The latest of late shows from the Army Masters both denied the RAF Vultures what would have been a famous win and the overall Inter Service Championship title.
Chris Harris’s 79th-minute try secured a draw, which by virtue of points difference, saw the trophy return to Aldershot after a year’s absence.
The conditions at Kingsholm Stadium could not have been more perfect for running rugby. But in the match’s opening salvos it looked like the Army’s pack power would prove the difference.
Two strong scrums and an irrepressible rolling maul set the tone, so much so that when Harris kicked a penalty to the corner the Masters used that threat to instead open upa running lane for second row Luke Keatley to score in the left corner.
The Vultures had begun promisingly to that point. Chris Beasley had a run nullified by a marginal forward pass, and there was a strong defensive set on their own 22.
Their offloading game caught the eye, too, as did an Adam Middleton run that saw the centre bounce off a few tacklers.
But they could not turn their positions into points, and the Army headed into the mid-half drinks leading 5-0, which became 8-0 almost immediately thanks to a Chris Harris penalty.
The Vultures received a massive fillip when Masters hooker, Joseph Brown, was yellow carded after Beasley had put the RAF on the front foot with a superb break.
This prompted the Vultures’ most concerted spell of pressure, and with the Masters getting on the wrong side of referee Si Aldridge despite their own determined rearguard effort it was little surprise to see Beasley get his team onto the scoreboard in the right corner.
Sean Day then had a try ruled out for hitting the dead ball line with his left foot before grounding the ball, and Matthew Clarke – whose break had created that opportunity – missed a penalty from in front of the sticks.
All that pressure finally told when James Norrish was on the back of a driving maul which inched its way over the line, and the Vultures headed into the break leading 10-8.
Two points became nine as the second half got underway. The Army racked up more penalties and a second yellow card, centre Nicky Lloyd spending time on the sidelines for a high tackle. And the Vultures made them pay, number eight Matthew Tibbatts powering over, Clarke adding the conversion.
But a charged down attempted clearance from the kick off put the Masters back into prime position. Keatley crashed over for his second try of the night, and with Harris on target all of a sudden the red shirts were back in the contest.
Clarke settled some RAF nerves with a penalty, and when Philip Patrick went over 15 minutes from time the Army were facing their stiffest challenge of the Inter Service Championship so far.
However the RAF did not exit from the kick off – not for the first time – and Tibbatts was yellow carded as referee Aldridge lost patience.
Brown was the ultimate beneficiary as the Army finished off the pressure in the far corner, setting up a grandstand finish.
And that was exactly what the crowd got. Day needed to pull off a stunning tackle to stop Samisoni Rakubu, and the RAF forwards – down a man for a second time – had to use all their might to stop a driving Army maul.
But they could not retain the ball at the scrum, and when Iggy Putty sucked in a pair of defenders Harris had a stroll to the line.
The missed conversion meant that the evening’s trophy was shared, but the title headed back to Aldershot.
Words © Inter Service Championship
All images © Army Rugby Union – Alligin Photography – Andrew Fosker
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