UK Armed Forces Assistant Coach, Lt Col Tim Osman (RA), hopes that the team can end an “incredibly challenging month” with a win over New Zealand this Sunday.
Three wins from the pool matches against Tonga, Georgia and Spain had put UKAF into the Cup semi-finals and getting set to prepare for a re-match of the 2019 final against Fiji.
But then the camp, and indeed Inter-Service rugby as a whole, was rocked by the news of the sudden passing of Royal Navy centre, Steffan Rees, and while the semi-final was played – preceded by an emotional tribute to their fallen team mate – and was indeed competitive on the scoreboard right up until the final 15 minutes, Fiji scored a late try and penalty to secure a 41-29 win.
But there was more to the day than simply rugby, according to Lt Col Osman.
“It’s been a really tough few weeks,” he commented. “Naturally it was a huge shock and really distressing for the whole group, and our thoughts and prayers are with Steff’s family, friends and RN colleagues at this sad time.
“Our preparations were clearly impacted significantly throughout the week prior to playing Fiji. We did what we could to ensure everyone was looked after as well as could be and rugby obviously took a back seat for the most part.
“Fiji eventually came out on top in the semi-final, but despite a few frustrations from a purely playing sense, we were incredibly proud of the effort and resilience shown across the group to achieve what we did.”
There is one more game to go and a third place at stake this Sunday, when UKAF will face New Zealand in Vannes.
The Kiwis overcame a round 1 loss to Fiji to also make the semi-finals, where they were beaten 21-15 by France in front of 4,500 passionate supporters.
And while there is not a trophy to be played for, there is still plenty of motivation for the squad to finish the campaign in the best possible fashion, says Lt Col Osman.
“Our focus has now been on New Zealand for our last match, this Sunday afternoon,” he says. “The heat and humidity have returned, and after a couple of days on recovery and a Normandy battlefield visit, we are resolved to try and deliver a better performance in the third place playoff.
“It’s been an incredibly challenging month in Brittany, and we’d like nothing better than to return home with a with over the Defence Blacks.”
Sunday’s third-place play-off is being shown live on the Forces TV YouTube channel, with coverage beginning at 1245hrs, UK time.
Words © New Dogs, Old Tricks
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