By
LCDR Mark Burton and LEUT Tom Lewis
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Personnel
from ships participating in Exercise Ocean Protector held
a sports day on the quarterdeck of HMAS Creswell. Above
is a soccer match between HMAS Newcastle
(green and gold) and HMNZS Te Mana.
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Photos:
POPH Shane Cameron
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The
RAN Rugby Union team readies itself for battle against the
RNZN.
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Volleyball
action between HMAS Manoora
(dark blue, light blue stripes) vs HMNZS Te Kaha.
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Oppressive
summer heat made scoring chances hard to come by when RAN and
RNZN rugby union sides locked horns for the Lou Smith Rugby Challenge
at HMAS Creswell on Sunday, February 8.
The final score saw RNZN 3 defeating RAN 0.
Commanding Officer of the establishment CAPT Tony Aldred enthusiastically
welcomed Navy rugby back to the RAN College Quarterdeck after
a long absence.
The match was contested as an integral component of the Exercise
Ocean Protector sports day and attended by almost 1000 Australian
and New Zealand sailors.
A wide range of activities were contested, including soccer, volleyball
and some novelty events that more than utilised all of Creswell’s
facilities.
However, the main event was the Lou Smith trans-Tasman rugby challenge,
a contest with more than 70 years’ history. Like any Aussie versus
Kiwi encounter, the game provided an excellent spectacle of tough,
hard rugby.
Despite a temperature reaching the high 30s, the match was played
at a frantic pace and featured bruising defence, with the commitment
of both sides exceptional in such difficult conditions.
Both sets of backs were starved of opportunities and the result
was decided by the referee’s whistle in the final seconds of the
game.
Unfortunately for the RAN, the referee’s arm was raised in the
wrong direction and the Kiwi kicker slotted home the winning penalty
goal as the full-time whistle sounded.
