Page 72 - The Cormorant 2018
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ACSC “Shags” Rugby Union Football Team
Lt Col Tom “Badger” Miller
 “IT’S HARD TO TEACH an old dog new tricks”. It’s a maxim which could easily refer to the ACSC cohort having to exercise long since
forgotten, in some cases never possessed, academic ability. However, for a small cohort, the phrase extended out of the
syndicate room and onto the sports pitches. For the ‘maturing’ cohort attending ACSC 21, if you were to pick a new sport to explore or an old one to revitalise, Rugby Union would probably not have been the first choice. For this cohort, the lust for adventure, challenge and kudos, if only to become a sporting Gladiator (in their own mind) was too much, tempting many out of retirement or onto the pitch for the first time, each vying for their place in imagined Sporting immortality.
With an average age of 40 (+ or – a couple of years...), the ACSC “Shags” cohort soon established a seam of experience and wisdom in the Defence Academy squad, securing their place against stiff competition from the younger ICSC “Owls”. The impact play in the pack of Forwards, centred around Lt Col Bev Allen, Maj’s Tom O’Keeffe RM and Gus Precious RM, Cdr Matt Punch and Kiwi Lt Cdr Andy Sorenson, all of whom consistently ground out hard yards against younger and more nimble opposition. Valiant appearances in their debut season by Maj Tsezari Topuria and Maj Lars Bossen demonstrated that Rugby is truly running in the Georgian and Norwegian blood.
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But it was not just in the older, heavier and uglier realm of the Forwards where the ACSC cohort provided expertise; speed, skill and dogged determination also seeped into the Back Line
(to the surprise of Selectors and Coaches alike).
The nimbleness of Cdr Si Cox and the deceptive shortness of Wg Cdr Sam Wiseman at Scrum Half, the skill and strength of Lt Col’s John Williams and Si Thomson in the Centre field, and the speed and determination of Lt Col’s Huw Thomas and Badger Miller on the Wings astounded all who were lucky enough to behold it. However, to maintain such
level of sporting prowess requires more than just natural athleticism. Armed with a magic spray and more medical tape than an Accident and Emergency Ward, our resident Nurse, Cdr Lisa Taylor, provided
the critical support function from the touchline while Doctor Huw Thomas provided in-play consultations and the increasingly necessary realignment of joints.
The personification of true Jointery, the ACSC “Shags” demonstrated all the core military skills championed by the Course; teamwork, courage, determination and strength, helping the Academy secure a well-deserved semi-final place within
the Army’s Championship competition. Individual recognition, highlighted in the Academy’s post- season Honours List, saw Lt Cdr Aaron Malek from Canada securing the Club’s ‘Most Improved Player’ in his debut season, and Lt Cdr Andy Sorenson being crowned ‘Best Shag’ for his consistent and dogged determination on the field of play.
    the ACSC
“Shags” cohort soon established a
seam of experience and wisdom in the Defence Academy squad ◆◆◆
  
















































































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