Royal Navy complete stunning comeback to knock debutants Mirfield out of Challenge Cup

The Royal Navy completed an impressive comeback to beat Mirfield 26-20 and book their place in the second round of the Challenge Cup.

That makes it two military teams in the second round after the British Army beat the RAF in Aldershot.

Despite being eight points behind with just minutes to go, a resilient Senior Service attack did enough to get the Navy the result they were looking for in Yorkshire.

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After last week's match was postponed due to cold weather, a number of key players, as well as Navy head coach Darren Bamford, were missing due to other commitments.

And the Navy struggled in parts of their performance, failing to match the intensity of their amateur hosts who were making their debut in the competition.

Dave Brown gave them the perfect start with the first converted try but Mirfield roared back into the contest with three unanswered tries.

The Band of Brothers hit back through a well-taken try from Rhys Joel but a stoppage for a serious Mirfield player injury derailed any momentum.

Mirfield's Zinzan Barden suffered a nasty concussion and was taken to hospital, but is now recovering well according to Mirfield's social media accounts.

After a near 30-minute delay and a number of discussions on whether the game would continue, the action resumed with another Mirfield try.

It meant the Navy were staring at defeat and exit from the competition at 20-12 down so they needed a figurehead to inspire them over the line.

Step up veteran playmaker, and captain in Brodie Lee Butler's absence, James Tilley.

He laid it on a plate for two tries from Johnny Stoppard and Jack Ray, and along with a timely Joel penalty, the Navy had their victory.

The celebrations will not last very long though as attention turns to their second round fixture next week at Burnaby Road, in Portsmouth, when they take on Workington Town.

Cover picture: John Shirras