19 June 2007

The 2007 NZ Army Rugby team had two major assignments this year. The defence of the King George Cup which the Army team had won for the past four years was the first mission; and this was subsequently used as a build up to the test match between the NZ Army and the well travelled British Army Rugby team held at FMG Stadium in Palmerston North.

A 30 member squad was selected in March and the team held two training camps in Linton prior to participating in the 2007 Inter-Services tournament at Devonport, Auckland from the 15-18 May.

In the tournament opener, NZ Army was up against the Navy side who had also been preparing for their clash with their Aussie counterpart. The NZ Army playing their first match together for a while beat Navy by 17-8 with glimpses of good structured rugby. The game also exposed areas which the team had to improve on and this was noted meticulously by the coaching staff. Scorers were a try to Spr Matt Oldridge and four penalties to Spr Cody Hall. The next game was played between Air force and Navy, where the Airmen outplayed the Navy boys with smart and disciplined rugby. This result set the stage for the finals between Army and Air force on the last day of the competition. Whilst the Navy and Air force team played their game, the NZ Army team was given the opportunity to train with NZ Maori at North Harbour Stadium, a side laced with Super 14 players preparing for the Churchill Cup in the Northern Hemisphere. Team Managers WO1 Shaun Thomas and Capt Ross James watched the Navy and Air force game with their clipboards and made their findings known to the coaches and the rest of the team members later on that night. The team thoroughly enjoyed training with the Maori side and picked up useful tips. To show their appreciation the NZ Maori side performed a haka to the NZ Army team which the boys responded to with the Army Haka. It was evident that this had a positive effect on the Army team as they looked forward to meeting the Airmen the next day for the King George Cup decider.

With the cobwebs dusted the Army team took on the Airmen who had played brilliant structured rugby outsmarting Navy a day earlier. The Army team took the field by storm and like a well oiled machine took command of the game from the first minute. By half time the NZ Army was up by 36 points to 3. The team scored tries from structured moves which included using the boot of Spr Cody Hall to gain territory in the Air force half, then using forwards led by team captain, SSgt Andre Renata, to work quick phases to unleash the backline spearheaded by team vice-captain, Capt Logan Vaughan. Even though the team did not fully utilise this initiative in the second half, the final whistle saw a resounding victory to the Army team by 46 points to 17. A successful defence of the King George Cup for a record equalling four years in a row. Tries to Spr Matt Oldridge, Cpl Stefan Ryder, Capt Logan Vaughan, LCpl Henas Geary, LCpl Aaron James (2) and one penalty, four conversions and a try to Spr Cody Hall.

The team left Auckland for Palmerston North and then on to Trentham Camp to prepare for the test match against the British Army. On the trip home the team was fortunate enough to have a much needed recovery session conducted by the Waikato Chiefs trainer at Waikato Stadium. The game against the British Army lived up to its expectation. Even though ugly at times, it definitely was a torrid physical affair. The two teams traded penalties going to the half time break at 6 all. The second half commenced with both teams not giving an inch as they searched for the win. The British Army with a huge forward pack, secured a lineout ball and from the ensuing maul, scored the winning try and the final result went their way with 11 points to 6. Congratulations to the Brits and well done to the NZ Army team for their huge effort.

The NZ Army team wishes to thank everyone for the great support during this year’s campaign. Big thanks to the NZ Army as a whole for the support and especially to the Unit Commanders who were always prepared to release players, and those officers and soldiers that covered for team members while they were away for training camps and games. To our team principal sponsors, Sterling Property Investments, many thanks for the great support especially with the kits which lifted the team profile and was a huge factor in instilling an aura of rugby professionalism within the team environment. To our other sponsors KooGa, Style inc, Toyota Grassroots Rugby, Radionetwork, NewstalkZB, Radio Sport, Team EAS, we also thank you very much for your support.

This game also marked the end of a number of players who are either retiring or leaving the army. To SSgt Andre Renata, SSgt Richie Player, Maj Save Seruvatu, LCpl Bongo Stewart and Spr Cody Hall, Army Rugby acknowledges and thanks you for your service to the game and wishes you all the best for the future.

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