Army Under 23s Head Coach Maj Gareth Slade-Jones (RAPTC) admitted he was proud of his squad after their 19-9 home win against the RAF kept alive their hopes of Inter-Services glory.
Tries from Spr Ryan Eastley (RE), LBdr Tokaduadua (RA) and Pte Harris Fishwick (Mercian), along with a couple of conversions from man-of-the-match 2Lt Henry Lapslie (Scots), proved enough on a chilly night in Aldershot, meaning the Army can still claim the title if the RAF beat Navy by 14 points or less in the season finale tomorrow (December 6).
Looking ahead, Maj Slade-Jones said: “It would be nice if we could sneak in and win it, but we’ve just got to wait and see what comes and I wish both the Navy and RAF the best for their game. What will be, will be.
“It was nice to get the win (against the RAF). If you were a neutral you’d have enjoyed it, but with a coaching head on it’s quite difficult to stay calm.
“But I thought both teams played well – the RAF played a very structured game, kicked well, but our bench was maybe a little bit stronger coming on and helped us nick it.
“Ultimately, I’m just pleased for the boys and we can carry some momentum into next season.
“We’ve had a good squad. We started with a big pool, and we’ve finished with 30 good people, not just rugby players.
“They’ve been good lads and it’s re-energised me as an old dog to work with them – I’d like to hope some of them have the energy to go on and play for the Seniors in the next couple of months.”
Victory against the RAF followed a heart-breaking 15-10 loss at the Navy in the IS opener seven days earlier, where the Red Shirts received six yellow cards and a red.
Another trio of sin-bins followed against the Air Force, and Gareth admitted: “I probably can’t say what’s going through my mind (when the cards are shown)!
“It gets a bit frustrating – you can blame officials, the picture you’re painting, but ultimately whatever the reason it does let you down and we’ve got to learn from that in the coming years.”
With the majority of the group set to return 2024, Maj Slade-Jones is excited, but admitted: “The nucleus will stay which puts us on a good foot, but the current climate with the Services and how busy people are, if all come back we’d be in a great position.”
At the end of a campaign which saw the Army win six of their seven fixtures, a healthy crowd supported the Red Shirts leading Gareth to finish: “It was pleasing to see. It was a cold night, but the ARU have done some great work around the fixture, bringing people in – when the boys go out and there’s a crowd it’s great for them.
“We can’t forget some are 19-years-old and it’s a great spectacle and their families, so thank you to everyone who set it up.”
Words © Richard Ashton
Header and featured image – Alligin Photography © Andrew Fosker
