The Royal Scots Dragoon Guards triumphed at the end of a gruelling day of action in Aldershot. A solitary try from Tpr Inoke Verevuni was enough to settle their final showdown with 1st Battalion, The Duke of Lancaster’s Regiment – a match that followed on from their victory over The Royal Welsh in the semi-finals.
“This is great for the regiment,” player Tpr Orisi Nabuka told SoldierSport as his side prepared to lift the trophy.
“It is the first time we have entered this competition as we are usually so busy with work.
“But as we had the time this year, as well as having a few players available, we managed to make it. We are so happy.
“It took us nine hours to drive down from Scotland; it was a long journey, but it was worth it – the boys have done a great job.”
The Royal Welsh went on to be crowned plate champions, with 1st Battalion, The Royal Regiment of Fusiliers winning the bowl competition.
Organisers had to tweak the format prior to kick-off as, in a sign of the service’s busy workload, five teams had to withdraw due to commitments on exercises.
Elsewhere, the army have enjoyed a successful start in the Women’s Southern Championship, where a 34-4 win over Brentwood RLFC was followed by a 72-0 thrashing of the Anglian Vipers.
And a festival of rugby league was being staged in Warrington as this issue went to press, with Crosfields ARLFC taking on the army men in the Tom Sephton Memorial Trophy match.
Held on Armed Forces Day, the event also saw the Royal Marines face the army development squad, with The Duke of Lancaster’s Regiment battling rivals The Royal Yorkshire Regiment.
