Dowding: Half-time break came at the right time

Half-time breaks can be crucial in a game of rugby. For a team which has momentum and the wind in their sails, the interval can be the last thing that they want to have. But for a team which is on the other side of the scoreline, those minutes in the changing rooms offer an opportunity to re-set and start again from scratch.

So it proved in the Corps Championship League 2 final at Aldershot on a snowy March Wednesday.

The Royal Artillery had gone into the game with six bonus point wins from their six league matches, but when the whistle blew for half-time they found themselves 8-0 down to a Royal Signals outfit which put in a 40 minutes of physicality and aggression to have the Gunners on the back foot.

Sig Van Der Leest’s penalty and Sig Fisher-Jones’s try had given the Signals a deserved lead, but in the second half the Royal Artillery steadily found their mojo to take control of the contest.

Their pack was well on top in the scrum, and some of the approach play was superbly controlled as forwards and backs alike took the ball onto the front foot to get over the gain line.

This was rewarded by a try from Bdr Tomkins and five points from fly half, Bdr Owain Davies.

Sig Van Der Leest put the Signals back in front with a penalty, but Bdr Davies earned the player of the match award with a pair of three-pointers, and the win was sealed by LBdr Fitzgerald, who looped to make an extra man before selling a dummy to score.

Royal Artillery Head Coach, SSgt Ken Dowding, acknowledged the importance of the interval.

“We definitely got the bounce of the ball in the second half,” he said. “The lads dug deep and played the conditions. It made a big difference.

“The weather evened the game up, and fair play to the Signals guys. They were really good and even in the second half they stuck to it.

“We just decided in the second half to stop trying to play champagne rugby, to put the ball up our jumper a bit with some big carries, go round the corner and up our work rate. Our set piece was a lot better in the second half as well.”

Bdr Davies paid tribute to the team performance in getting the Gunners back into League 1 at the first time of asking.

“The ball was like a bar of soap,” he said. “We had a good build-up week but there were a lot of frustrations in the first half. In the changing room we had a bit of a kick in the butt, which helped, and the boys came out and switched on in the second half.

“I’ve been involved for 16, 17 years now, and for the boys to put their bodies on the line to get promoted means a lot.”

There is more rugby back in Aldershot on Wednesday, March 15^th, when the Senior Men host the French Army. Kick off is 1900hrs, and all are welcome.

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

Words © New Dogs, Old Tricks

All images – Alligin Photography © Andrew Fosker