All,

Prior to Christmas I thought it would be an opportune moment to bring you all up to date with Battalion Rugby and the busy last 3 months: we have played the Welsh Guards in the Millennium Stadium, competed in the Safaricom 7s in Nairobi, Kenya, sent players to represent the Army in the southern hemisphere and started the ARU campaign for this 11 / 12 season.


2 R WELSH v 1 WG: MILLENNIUM STADIUM:


In September the opportunity arose to play on the most hallowed turf in Welsh rugby: the Millennium Stadium. The Welsh Guards, who have not entered this season’s ARU Competition due to Operations, agreed to put their ARU Cup winning team back together and re-run March’s final. The game was open and fast and both sets of players lived up to their new surroundings putting on a fine show. 2 R WELSH eventually triumphed to regain some pride following their defeat in March. It was the first time the 2 rivals have met in a non competitive, non-knock out match for some years and the camaraderie and solidarity during and after the match made it a particularly special event.

A crowd of over 1100 came to watch the game after some local publicity and enjoyed the benefit of free entry to the Millennium Stadium. A collection in aid of the Army Benevolent Fund was taken and over £3,500 was raised making the evening a huge success not just on the field.

2 R WELSH 22 v 18 1 WG



THE SAFARICOM 7s:


The Safaricom 7s is “Africa’s Premier 7s competition”. True to the promise the quality of rugby was of the highest order: 8 international teams entered including the Samoan (the eventual winners), Spanish and Kenyan IRB Series teams plus 6 professional teams from across the globe that also included a Samurai team sporting 4 Fijian internationals. Samoa also had Mikaele Persamino, the best player in the 2010 IRB Series.

Swapping a wintery Tidworth for an equatorial Nairobi and 15s for 7s 2 R WELSH were placed in a group with Zimbabwe, (the Fijian heavy) Samurai and Tanzania. After defeats in the opening 2 games the team found their feat against Zimbabwe claiming their first international scalp since perhaps the days of the Battalion’s posting to Hong Kong.

A third place finish placed 2 R WELSH into the Bowl Competition and in the Quarter-Finals we faced Goshawks, a club team from Tanzania. It was another tough game of rugby but another victory. The unrelenting African sun, and the inevitable injuries, took its toll and in the semi-final, up against Bristol Select, sporting a number of professional players from Bristol RFC and local Kenyan teams, 2 R WELSH bowed out of the tournament.
The final of the main competition was the Battle of the Pacific Islanders contested with Samoa overcoming Samurai with a combination of with blistering skills and an incredible defence.


2 R WELSH 05 v 38 Zimbabwe (Group D) (Eventual runners up in the Shield Competition)


2 R WELSH 07 v 33 Samurai (Group D) (Eventual runners up in the Main Competition)


2 R WELSH 33 v 07 Tanzania (Group D) (finished 3rd behind Samurai and Tanzania)


2 R WELSH 19 v 17 Goshawks (Quarter-Finals of Bowl Competition)


2 R WELSH 07 v 24 Bristol Select (Semi-Finals of Bowl Competition)



THE ARU CUP 2011 / 2012 SEASON:


2 R WELSH have been placed in a group with 17 P&M, 7 RHA, 2 SCOTS, 2 PWRR and 12 Regt RA. With good wins against 2 SCOTS and 2 PWRR the big one before Christmas was the journey to Colchester and 7 RHA. In the last 20 years of RRW and 2 R WELSH rugby there is only one recorded win against 7 RHA. With 17 P&M also in the group the importance of this game was immediate not just historic. In a tight match 2 R WELSH pulled off a superb 4 tries to 2 victory laying past ghosts to rest and all but securing qualification to the knock stages of the ARU Cup despite still having 2 games to play in Jan 12.


2 R WELSH 39 v 07 2 PWRR

2 R WELSH 20 v 15 7 RHA

2 R WELSH 28 v 17 2 SCOTS


2 R WELSH v 12 Regt RA – 11 Jan 12

2 R WELSH v 17 P&M – 18 Jan 12


REPRESENTATIVE RUGBY:

Combined Services & Army:

The Battalion provided 4 players to the Defence Forces World Cup held in tandem with the IRB World Cup. Sgt Llewellyn, LCpl Budgen and Ptes Davies 17 and Read were all key members of the squad and each one of played in the final where the British Army overcame the Australian Army to lift the trophy.
Pte Read also won his first Combined Services cap this autumn.


Infantry Rugby:


2 R WELSH now have a large part to play in Infantry Rugby too with Capt Lee Davies 68 the Rugby Officer and WO2 Williams (Boff) the coach. We have always supported Infantry Rugby well and now it’s on our doorstep we can continue to develop it allowing players from across the Infantry to experience core level rugby.



It has been a great start to the season so far with good rugby, a bit of variety and some spectacular venues. New blood has arrived and the 2 R WELSH RFC concept is enabling pull through from the Dragons which is delivering stronger and stronger competition in the 1st XV. Onwards to 2012.


A very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to you all.
Dai 29
Rugby officer
2 ROYAL WELSH