17 Port&Maritime Regiment RLC 30 pts—23 Pioneer Regiment RLC 18pts

The Dolphins overcame fellow ‘Loggies’ club 23 Pioneer Regiment to reach the Final of the Army Premiership Cup.  The expected result was far from assured until the Pioneer pack, a robust unit, tired in the third quarter.  And then, as if by magic, the Pioneers re-emerged to produce, in the last fifteen minutes, consistent team play and a cliff hanger.

Running on empty, the Pioneer pack stood tall. Led into the teeth of the defence by No8 Joe Kava they delivered some thunder rugby against a team that, all too early, appeared to believe the game was won. Kava is something of a bullock in overdrive and difficult to slow down—let alone stop.  Too frequently the Dolphins appeared unaware of the dangers lurking in the ‘red zone’ leaving a down hill run to the posts.  The Welsh will have noted the absence of a cover plan in any measure of depth until Damudamu arrived on the scene

It required Army threequarters Malakai Magnus and Gavin Ferguson, who ended up with two tries apiece to seal a notable victory for the seaman.

The ‘hammer’ and the ‘anvil’ were effective craftsmen against a more than resilient Pioneer side.  Ferguson was constantly at the heart of the action and is a tough nut to drop.  He carries strongly and has front row type strength when he sniffs the whitewash.

Magnus is the eagle eyed predator who can read the game well from almost anywhere in the backs.  His second try appeared simple—a 90m sprint where no one was anywhere near coming second.  That was the physical fact– but a mental oversimplification. It was the reading of the somewhat predictable play and the likelihood of looped ball falling into his grasp that earned ‘Maggie’ the points.  His celebration during the final 60 m of his dash might have raised a few of the older eyebrows—but then…..

Nearly 50 points were scored in this Army semi final.  Both teams had firepower which they used aplenty until the Magnus second try which sealed the result.  23 Pioneer Regiment are a good side and would have made worthy finalists.

The Dolphins, one of the most consistent clubs in the Army, will be tested by the Royal Welsh up front for a full 80 minutes.  The players all know each other, and on the pitch don’t deal in ceremony.  It will be interesting to see if anyone comes up with something a bit new for Wednesday 14 March at Aldershot.

The Greens opened in a somewhat casual mode, a little frilly, as though the points would come. In contrast the Blues dug in as a team. Control orders were barked to marshal the defence—‘they shall not pass’—which is what happened. Growing in confidence the Blues were soon on the attack.

Blues scrum half Adam Libbey showed a calm authority behind the lighter but generally secure pack and teamed up well with former Army 7s cap ‘Toobs’ Ratunaulivou at fly half . Ratu, a steady hand, cleverly fed centre Will Harries, a biggish number who showed a marked ability to break a fair tackle, straighten and run a good line. Sadly he lacked close support at the crucial moments when the points were begging to be scored.

For the Greens Taff Evans and James Read at half back also proved a strong pairing amidst a good deal of individual over-elaboration. In the face of fierce Blues tackling off-loads were too late or the final pass simply went to ground. A penalty try to the Blues broke the deadlock and then it was touch and go with a couple of tries and penalties each.

When the tide thought about turning the Greens brought on Chris Budgen to stiffen the front trenches, which he did in the tight. In the loose, however, the Blues had him multi-marked. He seldom made sufficient yardage to make that much of a difference.

It was surprising that both sides were able to rise to the occasion. The Blues were in the middle of pre deployment training. The Greens were light a few players including Army lock Paul Llewellyn.

The match showed the strength in depth available to both clubs. It would have been exciting to see the 1st Battalion in the Final but in the end it was experience and not the errors that decided which team went through to face 17 P&M Regiment RLC..

