Army Rugby Union History & Statistics

Early Army Navy Matches (1878-1914)

The First Army Navy Match (1878)

The first Army Navy match was held on 13 February 1878 at Kennington Oval, London. A contemporary newspaper The Broad Arrow gave the following account of the match:

"A fine exhibition of football delighted the somewhat small number of spectators. Bush scored the first try for the Navy from a scrummage near the line. The goal was kicked by Orford. A band of naval spectators who had taken up their position beneath a white ensign mounted on the roof of a drag greeted this score with great cheering. The greasy state of the ground was not favourable for any great display of running. Encouraged by a cry from their supporters 'Come on Navy, Force the Passage of the Straights'* [sic] the Navy mounted great pressure and scored a touch down. In the second half the Navy scored a second try. Wrench of the Army took advantage of some bad passing by the Navy and scored the Army try: The goal was kicked but this ended the scoring and the Navy deservedly won the first match between the Services."

The Army's selectors made a generous contribution towards the Navy victory by selecting a Royal Artillery officer, R Bannatyne, as Team Captain. He was serving overseas at the time and received no notification of his selection. As a result he was absent for the game. The situation was further confounded by the fact that another Army player arrived late and missed a good part of the match.

The teams were:

British Army — back: C F Crombie (37th North Hampshire Regt); threequarter-backs: C H Coke (86th Royal County Down Regt), J N Cowan (Royal Engineers); half-backs: F C Heath (Royal Engineers), A J C French (76th Regt of Foot); forwards: A R Barker (Royal Artillery), A J Street (unidentified), J Spens (85th King's Light Infantry), I W Urquhart (108th (Madras Infantry) Regt of Foot), G Campbell (77th (East Middlesex) Regt). I G Adamson (108th Foot), Gould-Adams (1st (Royal Scots) Regt), T H Manser (Army Hospital Corps), S Ogilvie (unidentified), R A Bannatyne (Royal Artillery) (captain - absent).

Royal Navy — F Campbell, C Bishop, E Daniells, C Hart, P Bush, J Startin, D Henderson, J Orford, C Trower, R Montgomerie, J Bennett, F Thring, H Goldfinch, C Bayly, C Waiters

* The correct phrase is "force the passage of the straits" - a naval term meaning to aggressively thrust forward.

Army Navy Match Statistics (1878-1914)

Source
McLaren Col Lt J:The History of Army Rugby (Aldershot, The Army RFU, 1986)