A terrific day of sevens saw 4 Regt RLC win a Corps derby final 29-12 with their counterparts 17 P&M Regt RLC to become Unit champions.
On a hot and sunny day in Aldershot, six teams were split into two groups of three, 4 RLC taking the spoils in Pool A with victories against 8 Bn (29-14) and 1 AAC (48-0).
8 Bn secured the runners-up spot with a 21-14 success against 1 AAC, while 17 RLC won their two round robin games against 5 Bn (25-7) and Sigs (48-0) to top the other pool.
The final semi-final spot was secured by 5Bn after they edged out Sigs 14-12, but they were eliminated in the last four by 4 RLC (24-12).
The other semi-final saw 17 RLC down 8 Bn 24-17, and the winners started the final well by moving into a 12-5 lead – player of the tournament and Army cap LCpl Ethan Riley at the forefront of their efforts.
Yet it was 4 RLC who turned on the style in the second half, grabbing four unanswered tries – the last coming from supersub Pte William Dalrymple as he ran in from halfway with almost his first touch of the game.
Tournament organiser Capt Jeff Howard (R Signals) was pleased with how the competition went and is hoping to build on its success in 2025.
He said: “The event was well supported by the six teams, who all put a top effort in on a hot day.
“The two RLC sides especially were both entertaining all through the day and it was a deserved final where they both played well.
“There was some great rugby played and we want to make it bigger next year to showcase even more.”
He continued: “Buy-in from the Corps will be very helpful – it is difficult because the day job has been very busy in the first half of the year – but it would be great to get more numbers and exposure.
“It would be fantastic if we could get 12 or 16 teams because we’ve got the facilities, and Unit rugby is something we’ve got to keep going.
“Nothing’s changed over the years, it helps build cohesion, brings the boys together and gets them out doing something different from work.”
Words © Richard Ashton
All images – Alligin Photography © Jarrad Hulm
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