2 Royal Welsh 27 – 25 1 Royal Welsh

17 Port & Maritime 30 – 18 23 Pnr Regt

Highlights

1Bn Royal Welsh vs 2Bn Royal Welsh Highlights:
http://youtu.be/FWz4rCoJXZo

23 Pioneer Regt vs 17 Port & Maritime Highlights:
http://youtu.be/eBOHue2zzWk

28 Engr Regt 51 – 6 1Bn Irish Guards – Highlights: http://youtu.be/G8LMYseq85M

ITC Catterick 37 – 0 4Bn The Rifles – Highlights: http://youtu.be/qPVqk1grAcw

28 Engr Regt will play ITC Catterick in the Community Cup Final on 14 March

Shield Semi Final Result

11 Trg Bn 39 – 8 1 Bn Scots Gds.

11 Trg Bn 39 now play 29 Regt RLC in the Shield Final on 14 Mar

1. Applications are invited for the above posts for the Army Women’s XV.  The team plays representative rugby to the highest level including International teams and Premiership sides. The present squad includes current and former international players as well as many highly committed and motivated individuals.

2. The successful applicants will be expected to commit from the 1st July 12 and it is desirable that the successful applicant completes 2 seasons.

3. Applicants should send their rugby CV by e-mail to

Major M Hodge – Maggiehodge1974@aol.com or Margaret-ann.hodge227@mod.uk

and

Senior XV Head Coach, Andy Sanger – andysanger@hotmail.com

4. The closing date for applications 12 March 12. Applicants that don’t pass the CV sift will be contacted by e-mail by 19 March.  Applicants that pass the CV sift will be invited to an interview. The interview will also seek evidence of coaching competencies.

5. The selection panel will consist of Major Sam Shephard (Director of Women’s Rugby (DoWR), Capt Andy Sanger (Senior XV Head Coach) and Secretary ARU.

6. The successful and unsuccessful candidates will be notified by telephone after the interviews

QUALIFICATION AND EXPERIENCE CRITERIA
7.  Applicants are to be suitably qualified and experienced as follows:

• Able to provide 2 people that may be called upon for a written or verbal reference.  Ideally, at least 1 needs to hold an appropriate and current rugby qualification.

• Must be serving in the British Army with at least 3 years service remaining.

RESPONSIBILITIES

8.         Individual role responsibilities can be found at http://www.armyrugbyunion.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/TERMSOFREFERENCEFORTHEARMYRUGBYUNION.pdf

COMMITMENT

The time commitment for this post is demanding for both work and personal time. You will also be required to do out of hours and weekend work. The dates of the 2011/12 fixtures are on the Army Rugby Union web site but there is an aspiration that the new coach would be available to shadow the inter-services competition later this year.  You will need to confirm with your Chain of Command that you are to fulfill the commitment prior to interview.  This post is unpaid although reasonable travel and subsistence costs will be met. Any questions regarding the positions can be directed to Major M-A Hodge, Deputy Director of Women’s Rugby on Margaret-ann.hodge227@mod.uk

As part of the continued engagement with the regional rugby community Cambridge RUFC are keen to welcome players from the Armed Forces who would like to join a progressive club playing competitive rugby at all levels.

Cambridge can offer you the additional opportunity to play at a high level and provide exposure to the coaching support received from both Northampton & Bedford together with the opportunity to play with some of their developing players who form part of our squad.

In the past Cambridge has enabled players to progress to a higher level with the very recent example being Ben Spencer who is now playing for both Saracens & England Saxons having joined Cambridge two seasons ago. We see this as a positive consequence of our links with senior clubs.

In addition to the opportunity to benefit from the professional coaching support at Cambridge RUFC there is also a close working relationship with Volac, a leading nutritional protein business , who are able to provide advice & product support to our players through a continuous monitoring regime.

If you are interested in playing rugby for the ‘Blood & Sand’ we would be very pleased to hear from you now.

Please contact one of the following:

Danny Hunter  Senior player) – danny.hunter@crufc.co.uk – 07595 363449
Rob Dean  Player liaison) -  rob.dean@crufc.co.uk – 07977 236818
Steve Bowller (Chairman) – steve.bowller@crufc.co.uk – 07956 491286

This match scheduled for this evening has regrettably been cancelled due
to an unplayable pitch.