Navy beat Taunton in warm-up fixture ahead of Twickenham showdown
The Navy Senior men's XV have won their warm-up fixture against Taunton RFC with a 28-35 win as the navy blues gear up for their upcoming clash against the Army at Twickenham.
This friendly fixture marks the last game the Navy will play before they face the Army in the final round of the Inter Services at the home of England Rugby on 13 May.
National League 1 side Taunton RFC, also known as the Titans, proved to be the perfect test for the Navy for their warm-up game at Veritas Park, Somerset, before their clash with the Army.
The Navy got themselves on the scoreboard early as Marine Rhys Williams was the first to dot over the try line.
A successful conversion by Air Engineering Technician Jordan Gott put the Navy 0-7 up against the Titans in the opening stages.
After a confident start, the Navy wasted no time in making the most of their early upward momentum, as Air Engineering Technician Jerome Rudder collected the second try, with Air Engineering Technician Gott converting to put the Navy on a 0-14 lead ahead of the Titans.
After a slow start, the Titans got a try in of their own at the 21-minute mark, with a converted try to put them one try away from levelling the scoreboard.
That second try soon came for the Titans as the Navy now found themselves level at 14-14 against the home favourites with room to improve when it came to the Navy defence.
The Navy began to find their early match momentum again and it was POAET Kye Beasley who provided the goods, darting over to put the Navy back into the lead at 14-21 before halftime.
After some significant substitutions, the Navy entered the second half with new faces, a chance for others to prove their worth as coaches decide who will make the starting line-up for their clash with the Army next week.
Eager to prove themselves, the Navy got the second half off to a flying start with a well-negotiated try by Marine Craig Duncan as AB(AWW) Jake Hanley provided the two extra points with the conversion as the Navy extended their advantage to 14-28.
After the Titans put another try onto their scoresheet to draw the gap closer, the Navy responded swiftly with another try to distance themselves from the home side at 21-35.
With minutes to spare, the Titans made one final statement with a try to put the score at 28-35.
At full-time, the Navy came away with the win against the Titans 28-35.
With benched players used, the Royal Navy coaches had one last look at their players before selecting the final squad for their Twickenham clash against the Army.
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