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China
tour sows new talent
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The
RANRU touring party looking the part during a visit to Tiananmen
Square
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A RAN
Rugby Union (RANRU) team, consisting of 24 players and seven management
recently completed a highly successful tour to Hong Kong and mainland
China.
Games were played against Hong Kong, the People’s Liberation
Army and a Beijing Select XV. The team included six Seamen from
Cerberus, which was a great opportunity to showcase the new talent
emerging in Navy rugby.
RANRU v Hong Kong Select XV
Competition was fierce with RANRU winning a close-fought victory,
ten points to nil, with strong defence providing the key to victory.
The points were not scored until inside the last 10 minutes; an
accurate indication of the closeness of the game.
PO Scott McNally (NUSHIP Rankin) scored the magnificent winning
try from about 50m out.
RANRU v PLA
This was played before a crowd of approximately 2000 PLA soldiers
who were extremely vocal in support of their team.
The oppressive atmosphere combined with the 30-degree heat, 90 percent
humidity and horrendous pollution, created extremely challenging
circumstances for the players.
The PLA players were big and strong and very technically sound.
They managed to kick two penalty goals in the first half and it
was not until the closing minutes that POATA Andrew Thorpe (Albatross)
managed to break through the PLA defence and score in the corner.
The after-match function was a sight to behold — the interaction,
mateship and team spirit between players from such different backgrounds
typified the international bond and spirit that comes from playing
rugby (aided by the international translator — beer and rice
wine!).
RANRU v Beijing
The final match of the tour was against a Beijing Select XV. The
RANRU team’s composure really came to the fore in this game
and it was a delight to watch.
The score, 79-14 in RANRU’s favour, was very satisfying for
the players and coaches as all the training was put into practice
on the field.
ABATA Sean Deigan (Albatross) was awarded best and fairest that
day as he typified the improvement shown by the whole team during
the tour.
During the visit to Beijing the team took advantage of the opportunity
to visit Tiananmen Square and the Great Wall of China. These proved
to be real highlights for the players and provided a great example
of the amazing opportunities that RANRU and the Navy can provide
to committed rugby players.
The tour to China was an integral part of the RANRU ten-year plan
and the associated strategy to develop both male and female rugby
players at all levels within both the community and Defence.
Plans and strategies such as these have only become possible through
generous financial support from the corporate sector. For this reason,
RANRU wishes to sincerely thank the following corporate sponsors
for playing a vital role in our Navy rugby family: Raytheon Australia,
Navy Health, Jenkins Engineering Defence Systems, Thales Underwater
Systems, Intelec Engineering, Carlton & United Breweries, Allied
Technologies, Panasonic, Classic Sportswear, Changedrivers, ECOLAB,
Patrick Defence Logistics, CorpSec Group, Westlands Helicopters,
Tynan Motors, Woolloomooloo Bay Hotel, Sofraco and Kaz Computing.
Awards for the tour:
Best player v Hong Kong — LSET Julius Tadulala (Watson)
Best player v PLA — POATV Matthew Hyam (DNPR)
Best player v BAC — ABATA Shaun Deigan (Albatross)
Most improved back — SMN Shane Robson (Cerberus)
Most improved forward — ABATA Shaun Deigan (Albatross)
Best back — PO Scott McNally (Rankin)
Best forward — POCIS Andrew Bertoncin (Stirling)
Best player on tour — POATV Matthew Hyam (DNPR)
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