Director of Community Rugby, Maj Marc Wilding, says that this week’s Unit Premiership Showcase is a fantastic opportunity to give players an experience of running out at the ARU’s home in Aldershot, as well as provide a reminder of what rugby offers Units throughout the Army.
1st Battalion The Princess of Wales’s Royal Regiment, 8 Training Battalion Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers, 1st Battalion The Yorkshire Regiment and 12 Regiment Royal Artillery (STORMERS) will be running out at the Army Rugby Stadium on Wednesday afternoon, and Maj Wilding believes that it is important to be able to show that rugby in the Army is more than just the red shirts.
“It will give some Units a chance to run out at our HQ, but also to show this is what Premiership rugby is, this is the standard, this is the level units could attain to if they can,” he says, “and to give those players the chance to run out in front of what will hopefully be a reasonable crowd.
1 Yorks and 12 Regt RA will face each other in a re-match of the 2022 Premiership Final.
Image – Alligin Photography © Lee Crabb
“We recognise that it can be difficult to balance Unit level team sport and is easier to facilitate individual sport like cycling or running.
“Furthermore, we have now got a lot of young soldiers, 17, 18, 19-year-olds, who probably haven’t had much chance to play sport than people three or four years in front of them thanks to the pandemic. They didn’t get that chance at school, didn’t get the chance to play their club stuff, so don’t have the same experience as before Covid hit.
“But I do believe that we have got those little challenges to work through, but hopefully we can get through it.”
Unit rugby has become a significant focus as the next step of returning to a full programme of rugby at all levels within the ARU structure, with the red shirts having played a full season across all competitions in 2021/22 and the Corps Championship a successful adjustment to a new, three-league structure.
“Last year was a little bit unique because it was our bounce back after Covid,” Maj Wilding reflects. “One of the very lucky things for us was that Corps rugby was in a really strong position, so that was able to get going and keep going with the work that Graham Taylor brought in and the energy he has thrown into it.
“Similarly with Andy Bennett, who understands Units and how we have to work with Units to help them get through their rugby.
“So we are in a relatively good place, although the start to this season was impacted by the disruption to the current duty due to the passing of the Queen. From a Corps perspective that meant that we had to cancel the Corps Festival, which normally allows Corps to shake their teams out, introduce new people into the teams and get their admin squared away.
“So when we went into the first round of the Corps Championship we had a couple of Corps who were a little bit behind the curve. Lots of it was not their fault with the funeral and people being deployed, and that then meant that for the first time in a long time we lost three men’s fixtures and one female fixture.”
The RLC defeated the current Corps League 1 Champions, the Royal Engineers in the first round of the new seasons’ competition.
Image © Sapperrugby
Across the entire sports sector the paradigm shifts brought about by the pandemic is still having a lasting impact, requiring imaginative thinking and adjustment in ways of working. The ARU is no different, and the discussions for 2022/23 have already begun.
“We have already had some chats,” Maj Wilding explains. “The decision to once again split the Corps season either side of the Unit Premiership is being reviewed, as having a two-month gap between the end of the Corps league rounds and the finals isn’t ideal.
“There is also player welfare to consider, which is something we hear back from the red shirt team management. Red shirt players are more than likely to be playing a good level of senior rugby and they are probably quite committed to that senior rugby, so as well as the nine Army games they will probably pick up three or four Corps games in that time. If you include civilian rugby this can add up to 25, 30 games over a season, and that doesn’t take in any form of contact training.
“I am also looking into the concussion that the graduated return to play that the RFU are doing and adapting it into the Army. It is not just about returning to training and playing, for me it is also about returning to safety critical duties and to PT, so we’re looking at how we can help Units manage soldiers, and are advised correctly on safety.
“Ultimately, we want to be set up better for next season while also making sure we manage this year as best as we can.”
Wednesday’s games kick off at 1300hrs and 1500hrs, and entry into the Army Rugby stadium is free.
Words © New Dogs, Old Tricks
Header and Featured Images – Alligin Photography © Lee Crabb
