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Aviation History
1926
1926 - 0098.PDF
FEBRUARY 18, 1926 INTER-SERVICES RUGBY FOOTBALL Royal Air Force v. Royal Navy Royal Navy, 1 goal and 1 try (8 points) ; Royal AirForce, 1 try (3 points) THIS, the first of the Inter-Service Rugger matches, was played on Saturday, February 13, and, thanks to a perfect spring-like day succeeding the heavy rain of the day before, took place under ideal Rugger conditions and drew a crowd of about 8,000 to Twickenham. The R.F.U. ground makes a wonder- fully quick recovery from ram. given a few hours' sunshine, and was at its best. The evening before the match I had had visions of a repetition of last year's quagmire game when these teams met, and almost pictured the handy men of the Navy improvising a few lines of duckboards for the use of their three-quarters, but as things turned out the ball was never anything but dry—hence there was little excuse for numerous passes on both sides which were not well and truly taken— nor was there a single player at the end of the game whose identity, as regards either colours or number, was hidden beneath an over-layer of mud, as was the case a year ago, when it was almost an impossibility to sort out the sky blue of the R.A.F. from the Navy's dark blue. The Navy lost no time in making it clear that they intended to wipe out the somewhat fortunate victory of the Air Force by a penalty goal to nil at their last meeting, and by doing so secured their fifth win out of their seven encounters with the R.A.F., with a total of 78 points to 30, so that the balance is heavily against the Air Force. The result was in accordance with expectations, though at times the airmen not only threw off the more or less constant pressure of the Navy XV, but ei-cn gave ground for hopus—until Sub-Lieut, Lee scored hi* try under the posts near the end of the match—that in one of their onslaughts they would pull the game out of the fire and snatch another victory against the run of the play. Only three Internationals were playing—"VY. G. E. Lud- dington and William-Powlett for the Navy, and C. N. Lowe for the R.A.F. Luddington (who, as events turned out, might with advantage have been included at his customary place in the English pack to stem the Irishmen at Dublin) skippered the Navy, and as usual put in a great amount of hard work without making himself specially prominent. The airmen were again captained by Sqdn.-Leader J. C. Russell, who emerged with honours from a very busy afternoon's work on the defence. With the exception that S. H. G. Trower took the place of P. S. Scott as the R.A.F. left wing three-quarter, the teams turned out as announced. Looking back on the play, I think it must be conceded that the Air Force XV was not up to the level of last season. In the vital work behind the scrum the Na\'y had the pull for the best part of the game. The machinery linking the Air Force halves to the three-quarters did not functon as it should have done, and when that is the case no amount of effort by the pack or by individual players can re-adjust the balance. From the scrum—though the Air Force held their ground—the ball went out to the Navy three-quarters with almost monotonous regularity, thanks largely to superior heeling. Passing movements were set going to carrv the ball down the Navy line with regulation precision, and but for the deadly tackling, which was the outstanding virtue of both teams, there would have been a heavier score on the board. In fact, there was a little too much precision, and too little guile, in the Navy's passing, for its execution " according to plan " enabled the airmen to get there in time to be in at the death, and to put on the extinguishing touch. Now and then the Air Force indulged in good passing, but inaccuracy usually crept in somewhere to mar the effort, and it was very rarely that their three-quarters got really going as a line. Nor have the Air Force yet learned that it is dangerous to give away the number of free kicks which again on Saturday were awarded to their opponents. To go into details, the Air Force kicked off, and from the first scrum the Navy showed their superiority in getting the ball, but a breakdown in their passing gave the Air Force an opportunity, which came to nothing for the same reason. Within a few minutes the Air Force were on the defensive in their own 25, and things looked none too bright for them until a free kick for an off-side tackle on Lowe relieved the pressure, which, however, was almost immediately resumed. Lee, who was the best three-quarter on the field, broke away and got within a few yards of the line before he was brought down. The Navy made a great effort to push home their advantage, but stubborn tackling prevented a score. They were having nearly all the game, and a penalty for off-side against the airmen gave Richmond an opportunity, which he nearly brought off, to land a goal from far out. A series of dangerous scrums close to the Air Force line met with no success, but Lee again came within an ace of getting over. Garrett had a try at dropping a goal from close in, but just missed. In this defensive play all the Air Force backs were good, with Russell, Chambers and Bryson perhaps the most prominent. With a little luck the Navy might well have reached double figures in the first 20 minutes. The game had been in progress nearly half an hour when the airmen roused themselves and took a brief tenancy of the Navy's 25. A penalty kick by Lowe from midfield came close to success, and following up with some strong rushes, in one of which Hoskin, the Navy full-back, failed for once to gather the ball, the Air Force broke through. Rose, with a naval escort on top of him, bringing off a fine try close to the corner flag, which was not converted. A lead of three points after having had so rough a journey seemed to give the airmen a new interest in life, and for a while they maintained pressure. The Navy, however, again took up the running, and Cumberbatch gained a lot of ground with a long kick which was missed by Wilson, and it was only the timely arrival of Chick which averted trouble. Play remained in Air Force territory from this until the interval, and after Garrett had missed from a mark, Knapman, who was in great form, made a determined attempt to go in on his own account, and failing to find a way through passed to Lee, who slipped in like a flash for an equalising try, again at the corner. Luddington took a difficult kick without success, immediately after which the whistle went for half- time, with the score 3 points all. The second half was more even, though the Navy con- tinued to have the upper hand most of the way. On several occasions they got close to taking the lead, and scrum followed scrum in the Airmen's half. Cumberbatch looked like scoring but was flung into touch when nearing the line. Lowe intercepted a pass which might otherwise have let the Navy through, but a moment later they were again well in the Air Force 25, with Lee and Cumberbatch always dangerous on the right wing. A spell of midfield play followed, without any particular incident excepting two or three incur sions by the Air Force which were safely dealt with by the Navy backs, though there was always enough thrust about the Air Force attack to warrant hopes of another score. Hoskin, who throughout played a fine game at full back, was limping badly, but carried on with his job ; and Orr- Ewing, one of the outstanding men in the Navy's forward line, and Knapman, also met with minor injuries necessitat- ing short stoppages of the game. Trower was instrumental in stopping another Naval raid, but matters were not going at all well for the airmen. Knapman was well brought down by Hampton when going in for a try under the posts ; Lee, always an opportunist, gathered the ball and carried on over the line to score a try which Luddington had no difficulty in converting. In the remaining ten minutes the Air Force made desperate efforts to wipe off the arrears, and several times play was carried within a few yards of the Navy line, but there was no weak spot in the defence, and the game returned to the Air Force 25, where Lee once again would have got over but for a last moment tackle. To the finish the Navy continued to have the best of the play, and had the margin of points been wider than it was it would have more accurately reflected the trend of the game as a whole. The honours for the R.A.F. defence were shared chiefly by Russell, Bryson and Lowe, their full back, Wilson, though effecting many good clearances, not being anything like as reliable as his vis-a-vis, nor was he as quick as a back ought to be in getting rid of the ball, or as safe in finding touch. Lowe had few chances to distinguish himself in attack ; he was none too well served with the material therefor, and on those occasions when he did show signs of breaking away he was too well marked by his opposite numbers to do much damage, such being the penalty of fame. Chambers and Russell, as halves, showed up better in defence than in feeding their three-quarters. There was not a great deal to choose between the two sets of forwards except in the important matter of heeling out already mentioned. Chick, who lived well up to his reputation as a hard worker, Christie and 90
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