The Army Senior Men put in their strongest performance of the season to win back ‘The Crunch’ in a 27-12 win over the French Army at Aldershot.

It took fewer than 90 seconds for the Army to get onto the board, and the try was out of the top drawer.

Having recovered the kick off, the red shirts put the ball through the hand, first to the far right and then back to the left. Throughout the hallmarks were powerful running, good handling, and delayed passing to fix the defenders. This paid off with an overlap created by loosehead prop, Sgt Nathaniel Titchard-Jones (REME), and finished off by LBdr Nick Murray (RA), who collected a lovely pass from LCpl Pita Ratukadreu (REME) and saw off several tacklers on his way to the whitewash to mark his debut cap in style.

Bdr Owain Davies (RA) converted, then added a penalty three minutes later, and the Army had had an ideal start.

This became better when a French forward was yellow carded for foul play, and even more so when the red shirts took full advantage, Cpl Ifereimi Boladau (R Sigs) showing his strength after the pack drove inexorably forward, firstly from a five-metre lineout and then from a tap penalty move.

Bdr Davies’s conversion was straightforward, making the score 17-0, and when the fly half’s chip appeared to have been won back on the visitors’ 22 the red shirts looked to be in an ideal position. Unfortunately referee Lt Col Tom Evans-Jones thought differently, but nevertheless the move had demonstrated the hosts’ willingness to think creatively to keep the French guessing.

LBdr Murray and Bdr Davies got the Army on the scoreboard 90 seconds into the match.

LCpl Ratukadreu also pinned the French back with a stunning piece of skill which turned a tap tackle into a kick ahead for a goal line drop-out, but this was not converted into points either.

The Army’s physicality certainly had the French on the back foot, and it took the visitors until the second quarter to put some dangerous phases together. Centres Lilian Delage and Ratu Siguruarua were powerful with ball in hand, and the forwards came around the fringes with intent, not least tighthead prop Alex Duny, possessor of the finest beard in the Army Rugby Stadium.

But they found the home defensive effort up to the challenge, the pressure eventually forcing a turnover.

Next it was the French Army’s turn to hold out, Bdr Davies delaying his short pass superbly to create space for LCpl Ratukadreu to scythe his way into the 22. Possession was retained, but the defence scrambled to get into Sgt Connor O’Reilly’s (RHA) face and the ball hit the deck.

The first half finished as it started, with the Army over the whitewash. Again it was imagination which was to the fore, Spr Michael McDonald (RE) sending a long pass from a lineout to Cpl Boladau, lined up in the centres, to charge deep into the red zone. The forwards retained the ball superbly under pressure and Gnr Senitiki Nayalo (RHA) finished things off between the sticks.

Bdr Davies’s conversion made the score 24-0 and completed an outstanding 40 minutes for the red shirts, but of course the challenge then was to continue the momentum into the second half.

LCpl Ratukadreu with some excellent running lines.

Capt Giles Bromley-Martin (IG) certainly looked to take up that challenge, making a superb line break and then a second strong carry as the Army made inroads into the French 22 in their first attack of the second half.

LCpl Ratukadreu also made a great break, but the largest cheer was reserved for tighthead prop Bdr Scott Westwood (RHA), who found himself in space with the line beckoning. The French full back made a superb tackle, which dampened the move somewhat, but the tone of the opening minutes of the second stanza had been set.

But the structures which had been there in the first half had also broken down, and while it was entertaining stuff the harum-scarum nature of the action was also playing into French hands.

Back rower Charlie Brun got the visitors onto the scoreboard just before the hour mark, at the end of some neat handling after fly half Mateu Clara had done well to collect his own kick ahead.

This sparked the best period of play for the French, who continued to threaten with their variations of elusive running, powerful charges and tactical kicking, all aided by some lapses in discipline which were out of character in the minutes which had preceded them. But despite all this, the closest the visitors came to making a second breakthrough was some forward play which ended with a fumble inches from the whitewash.

Then all of a sudden the French were back in the contest. The crowd may have been hollering for Siguruarua being offside at a breakdown, but play was waved on and Delage was over between the uprights. The conversion made the score 24-12 and with fewer than 10 minutes to play nerves were jangling.

Capt Bromley-Martin solid in defence as well as attack.

But Spr Cam McDonald (RE) made a great tackle to win a lineout from the kick off, there were a few more promising charges, and any hopes of a comeback were extinguished by Spr Jack Johnson’s (RE) penalty which brought the final whistle.

The Army Senior Men are next in action against Bedford Blues in the 2023 Mobbs Memorial Match at Goldington Road on Thursday, April 6^th, KO 1945hrs. Ticket information is via www.bedfordrugby.co.uk

Tickets for the 2023 Inter-Services Championship are now on sale.

CLICK HERE for information about the Army v RAF at Kingsholm, Gloucester, on Saturday, April 15^th.

CLICK HERE for information about Army Navy at Twickenham on Saturday, May 13^th.