Sports

BRITSKREIG
By Maj Alan Croft

Edition 1167, May 31, 2007
 
Unrivalled: Britain dominated its recent tour, leaving the Australians winless and seeing red.
Photo by Bill Cunneen
 
Out-muscled: The British team (right) were too strong for RAE in the inaugural Sappers’ Cup. Photo by Bill Cunneen
THE British Army Rugby team has completed the Down Under leg of its centenary tour with a thumping 36-0 win against the Australian Army team in Sydney on May 19.

The win capped off a horror week for Army rugby, as a British Royal Engineer team defeated the Army development team at Randwick 18-8 on May 12, before going on to defeat the RAE for the Sappers’ Cup 32-15 on May 17.

Eight of the RE team then backed up to play for the British Army team.

In bright afternoon sunshine at Coogee Oval on may 19, Britain ran on a team of mostly professional players who had been together as a coordinated group for five months.
The Australians had known each other for just five days.

A dropped Australian ball on the left wing within 10m of the British line in the opening minutes dashed early local hopes and signalled the pressure the British were going to apply.

Watched by AARU patron CA Lt-Gen Peter Leahy, Australian Rugby President Lt-Gen David Hurley and Director of British Rugby Brig Rick Libby, the mostly lighter Australians ran into a thick and solid red wall.

There could have been a plan to put the ball out beyond the pack to some flanking speedsters on the wing, but the Australians were frustrated by a lack of possession.

Lineouts and scrums went mostly the British way and the visitors applied a similar wing attack plan with greater skill.

The Brits were blessed with some outstanding talent on the edges. Outside centre Apolisi Satala went over twice, and winger Malakai Magnus once in the first 12 minutes.

Satala is a hard man to stop. He has represented Fiji in the World Cup Sevens and also has a winner’s medal from the Hong Kong Sevens in 2005. His tally of Army caps to date is seven.

Magnus, on the other side, is an equal challenge to bring down, having represented the Army Sevens team in 2006 and played at the prestigious Singapore Sevens.

Diminutive Aussie skipper Ricky Dumigan, 4RAR, chased like a terrier from the base of the scrum and tangled several times with British hooker Georgie Kemble, better described as a walking bridge pylon.

The pair finally clashed too strong for the ref towards the end, both earning 10 minutes on the sideline.

Brig Libby allowed that Australia at times looked dangerous in the centre and tested his forwards’ defence, but said that the visitors’ quality possession was the dominant and winning factor.

Lt-Gen Hurley was disappointed, but said the final score did not reflect the heart of the Australians who ran at the British for a full 80 minutes.

He said the greatest Australian gain from the match was the formation of a strong team to go into the forthcoming inter-services competition.

The final telling difference came a few seconds from the end when British outside centre Andy Evans knocked down a clearing kick and gathered safely for a stroll over the line.