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Sunday 22 February, 2009
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VT Inter-Corps Competition
Season 2008-2009
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RE (28) v REME (8) - 18 Feb 09 - Competition Final
REME
(24) v R Sigs (10) - 21 Jan 09 |
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Royal Engineers (28) v REME (8)
Aldershot, 18 February 2009 |
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Sappers Secure Triple Crown
Reporter/Photographer: Roger Thompson
The Royal Engineers capped a successful season with
a win 28pts-8 over the REME at the Inter Corps Final
on 18 February. The win provided a 'triple crown' victory,
the Sappers having also won the title in 2007 and 2008. |
Maccu Kotoiyadi launches from deep defence |
On a murky Aldershot afternoon the Sappers outscored
the REME by four tries to one but the game was not
as unevenly balanced as the result might suggest.
The opening REME try through full back Will
Narruhn showed considerable promise against
the favourites. In the fourth quarter the REME also
played some great attacking rugby. Only last ditch
Engineer defences prevented them crafting a couple
of tries.
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On the day, however, the real difference
lay with the Sappers' Army back row where Darrell
Ball, Ledua Jope and Maccu
Koroiyadi opened and then exploited huge tracts
of space. All three attacked at every opportunity and
from every point on the park. Too frequently it was
left to the REME backs to tackle the mighty trio.
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When the REME eventually won possession at the set
pieces the same Sappers challenged for possession at
every contact and frequently gained turnovers. Stealing
REME ball allowed half backs Andrew Gill
and Stu Butters to release their two
capped Army centres - where it stuck or was simply misplaced. That was almost the complete story of
the first half except that, for all their fumbling in
the backs, the Sapper back row exploitation provided
a major territorial advantage. They moved the ball-in-hand
at great pace and the REME juggernaut, supposedly breakdown
experts, could not cover all the gaps all of the time. |
 Stu Butters crosses for the first of two tries |
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Had the Sapper passing outside Gill and
Butters been more clinical, with a stronger
instinct to ‘finish’ off the hard work of
the forwards, they would have scored a hat-full.
One try from former Army full back ‘Bokka’
Viljoen was a gem whilst the enterprising fly
half Stu Butters poured through gaps
covered only by front row forwards. Butters is a sound
all round footballer who can smell the line and put
on sufficient pace and power to hit it twice.
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REME scrum half Tom Chennell starts another attack
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It may be somewhat unfair to carp when the Sappers
had scored three excellent tries before the break but
this was their final and much was expected from a very
good squad.
At half time the REME were 17pts-5 adrift but still
in the hunt. The Sappers held the lead but they had
been insufficiently clinical to nail the result to the
scoreboard. Mistakes led to scrums where the REME were
in command. Great front row driving, and service from
REME No8 Steynberg released half backs
Tom Chennell and Ceri Cummings.
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Both Chennell and Cummings are in the Army stable, but as yet uncapped, and did little to dampen the expectations of eagle-eyed Army coach WO2 Andy Price (WG). |
Time and again the well served Chennell put
Cummings onto an attacking line and
the former Army rugby league player did the Welsh fly
half bit. It could, and almost did, lead to points but
devilish Engineer tackling kept the line intact. The
Sappers, marginally shellshocked from the late onslaught,
managed to take advantage of some tired passing late-on
to score a breakaway try through wing Inoxy
Hoyt, who knows how to run. |
Wing Inoxy Hoyt evades desperate tackling |
This was a game where each side played to its obvious strengths. The Sapper pack, with an explosive back row, had settled into a winning mode by the second quarter but behind them their high calibre backs too frequently failed to cut the mustard. They should have scored more tries but were, instead, forced to respond to some great REME tackling and enterprise and one of the best 'comebacks' seen in a Corps final.
It has become fashionable to name a 'Man of the Match'
- difficult in what should have been a one-sided game.
Considering the Sappers fielded eight Army caps including
the entire Army back row and the centre pairing of Danny
Cootes and Gerhard Wessels
they should have been out of sight at half time. Any
one of their back row could have been knighted 'Numero
Uno' with Maccu Koroiyadi on top of
the podium. However, there was a general feeling among
the touchline pundits that it was the REME trio of Steynberg,
Chennell and Cummings who,
on the day and under pressure, stood out as the class
act.
Champagne all round was probably the answer !
Posted: 22 Feb 09
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REME (24) v Royal Signals (10)
Arborfield, 21 January 2009 |
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Reporter: Maj Pat Burns, DOR REME
The weather conditions in Arborfield were perfect for this final match of the VT Inter-Corps Competition. REME needed a win to secure a place in this year's finals. The conditions were overcast but the ground was firm underfoot and the wind was minimal. The match started on time under the watchful eye of referee, Lt Col Mark Young. Both teams had a nervous start with balls being dropped in and out of contact. The Signals sent a clear message that they were up for it, with big hits in the tackle area and aggressive clearing out at rucks. First points went to the Signals when a crunching tackle on the REME number 10, Cpl Cerri Cummins left him hanging onto the ball on the ground, which was quickly penalised. The ensuing kick provided the away team with 3 easy points (0-3).
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The home crowd did not have to wait long for REME's response when a
charge down in the 28th minute from LCpl Bill
Williams sent the ball hurtling towards the
Signals' red zone. A clever chip kick from the heavily
marked Williams followed by an outstanding
dive for the ball gave REME 5 points for and excellent
try that was converted by the number 10 (7-5). REME's
second score came late in the first half when Cfn Koms
Komaisavai, a Fijian under 21 player, broke
through the brave Signals defence after several fast
ruck balls by REME. He scored a great crashing try which
was easily converted (14-3). |
 Cpl Cerri Cummins prepares to clear his lines |
The Royal Signals turned up the volume as the second half commenced, but in their haste conceded a kickable penalty in their own half for offside at the ruck; Cpl Cerri Cummins did the honours to make it 17-3 to REME. The middle period of the second half saw the Signals becoming more tuned into the game and raising the intensity of their attacks. REME's response to this bombardment was equally intense but several lapses of discipline saw LCpl Jerry Narrun go off the field for 10 minutes when the referee chose him for a team sin binning following several warnings and penalties for slowing the game down. The opposition used the loss of a REME player as a signal to up their game further and they produced a well worked converted try under the REME's post following several quick phases (17-10).
The last 10 minutes of the game saw the REME, who were back up to 15 men at that point, close the game by putting winger, LCpl Bill Williams (man of the match) away for his second try in the corner following a well coordinated move that exploited the offload and produced some great lines of running. The try was converted by Cpl Cerri Cummins and the game ended 24 -10 to REME. The newly promoted Signals produced some good rugby and put REME to the test. Following this win, the Corps will play the Sappers at Aldershot on the 18 Feb 09 in the VT Defence inter-Corps finals, come on the Corps!!!!
Posted: 16 Feb 09
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