Army Navy Match

The Army Navy Match is the annual rugby union match played between the senior XV teams of the Royal Navy and British Army. It marks the culmination of the annual Inter-Services Competition. Although a match was played between the officers of the British Army and the officers of the Royal Navy at Kennington Oval, London on 13th February 1878, it was not until 1909 that the Army Navy Match became an annual fixture, when it was jointly administered by the newly formed Royal Navy Rugby Union (RNRU - 1905) and the Army Rugby Union (ARU - 1906). Since then it has been played every year, with the exception of during the world wars (1914-1919 and 1940-45) when the games were suspended.

In 1920 a Tri-Service competition was created to included the newly formed Royal Air Force (RAF). However, the great rivalry between the Army and Navy has continued and their match, now held at the home of the English Rugby Football Union (Twickenham Stadium), remains the highlight of the annual inter-services rugby competition.

Since 2003 the women from the three Armed Services have been fielding their own rugby teams and have been competing in an annual inter-service competition.

The first Army Navy game

The first Army vs Navy game was held on 13 February 1878. 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' 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' 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.

Team colours

Navy - Navy blue shorts, socks and shirt.

Army - White shorts, red shirt and socks.

Match Results (1878–1914)

Match Results (1920–)

References

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

External links

* [http://www.armynavyrugby.org Army Navy Match] Official website
* [http://www.aru.org.uk/ Army Rugby Union] ARU - official website
* [http://www.navyrugbyunion.co.uk/ Royal Navy Rugby Union] RNRU - official website