RAF v Navy

• 2009
• 2008
• 2007

Tommy decks Matelot

Army beat Navy (50-7)
Twickenham Stadium, 2 May 2009

Burgess leads 10-try romp for Students

England Students Under-23s beat Combined Services Under-23s (65-8)
Twickenham Stadium, 2 May 2009

By Simon Mills, RFU

England Students finished the season unbeaten after romping to a 10-try victory against the Combined Services at Twickenham.

Loughborough flanker Phil Burgess led the way with two first half tries and Loughborough lock Rob Wood also touched down twice as the Students completed the clean sweep started with wins over France (15-13), Irish Colleges (13-10) and the Dutch national side (68-7).

The Services Under 23 side were competitive enough in the first half and threatened when wing Loz Blackburn and centre Junior Korobiau were on the ball.

But despite forcing prop Joe Baker over from a lineout early in the second half, they couldn't cope with the Students superior footwork, handling and off-loading skills in the ambitious attacking framework laid out by coach Paul Westgate.

Burgess opened the scoring down the right after only two minutes before Services fly half Phil Thomas got his team on the board with a penalty.

Wood scored his first and Pointer added a penalty but it was only on the stroke of half-time that they opened up some distance and a 20-3 lead with a sparkling sequence of handling down the left with Awcock releasing Burgess to stretch for the line.

Awcock got on the scoresheet by finishing off a move straight from the training ground by bursting in from the blindside and through a huge midfield hole with Pointer converting immediately after interval.

The lineout was probably the Services strongest area and they took their one second-half chance by driving Baker from close-range.

But it was one-way traffic after that as six more tries followed in the final 25 minutes.

Centre Drew Locke (Northumbria), replacement lock Ian Kench all captain Phil Ellis (Hertfordshire) all finished chances coolly, Wood added his second and replacements Barney Purbrook (Bristol) and Ben Maidment (Durham) completed the job, the latter after a burst of speed down the right from Pointer.

England Students:
Grant Pointer (Loughborough); David Butler (Bristol University) Drew Locke (Northumbria), Phillip Ellis (Hertfordshire), Alan Awcock (UWIC); Paul Trendell (Loughborough), Toby Henry (Oxford); Richard Lutton (Oxford), Adam Bellamy (Bristol), James Hall (Liverpool John Moores), Simon Pitfield (Loughborough), Rob Wood (Loughborough), Phil Burgess (Loughborough), Andy Bridgeman (Bristol), Ben Maidment (Durham).

Replacements: Jonathon Moyce (St. Mary's), Barney Purbrook (Bristol), Ian Kench (Oxford), Tom Malaney (Cambridge), Will Chudley (Loughborough), William Nelson (Nottingham), Gareth Wynne (Manchester)

Scorers: Tries: Burgess 2, Wood 2, Awcock, Locke, Kench, Ellis, Purbrook, Maidment. Conversions: Pointer 6. Penalty: Pointer

Combined Services U23:
Tpr Jone Wasasala (Scots DG); Tpr Roko Rokoduguni (Scots DG), Fus Kyle Simmonite (1R Welsh), Pte Junior Korobiau (17 P&M Regt RLC), Cpl Loz Blackburn (42 Cdo RM); Cpl Phil Thomas (RAF Brize Norton), Mne Johnny Stevens (CTCRM); AB Luke Marks (WMO Portsmouth), SAC Joe Avazion (RAF MOD St Athan), LCpl Joe Baker (9 Supply Regt RLC), Cfn Koms Komaisavai (SEME Bordon), Sub Lt Niall Copeland (HMS Ark Royal), Pte Ryan Davis (2 R Welsh), Lt Rory Thompson 2 Sig Regt), LCpl David Bates (12 Sig Gp).

Replacements: Gnr Pete Farrow (29 Cdo Regt RA), Spr Cameron McLaren (21 Engr Regt RE), LCpl Vance Paines (DES Arbourfield), AB Kev McCrossan (HMS Ark Royal), SAC Tom Hartshone (34 Sqn RAF Regt), ET(ME) Dale Sleeman (HMS Cumberland), Sub Lt Nick Gresswell (RNAS Yeovilton).

Scorers: Try: Baker. Penalty: Thomas.

