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1st Regiment Royal Horse Artillery
Purvis Warriors Go From
Strength To Strength Captain I Ritchie RHA
Following last years combining of the 1st Regiment RHA and 26 Regiment RA rugby teams, the Purvis Warriors’ manage- ment were keen to establish it as a proper club with the pri-
mary goals of integration, continuity, success, and most impor- tantly playing rugby. With both Regiments actively involved in Op CABRIT, player numbers had been a real challenge throughout the season but with our newfound identity, it didn’t matter what regi- ment you were from what mattered was that you were a Warrior!
The ARU Knock Out Cup 23 kicked off with a hard-fought match against 4th Regiment RA. Playing away is always a challenge, but the Warriors fronted up and ran 4RA close to the final whistle, losing by 3 points. Utilising that emotion from the first match we trained harder and developed our team cohesion, adamant that we were going to succeed. Luck was on side for the remaining pool stages of the ARU Knock Out Tankard 23 where we man- aged to draw home games. The Purvis Warriors were slated against 3 PARA in the Quarter Final but, unfortunately, 3 PARA withdrew due to player availability – a sign of the times we oper- ate in today. With a bye into the Semi Final, we drew a home match against 9 Regt RLC.
A crisp November Wednesday evening, a flood lit MacIlwaine Park, its game time. 9 Regt RLC turned up with a strong team, boasting a few Army capped players but the Warriors had been well drilled and they knew what the had to do. At half time we were leading 12 -7 in what had been a very physical match. With the second half under way, ill discipline let the RLC side down and Gnr Rakita (E Bty) capitalised on this scoring two tries in quick succession. At the final whistle, the Warriors had emerged
victorious with a 33-12 win. We were heading to Aldershot for the final.
On the 8th December with the RSM and the Adjt watching on, the Warriors kicked off the final against MOD Abbeywood. A poor start by us meant that the opposition took the lead but not for long. With veteran front rower - SSgt Knight (E Bty) - taking the field, our momentum soon changed. The opposition’s gutsy performance soon gave way to a very dominant Warriors side. Gnrs Naivalu and Rokovutoro (E Bty) both stand out players in a 50-14 win. This was the culmination of a very successful and rewarding season for the team. Further success was when the ARU invited the Purvis Warriors to play in the Premiership next season – watch this space.
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