RAF under-23s lay down the gauntlet with commanding victory over Royal Navy
The Royal Air Force under-23s have got their Inter Service title bid off to a flying start after the team in light blue dispatched the Royal Navy with a 42-14 victory in Stourbridge.
The Royal Navy, who entered this year's Inter Service Championships as the reigning champions, only managed two tries compared to the RAF's six plus two penalty kicks.
The game started on a sour note for the Air Force after right wing Jay Smith's try was disallowed, but it was the Navy who were making the costly errors, and a penalty kick for the light blues meant they were the first to put points onto the board.
The Navy did begin to find their rhythm at the game's halfway point, where a loose ball was picked up by co-captain Freddy Elliott before he scored the opening try.
The RAF's response to the Navy's try happened within minutes, however, and it was Jay Smith who carried that response over the try line, avenging that disallowed try he thought he scored in the opening minutes of the game.
Following another penalty kick for the RAF, the light blues were leading 13-7 as the Navy began to allow little mistakes to creep in, which were later punished by Keiren Jenkins, who danced his way through the gaps in the Navy's defence to score over the whitewash.
The game was beginning to slip from the Navy's grasp as half-time approached – but the belief that they could turn their game around was evident when their other co-captain, Ben Smith, pushed over the try line, backed up by his team, to bring the score to 14-20.
But much like their opening try, the RAF's response was immediate – as Tom Clifford scored with seconds to go before half time, and the RAF were enjoying a comfortable 14-27 with 40 minutes remaining.
In the second half, the RAF spent the first 20 minutes trying to rebuild the momentum that served them well in the first half, as the Navy continued to play on the defensive.
It wasn't until substitute Ewan Lea caught the Navy off guard in their own 22 to score over the whitewash that got the ball rolling for the Air Force again, and with less than 10 minutes remaining, the light blues were once again on the charge.
They scored two more times before the full-time whistle sounded over Stourbridge – and the RAF walked away with a huge 42-14 over the reigning champions.
The Navy will carry over a disappointing result into their home game against the British Army in Portsmouth, who they'll need to beat in order to stay in title contention.
The RAF, however, will get an extra week to prepare for their tie against the British Army when they clash for the Inter Service title in Aldershot.
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