Page 62 - The Bugle 2018

THE EVENT RUNS 1000 TO 2300 DAILY, WITH RUGBY BEING PLAYED UP UNTIL 2100 AND HAS FOOD, DRINK AND A PLAYER’S SWIMMING POOL
3 RIFLES Rugby Football Club (RFC) was lucky enough to be invited to play in the Dubai Sevens Tournament which ran 30 Nov – 03 Dec 2017.
Captained by Corporal (Cpl) Tokalauvere, 3 RIFLES sent 15 personnel, including two officers and 13 ORs, to play in one of the world’s most prestigious Sevens Tournaments. Supported by 3 players from 5 RIFLES, the 3 RIFLES RFC Sevens team played 4 games over the course of 3 Days.
The Dubai Sevens has over 100,000 visitors over the course of the three days. It is held in the desert, a 40 minute drive outside of the City of Dubai and consists of 12 pitches. The main stadium can hold 44,000 people, whilst the remaining 11 pitches are standing room only.
On arrival the team took the opportunity to accli- matise through some particularly arduous Sevens training sessions on Kite Beach and La Mer Beach. Spending at least 2hrs each morning in training and then relaxing during the heat of the day and training again in the evenings.
On day 1 of the tournament, 3 RIFLES played against the DSC Eagles, who finished as Trophy Quarter Finalists, then the All Stars, who also finished as Trophy Quarter Finalists. While the team worked hard through both matches with some particularly spirited individual performances it wasn’t to be. The team went in to day 2, two matches down and sadly then narrowly lost to the Lahore Hawks, before coming up against Stusta Munich who won the Play Offs in a hard fought match.
The world class nature of the event is highlighted by the quality of Sevens played and the players who attend. It is an international tournament on the world sevens tour and so had all the professional teams one would expect (including 3 RIFLES!). The overall tournament was won by Australia for the women’s and South Africa for the men’s, two world class teams who will undoubtedly win the series this season. 3 RIFLES were able to rub shoulders with the England Team, who took themselves very seriously, and played with the Zambian Team. In the veteran’s league were a number of recognisable faces, including the 2003 world cup winner Jason Robinson and his team of ex-Rugby League players. This was an incredible and enlivening training oppor- tunity which left the team enthused about Rugby and the opportunities that only Army life can provide.
The event runs 1000 to 2300 daily, with rugby being played up until 2100 and has food, drink and a player’s swimming pool. The tournament is set out in a festival like atmosphere with live bands playing through the day and night.
3 RIFLES took the Dubai Sevens as an opportunity to build a core group of Rugby Players within the Battalion as it builds to the 2018-19 season. It was a once in a lifetime Rugby and Career experience which was enjoyed by all as the team was immersed in playing, participating and watching world class Rugby Sevens.
Captain Jez Heal
RSO
3 RIFLES Rugby – Dubai Sevens Tournament
3 RIFLES shooting Team 2018
As ever, the Army’s operational shooting compe- tition season came at a busy time for 3 RIFLES. Battle camps, multifarious preparation activities for Ex WESSEX STORM and Op SHADER, and of course the rigours of normal jogging had companies at full stretch for manpower. Fortunately, this didn’t stop the battalion’s shooting squad from forming up ready for two windy weeks of training and selection by the seaside at Barry Buddon.
On the firing point was a cross section of battalion, with a cross section of experience – some serial Bisley veterans and some with no competition shooting at all. But natural ability comes through on the ranges, and so representatives of both classes
found themselves selected for the team that would attend the 1 Brigade OSC.
Kindly hosted by 5 RIFLES, the team romped away with the 1 Brigade competition on Bulford ranges, and advanced to 3 (UK) Div’s ranges the following week. A more closely fought contest here saw some more dedicated and well established teams coming out of the woodwork, but a fine balance between determination (LCpl Mason coughing his lungs up every run-down but somehow still hitting targets at the other end) and not taking things too seriously brought the team to a second-place finish, behind 10 QOGLR.
The Army OSC at Bisley is its own world, with its own language and its own seemingly permanent residents. Guided through this strange realm by previous experience, assistance from the Regimental shooting team at 4 RIFLES, and former 1 Brigade QMSI WO1 (Now SMI) Bri Trainner, the team fought its way to a very gratifying seventh place of 46 UK teams.
With shooting so fundamental to the role of a Rifleman of any rank, the team is proud to have represented the Regiment and to have contributed to promoting shooting within 3 RIFLES. With many of the team in a position to carry the experience forward to next year, the future looks bright for marksmanship at the Third Battalion. Many thanks to former and current 1X QMSIs Trainner and Dickson for their invaluable assistance.
Army OSC rankings (of 368 UK firers):
Lt Lancashire – 52
(Top Officer in the Army)
Rfn Cain – 54
Rfn Banning – 91 LCpl Kotze – 96 LCpl Ward – 106 LCpl Fordham – 107 LCpl Foley – 125 LCpl Mason – 148
Riflemen from the shooting team working on their marksmanship
68 THIRD BATTALION
THE RIFLES