Where Eagles Dare

Having carried out a unit move from Cambridge to Kinloss in Scotland, 39 Engr Regt were presented with the opportunity to step into a void created when RAF Kinloss Rugby Club ceased to exist. For over 70 years, RAF Kinloss had been active in the Scottish Rugby Union (SRU) leagues in the North of Scotland and taking up this mantle presented 39 Engr Regt with an opportunity not only to play more rugby, but also to integrate into the local community.

The unit arrived in Kinloss in July 2012 and having already laid the foundations for the club remotely with the help of some former RAF Kinloss Club members, Kinloss Eagles RUFC was born and played a first fixture in August 2012, beginning a winning streak that has seen them climbing towards the top of the Caledonian North 3rd Division and most recently, winning the Royal Bank of Scotland Regional North Bowl and progressing through to National semi-finals.

Success in these semi-finals will mean a National Bowl Final at Murrayfield; quite an achievement in the club’s first season.The club consists not only of 39 Engr Regt members but also several civilian payers, the oldest of whom is 52 and still fighting (not literally).

Alongside the civilian club of course, the Regt has competed in its second season in the Army Rugby Union (ARU) Premiership. After the disappointment of a quarter-final exit last year, this season has seen the team be far more successful, winning through to the final on the 20th of March in Aldershot.
All in all, this has been a phenomenally successful and rewarding season for all involved.

It has meant a lot of extra effort to establish a club so quickly and some lessons have been learned the hard way but the fruit that has been borne as a result has made it worth it. Unit commitments have meant an ever changing squad for both club and military games but one consistent thread has been ever present – the character of all who pull on an Eagles shirt.