Page 94 - The Bugle Issue 12 Autumn 2016

Battalion Rugby Team
The 4 RIFLES Rugby Team has had a decent would face a much more challenging opponent
2015-2016 season, following promotion to the Army Rugby Championship 1 South East competition. Following the move to Aldershot, placing us in the heartland of Army Representative Sport, hopes were high that we could use this as a reset point for the Rugby Club, starting afresh and remodelling the organisational side of the Club. This was achieved right from the outset, with a huge increase in interest in the sport from within the battalion, and a large turnout for our pre-season training sessions. We built on this at our rst internal AGM, where all ranks and levels of experience were encouraged to voice how they saw the Club moving forward, and what it would look like in the future. The Club also appointed a number of individuals to key roles for the upcoming season, with LCpl Pocock (LAD) and Sgt Jackson (CIS) using their wealth of experience to coach the side. Similarly, Cpl De Silva (A Coy) was appointed as Club Manager, Rfn Galloway (A Coy) as Social Secretary, and Cpl Harbottle (S Coy) was selected by the players to captain the side for the season.
Having been given time to get some extra training in before the rst xture, con dence was running high as the team travelled to Minley to face 3 RSME. The team rewarded the trust placed in them with a strong performance in a match that was played at a frenetic pace, ultimately scoring seven tries to win with a score of 55-3. A great start to the season. Self-belief was running high for the following xture two weeks later, against the Royal Welsh Dragons, as the team set off to Tidworth knowing that they
THE BUILDING BLOCKS AND ENTHUSIASM ARE IN PLACE TO PUSH ON AND DEVELOP
bearing many more teeth! Despite facing a team who boasted a number of Army Premiership players, the 4 RIFLES team fought valiantly, at times showing glimpses of brilliance. After a close fought battle in wet conditions and with excellent performances from WO2 Ireland (HQ Coy) and LCpl Hislop (A Coy), the class of the opposition eventually shone through, with the Royal Welsh coming away as marginal victors.
A concern at the start of the season was that preparation for the Battalion’s readiness exercise at the end of 2015 would limit the team’s ability to train and even ful l some xtures. Unfortunately this situation came to fruition, with company and battle- group level training rightfully taking precedence. Victories over 1 RHA and 3 RLC were not entirely overshadowed by losses to the Coldstream Guards, 42 RE and the eventual winners of the competition, ATR Pirbright. The season was rounded off by a scored draw against the Irish Guards, with the player of the season being chosen by the Club as WO2 Gribble (A Coy).
In summary, a good season for the 4 RIFLES Rugby Team, with the building blocks and enthu- siasm are in place to push on and develop next year. Some very strong performances when we have had the time to train which really helped to promote a bold and dynamically attacking style of play. Similarly, the support from the wider battalion has been fantastic and genuinely helps the coaches to develop the team from one week to the next.
Looking forward to the season ahead, a compressed xture list after Christmas will allow the squad to focus their efforts and gives the greatest chance of success. Equally an overseas tour looks set to be a focal point to preserve the enthusiasm of a young squad, burgeoning with talent for the future! Lt Chris Cathcart, Rugby Of cer
92 FOURTH BATTALION
THE RIFLES
At 0500 hrs on a rainy morning, four intrepid and ten. The March and Shoot team were luckier with
bleary eyed clerks set off from New Normandy Barracks to arrive for our 0615 hrs March and Shoot start time. The rst test was magazine lling which the Detachment Commander, Lt Jake Rasbash, proceeded to lose for the team. He subsequently assured the rest of the team that he would redeem himself on the Military Skills knowledge stands, he didn’t. Feeling low after a dif cult start we knew we needed a good march and assault course. We left the ETS group that we had we set off with behind by the time we left camp, with Lt Rasbash nally starting to add value driving the team on. We arrived at the assault course in good time feeling positive, although not having had an opportunity to practise the assault course prior to the event proved to be an issue. We lost time but it would have been signi - cantly more were it not for the heroic efforts of Cpl Njuguna on the 12ft wall. We sprinted to the nish and found that we had scored the fastest march time of anyone. By the time the 12 mile March and Shoot team turned up we were still in the top
the weather and put in a commendable effort led by SSgt Laporte to nish in the top 40 out of 120. Unfortunately though both teams did extremely well neither received any trophies although both nished well inside the top third. With most of the team returning next year we have high hopes of collecting some silverware for the battalion.
Lt Jake Rasbash, Detachment Commander
4 RIFLES AGC Detachment competing in the Triple Crown Challenge
The AGC Triple Crown Challenge