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10-TRY ROMP
By Barry Rollings
Edition 1174, September 6, 2007 |
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No match: Air Force were unable to muster a challenge in their 64-0 loss to Army at the Australian Service Rugby Union championships.
Photos by AB Jo Dilorenzo |
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ANY way you looked at it, it was a grand day out for Army as it sauntered to a championship-winning 64-0 rout of Air Force in the Australian Services Rugby Union championships in Canberra in mid-August.
Army already had one hand on the Wg-Cmdr John Caldwell Shield after an hard-fought opening day 24-21 triumph against Navy but hardly put a foot wrong in a 10-try romp against Air Force on the final day, August 18 at ANU North oval. Such was its dominance after leading 29-0 at the break that it mattered little when two of its number spent time in the sin-bin in the second half.
Seven tries were converted by LCpl Chey Bird (31RQR), who also scored the opening try, while Cpl Zane Mitchell (5 Avn Regt) chimed in with four tries after half-time and unselfishly gave up another to his departing captain and halfback Cpl Ricky Dumigan (4RAR).
Cpl Mitchell and fellow team member and brother Cpl Bronsen Mitchell (1 Armd Regt) are the older brothers of Wallaby player Drew.
In a side containing 14 ASRU representative players, the Army pack gave the men in red an unrelenting recycling of ball from the rucks which provided the platform for victory. Cpl Dumigan served a slick backline deftly and often and Sgt Jolley (8/12 Mdm Regt) dominated the lineouts.
It was a debut triumph for Army coach Lt Damien Cahill (LWC SQ Brisbane), who was assistant to last year’s championship-winning coach WO2 Aaran Booth.
“How do you pick your better players out of that,” Lt Cahill enthused after the win.
“I can’t really sign anyone off,” he said of the all-round team performance. “Our two props, Spr Shaun Richardson (2CER) and LCpl Adam Nixon (25/49RQR), really stepped up against a very strong pack, backed up by second rowers Sgt Jolley and Cpl Tim Glover (5RAR) and hooker Gnr Sam Jenkins (8/12 Mdm Regt).
“That was really where we had to win it and the boys did the job.
“Other to shine were Chey Bird at fullback, Capt Sean Kearns (RMC) running the ball, Ricky Dumigan and Zane Mitchell who scored four tries and could have scored five.
Air Force was never in it; the boys shut them out completely.”
Army’s match against Navy at Manuka Oval on opening day, August 11, was a tad closer than the decisive 22-13 result of last year but just as dramatic.
Navy scored three tries to Army’s two but the trusty boot of LCpl Bird with one conversion and four penalty goals provided the difference, the winning effort coming from a penalty conversion as Navy had a player sin-binned.
The final score line of 24-21 accurately reflected a tight, hard fought match – in which Navy led 16-15 at half time.
Lt Cahill felt his side had to work too hard to “put them away”, after leading 15-0 midway through the first half.
“We came out of the blocks at a million miles an hour, and did pretty much everything right before we went to sleep at the 20-minute mark,” Lt Cahill said.
At half time he felt the side was in trouble but a more composed second half – particularly defensively – meant that Army was able to regain the lead and close out the game.
“‘It was frustrating as we had Navy in both the lineout and the scrum – yet we struggled to finish them off,” Lt Cahill said. “I guess credit should go to the Navy – just when you think you have their measure, they seem to find some way of coming back into the match.”
He reserved special praise for his two props, Spr Richardson and LCpl Nixon, whom he felt created the big difference at the set piece. Capts Kearns and Scotty Davidson (RMC) had played strongly in general play after a physical start from No 8, Sgt Tommy Navusolo (68 GL Richmond) ). LCpl Nixon and Spr Richardson up front had demoralised the Navy scrum.
“But we had to work far harder that we should have to win it,” Lt Cahill said. “Navy played very well.”
Mick Dunn RAN Cup titleholders, Army, lost the women’s match 10-25 to a combined Navy/Air force team. The match between the ASRU Old Boys and the ACT Vets for the Chiefs’ Cup was a 9-all draw.
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