Referee: Steve Penfold - ARURS

Report courtesy of RFU

Army Women still rule the waves

Army Women beat Navy Women (60-0)
Kneller Hall, Twickenham, 2 May 2009

Army Veterans regain the title

Army Veterans beat Ancient Mariners (36-16)
Kneller Hall, Twickenham, 2 May 2009

Navy rules the airwaves

Navy beat RAF (34-20)
Newbury, 22 April 2009

Report by Roger Thompson

The Royal Navy comfortably overcame a gallant RAF team 34pts-20 at Monks Lane Newbury. The Royal Navy were always ahead, but the RAF was never more than one score adrift until the fourth quarter when the Mariners produced a series of punchy moves to break the air defence and, behind schedule, reach calm waters.

Led into battle by No8 Howard Parr the RAF scrapped for every ball and every inch of turf. The strategy certainly paid off as the Navy made a series of errors punished by the boot of the RAF No10 Philip Thomas.

In truth that is as about as far as it got for the Airmen. They had plenty of possession but hardly presented a threat. Within a sort of forwards stalemate Exeter Chiefs flying winger and England 7s international Josh Drauniniu took the initiative and became too hot to handle. He was elusive and very quick and, a la 7s, shifted from wing to wing to vary the points of attack. Had the Navy pack been a little more 'joined up' his personal tally could have been a hatful.

Indeed much of the story of the night was how the RAF successfully disrupted the Dark Blues at the scrum and lineout and managed to slow down the rucks and mauls. The RAF certainly enjoyed prolonged periods with the ball but even they appeared to believe that progress was not around the corner.

The half time score stood in the Navy's favour at 15-9, but the match probably seemed closer than it was.

In the last quarter the Navy introduced 'Cowboy' John at scrum half whilst skipper Dave Pascoe slipped into the fly half berth and the game changed. Pascoe ran strongly at the tiring defence, a sufficiency of dark blue shirts arrived for quick rucks and Drauniniu twice produced the killer finish.

The champagne moment came from the 'Cowboy', which was almost too fast to catch with the naked eye. A fiercely contested ruck developed on the RAF '22', John gained clean possession from where he dummied the entire RAF defence, turned on a tap washer and sprinted 30m for a try. Great stuff.

Howard Parr rallied the troops once more and led the way into a string of ferocious rucks and mauls and emerged through the melee to touch-down. It was a fitting consolation for a gallant performance.

Andy Varden and Greg Barden also scored convincingly but in summary the RAF courageously rucked, mauled and tackled until they dropped. When they did Drauniniu arrived centre stage and did what he was there to do with clinical efficiency, scoring twice. He is a gifted player and if those around him can gel at Twickenham, the Army had better watch out.

Read the 2008 match report

Army firepower downs Air Force

Army beat RAF (67-11)
Aldershot, 15 April 2009

Report by Roger Thompson

The Army had this sewn up early although on 5 minutes they had lost a talismanic player to a mysterious red card and found themselves three points adrift. Despite the setback the Airmen had already tasted too much rapid fire and their body language was all wrong. It was just a matter of numericals and time.

Playing with only seven forwards for 75 minutes the Army destroyed an Air Force side that would have made the likes of Rory Underwood and Paul Hull shudder. From the kick off the Reds were inventive and although a couple of passes did not go as smoothly as they might have done on the training park the speed of thought and foot were all the evidence one needed.

The opening try of eleven Army touchdowns went to Army doctor Paul Gittins who has developed a 'never say stop' attitude to being blocked off. Time and again he powered through would-be tackles. Before the Light Blue support arrived, he delivered the sweetest of off-loads. On 15 minutes he kept his feet, kept running and kept the ball to touch down close in.

In a night of 'excellents' Jack Prasad, who has nine Fiji caps, did a song and dance routine to score out right. Right wing Malakai Magnus followed suit as did Gus Qasevakatini on the left with a brace. No6 Apo Satala also bagged himself a brace after frequently splitting the defence asunder to mount attacks from ruck and maul.

Interspersed with all this frippery came three great tries from the trenches. Firstly hooker Matt Dwyer supported the ball for 40 m to crash over. Not to be out-done loose head prop Melvyn Lewis landed under the posts from 45m out and to cap it replacement tight head Warren Ross Allan sprinted, jinked and thundered over from 50m. Undoubtedly THE champagne moment.

Hard to name a man of the match but at the end of the evening full back Mal Roberts was presented with this 25th Army cap. Only once achieved previously in the 102 years of Army rugby Mal was in the thick of the action scoring a great try, coming up just short after a brilliant half-field surge and for great measure he also kicked ten points in conversions.

Read the 2008 match report