A heroic but ill-disciplined effort from the Army Under 23s ended in heartbreak as they lost their Inter-Services opener 15-10 at the Royal Navy on a night when they received six yellow cards and a red.
The visitors started superbly, retaining the ball well before spinning it wide for full-back Sig Ratubavalu (R Sigs) to surge down the left.
He made plenty of yards before a superb out-the-back flick was taken by Tpr Ravonakula (QDG), then vice-captain Rfn Jamie Diamond (Rifles), and while he was stopped just short of the line, loose-head prop Spr Ryan Eastley (RE) barged over from close range following a couple more phases.
The fourth-minute extras were added by 2Lt Henry Lapslie (Scots), but his side were then tested after conceding a five-metre penalty for not releasing after George Prentice collected his own kick to breach the initial defensive line.
Yet the set-piece was overthrown, and Army cleared only to make the same mistake some 10 minutes later, enabling No. 8 AJ Hussell to go from his own 22 to his opponents.
The visitors then conceded a penalty in front of their own posts, Jack Davis with a simple kick to get his side on the board.
Lapslie looked to have gone under the posts only to be called for crossing, but a stunning long-range break from vice-captain Jamin Hoffman took the hosts back towards the Army 22.
However, the Red Shirts won a penalty for not releasing, and they forced a goal-line drop-out after Ben Callard had to knock the ball out of play from a dangerous AIRTPR Ben Murphy (AAC) chip.
Army lost wing Gnr Tex Cobitu (RA) to the sin-bin a minute before the break as he tried to chase down another grubber on the line, this time from replacement stand-off Sig Kevin Van der Leest (R Sigs), and things got worse as Ravonakula joined him following a team warning at the breakdown – both penalties deep in Navy territory.
A dreadful end to the opening period for the visitors then saw Davis magnificently take a high ball 40 metres out, the wing running in and adding the extras four minutes into stoppage-time for 10-7 at the interval.
Despite their numerical disadvantage, Army started the second half superbly, dominating territory and possession before levelling courtesy of a van der Leest three-pointer.
A third breakdown yellow saw flanker Kgn Dav Daveta (Lancs) arrived within minutes, although the Red Shirts remained on top and should have gone in front when Ravonakula crossed, only for a forward pass to rule it out.
Van der Leest was then stopped just short, pinged for not releasing, and the Navy finally got into their opponents’ half for pretty much the first time in the second period as the contest entered the final quarter.
Davis was unable to nudge his side back in front after missing a penalty earned at the scrum, but after turning down a second attempt five metres from the line, a fourth card arrived after three more set-piece infringements – Pte Yabs Yabaki (R Yorks) the man to go.
Some heroic defence repelled phase after phase and allowed Spr Sevodi (RE) to clear, only for another penalty to let the hosts kick back into the 22.
Incredibly, following another ruck penalty and a mass coming together from both sets of players, the Red Shirts received their fifth and sixth yellow cards of the evening – Daveta’s turning into a red as substitute TPR Tabua also departed – while Navy’s Cian Goldsmith was also sin-binned.
And in the fourth minute of injury-time there was heartbreak for the visitors, their heroic rearguard finally breached from close range by Harry Saunders.
Another Hussell charge from the kick-off took Navy back near their opponents’ try-line, but the Red Shirts repelled it and the hosts’ Aaron Duffield became the eighth player carded after he was now on the wrong side of the ref at the ruck.
It was 12-versus-13 in the 11th minute of added time, but Navy forced a turnover and booted the ball off to seal victory at the end or an extraordinary evening.
Army welcome RAF to Aldershot in their second game next Wednesday (1900 ko).
Words © Richard Ashton
All images © Alligin Photography
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