MEDICS IN PNG - Royal New Zealand Navy

SPORT
BY CDR SHAUN FOGARTY, MNZM RNZN; CHAIRMAN - RNZN RUGBY UNION
NAVY RUGBY MOVES
INTO A NEW ERA!
SPORT PLAYS a big part in our
lives in the Navy - teamwork
ABOVE: In February the
RNZN Rugby Club signed
rection so that it can be supported
and sustained in the
an affiliation agreement
is fundamental, as it is in so
annual competitions. That’s
with North Shore RFC.
much of everything else we Navy’s RFC is recognised why we have developed a
do. Sport is where many of the
behaviours associated with our
as a Junior Club and is
affiliated to NS RFC as a
Strategic Plan, our gameplan
for the next 6 years and
Senior Club. Standing (l to
values come into sharp focus.
more. Our senior leadership
r) WOHST Bernie Reihana
The ‘3 Cs’ all come into their
(Club Captain), CAPT Clive support the new plan and
own in some shape or form on
the sports field.
Holmes, Mr Chris Tankard
(North Shore RFC) and Mr
have demonstrated their
commitment to Services
Denis Henderson (North
Many of the benefits that
sport within the RNZN. In
Harbour Rugby Union Club
come with Services sport are
Liaison Officer). Seated: fact, CDRE Tony Parr has
often intangible; Rugby, like
other sports in the Navy, provides
Mr John Sarah (Chairman
North Shore RFC) &
taken on the role of ‘Champion’
of RNZN Rugby.
an avenue of recreational
The RNZN Rugby Union
WOMT(P) Steve White
(RNZN Club President)
enjoyment that seeks to realise
has been revitalised with
the intangibles such as morale,
retention, professional work ethics and the
positive image of the Navy.
But for rugby to continue to thrive in the
Navy it needs to have a future view and dia
robust structure that will
take us ahead to meet our ambitious programme
of fixtures. Additionally, the Navy
Rugby Club is now affiliated to the North
Shore Rugby Club; recognising our common
Kia Ora to the Navy! Navy rugby has given me
some very special memories and fulfilled many
satisfying moments of my career. Much of this
was due to the intense rivalry and camaraderie,
the will to win every time we took the field.
Many of those wins came from dogged pygmy
determination of never giving up.
In the Navy you have the coaches and players
capable of winning and holding the Lou Smith
location, Navy’s contribution to the Devonport
community and the willingness of the
North Shore club to accommodate RNZN
rugby players. The appointments of WOPTI
Grant Simpkins as Premier Coach for 2008
and LTCDR Chalky Carr as Manager are examples
of this growing relationship.
In recent years the Navy’s international
matches have become more important,
for example the evolution of the Commonwealth
Cup played between the RNZN, RAN,
RN and Sth African Navy; and planned next
for 2009 (in the UK) and then 2012 (in Australia).
We are also planning annual tours and
‘test matches’ against the RAN, as well as
exposing our U21 Colts team to international
fixtures on an annual basis. This month (28
Sep) we plan to field a Navy Barbarians team
to play the touring Chinese PLA(Navy) team.
This match will be the curtain raiser to the
Nth Harbour-Southland NPC match at North
Harbour stadium.
One of our key challenges we face as
a Rugby Union is organising and funding
our teams to play on the other side of the
world. The RNZN RU committee is actively
developing funding initiatives and working
with corporate partners to overcome these
challenges.
We also recognise that Rugby isn’t the only
sport played within Pussers, and we intend
that a revitalised RNZN RU will also be supportive
of other Navy sports.
In May this year, as CN presented the Lou
Smith Cup to the Captain of RNZN Premier
team, he stated ‘when the day comes that
we can’t be putting a top team on the field to
play international teams, we’ve lost the plot’.
The RNZN Rugby Union is now planning for
the next 6 years and beyond, to ensure that
no plot is lost, and - more importantly - to
enhance the proud traditions and reputation
of Navy Rugby.
BUCK SHELFORD - NAVY RUGBY’S PATRON
Cup, NZ Inter-Services tournament and the
Commonwealth Cup.
I am proud to be your patron – a role I first enjoyed
with the Navy’s 2006 tour to South Africa
to contest the Commonwealth Cup – and I look
forward to the challenge you are taking on, and
watching Navy Rugby proudly raise its mana to
where it belongs – No. 1!
RNZN COLTS TOUR TO SYDNEY
Next month the RNZN Rugby Union will send an Under 21 Colts team to Sydney
to play their RAN counterparts.
‘This tour is part of our plan to reinvigorate RNZN rugby and grow the base of
players within the Navy,’ says Deputy Chairman CPOPTI Nigel Hooper. ‘These
are the young players who will take us through the next two Commonwealth
Cup tournaments in 2009 and 2012, so it’s a great time to be a young player
in the Navy.’
It was 1976 that the two navies’ Colts sides last played each other for the
Dowsett Cup. That year the RNZN won the Cup which had been donated by
Australian Rugby stalwart, CDRE Dowsett RAN.
Now retired and still involved with ADF refereeing, CDRE Dowsett will be
on hand to present the Cup at this year’s match in Sydney.
BY BAS BOLYN, DPRU
ROYAL MARINES’
RUGBY LEAGUE
A ROYAL MARINE rugby league squad
toured NZ in July, playing against Army and
a combined Navy & Air Force team while
here. Fez Wood, the Administration Manager
and Vice President of Royal Marines Rugby
League Association, led the touring squad
and he explained:
‘It’s a great game for us Royal Marines,
because all the lads have got to do is run
as fast as you can and hit the man hard. It’s
not technical, not like Union with lineouts
and all that kind of stuff and it’s quite easy
for us to pick it up and the lads love it. They
love the physical contact!’
‘We play probably about ten games a
year. The problem is we don’t play at single-
Service level, because as part of the RN
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we come under Navy for inter-Services in
the UK.’
However, he said, the RM does compete
at ‘Command’ levels vs. Royal Engineers,
naval commands. So it was suggested that
the Marines’ rugby league squad undertake
a tour to NZ – their first tour anywhere
outside the UK. They needed to do a lot of
fundraising to get over here – raffles, selling
souvenirs, etc.
In between matches, the team went adventure
training and had a look around the
North Island. “We had two and a half days
in Taupo. We went bungy jumping, bridge
jumping and on the flying fox. Then we got a
bit of snowboarding, white water rafting and
whatever else the lads wanted to do. After
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our Auckland game we had a couple of days
sight-seeing then straight back home.”
The Royals lost to NZ Army at Trentham
20-36, then lost the match at Whenuapai
against the Combined Navy & Air Force
squads, 16-26. Coach of the Combined team
SGT Brian Akurangi (Air Force) said it wasn’t
too hard to gel the combined team together,
and he purposely made the forwards all Air
Force and the backs all Navy, to keep the
combinations going. SGT Akurangi said both
teams (Navy and Air) are looking forward to
the Inter-Services competition in Trentham.
The Navy Coach, WO McKinney, said he was
pleased with how his squad went.
Richie Guy, captain of the RM side, commented:
“None of the lads have been to
the country before. But everybody’s really
enjoyed themselves and it’s a privilege to be
over here. We’re an excitable team and we all
just wanted to prove to ourselves how good
we are. Unfortunately too many mistakes
and we let the NZ sides win the games!’
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