2016 Inter Services Round 2 - Army v Royal Navy

The match had been brought forward to allow the televising of the Salford v London Bronco’s Qualifiers fixture for TV so it was an early start for the seniors kicking off at 1245.

It was clear from the outset that RNRL were determined to put last week’s below par performance against the RAF behind them whilst the Army were equally as determined to open their IS 2016 account with a victory.

A strong start by the Army had them in the ascendancy early on but great defence kept them from scoring and it was the RN who broke the deadlock. A quick play the ball by Kev Botwood and an equally swift pass to the left by skipper Ben Taylor found Ryan Mathews who made for the line but slipped a pass inside to Prop Adam Birkett who despite juggling the ball held on and crashed over to the left of the posts. After playing provider Mathews converted the try so the RN were up 0:6 after 12 minutes. The Army tried desperately to get back on terms but the RN continued to defend brilliantly repelling all the Army could throw at them. It was almost 20 minutes before the next score and again it went to the RN. A high speculative kick on the last tackle by Jarron Southernwood at first receiver spiraled into the Army red zone but the cover was unable to deal with the bouncing ball and it fell into the path of the onrushing Tom Loxam who gathered the ball cleanly and scooted an extra 10 metres inside before touching down giving Mathews another straightforward conversion, 0:12 RN. Barely had the game got back underway when RN IS debutant Lee Gaskell suffered a serious leg injury which required the game to be stopped for 10 minutes whilst the unfortunate Gaskell, who had had a good game up to then, was treated on field before being taken off the field for treatment. At this time and noting the pressure from TV requirements the first half was reduced by five minutes and the half time break was also reduced by five minutes. Those last few minutes however were eventful to say the least as the RN pressed for more points. Another RN attack was stalled by the Army however the Ref judged a professional foul and the Soldiers were reduced to 12 men for ten minutes either side of the break. More importantly for the RN though was another converted try , Nathan Lee playing as right centre found himself in space 15 metres out and he made the most of the opportunity touching down despite the best efforts of the Army defence. His score to the right of the posts was converted once again by the ever reliable Mathews. The first half was brought to its premature end with the RN 18 points to the good and looking good value for the lead especially in defence where they had repulsed everything a strong powerful Army side could throw at them.

The second half began with the Army making it clear from the whistle they were not going down without a fight. Penned in their own half for the first 10 minutes the RN were under intense pressure but despite defending well they were guilty of poor ball control and soft penalties giving the Army the initiative. Inevitably the Army finally broke the RN defence, a good move across the field with a final inside pass to Jordan Kerman saw the big loose forward cross almost unopposed, the conversion was straight forward effort for Danny Hunter and it was now game on with the Army looking strong and the RN seemingly to have lost the cohesion so evident in the first half. It was the Army that struck again with 15 minutes left another flowing move from right to left stretch the RN defence allowing Sak Yabia the space to finish well out wide. The most difficult conversion of the match so far faced Danny Hunter but the standoff was up to the task and his effort drew his side within sight of a fantastic comeback at 12-18. The game now began to open up as the sides tired but defences on both sides were up to the task especially the RN as the Army threw everything at them in an effort to produce another score. However it was the RN that struck perhaps the crucial blow a good play the ball from Jarron Southernwood 20 metres our set his side for the line, Mathews fed Man of the match Richie Metcalfe who hit the ball at pace and looked to be on for the try but desperate Army defence kept him out. It was only a brief respite though, from the ensuing play the ball Ryan Mathews slipped under the Army defensive line from a metre or so out to poach the match winning try. Converting his own score he put his side 12 points ahead with the clock running down to the final whistle. Involved seemingly everything during the match Mathews was to have the last word, the scrum half stepped into the pocket 15 metres out as another RN attack headed for the ine and put over a great drop goal meaning the Army needed a minimum of three scores to win the game and with only three minutes left it was not going to happen. Having to defend to the very end the final play saw Southernwood spiral the ball out of play deep inside his own half as the Ref called time on a thrilling match which now sets up the final round at Hull K R next Saturday to decide he winners of this year’s Inter services title.

RN second row Richie Metcalfe was awarded Man of the Match although most of the RN team were in with a shout, Ben Taylor led his side by example taking play to the Army at every opportunity, Ryan Mathews had probably his best outing for the Seniors but it was a team effort and fittingly in his last game before leaving the Service Richie Metcalf was a deserved winner. Lee Gaskell was wheeled out of the tunnel to join in the celebrations before being taking off to hospital for a full assessment of his injury.

For the Army they have a week to regroup ahead of next Saturdays match against the RAF and will want to end the campaign with a win and prevent the RAF from taking the title. It is also Army Coach Liam Garside’s last match before flying off into Civvy Street so he will be keen to finish his long and successful career with Army RL with a win.

RN:- Sean Houghton, Mike Haldenby, Nathan Lee, Tom Loxam, Josh Coupland, Kev Botwood, Ryan Mathews, Mark Robinson Jarron Southernwood, Adam Birkett , Ben Taylor (Capt), Lee Gaskell, Jack Basher
Replacements:-, James Parry, Andy Parrott, Steve Riley, Richie Metcalfe, Lloyd Williamson
Coach Steve Lockton, Manager Jason Steele, Assistants Baz Sloan, Chris Reeves
Scorers T:- Birkett, Loxam, Lee, Matthews
G:- Mathews 4 Conv. 1DG

Army:- Mike Harrison, Sonoma Veikune, Mickey Hoyle, Sam, Sak Yabia, Danny Hunter, Declan Baines, Sam Maloney, Andrew Ward, Matt Keenan, Ryan Watkin, Ben Cartmel, Jordan Kerman
Replacements:- Matt Scott, Christian Wooler, Carl Thompson, Shaun Allen
Scorers T: Kerman, Yabia
G:- Hunter 2 Conv

Event Doctor – Dr Ian Sampson (Formerly RNRL Player ‘Sammy’ Sampson)