The Royal Navy rugby team reveal their tactics and discuss their determination to win after securing a glorious and long-awaited victory in the Inter Services Championship 2010 at Twickenham.
A team effort
- Silvian Buinimasi: We were collective as a team. Everyone from the training support group to the players worked together to achieve that goal. The senior players in the squad were also good as leaders and directed the younger players on the field.
- Kieran Morton: It was about teamwork and the inner belief that we could do it.
- John Lamsin: I wasn't lucky enough to get selected, but I was part of the squad and there was recognition for the 36 men in that squad. The team may not have functioned quite as well as it did without the extended training support.
- Mike Egglestone: The 12 week training package allowed us to get to know each other inside out. We knew each other's loves and hates so we knew we were fighting for each other, for the players on the bench, for everyone watching us and our families. We were doing it for them.
- Scott Llewellyn: Teamwork is massive in training to become a Royal Marine and it's the same in rugby. We had three months together and the camaraderie was there which helped us gel as the days progressed.
Aim to improve
- Scott Llewellyn: To get through training in the Royal Navy you need dedication, commitment and a lot of courage. All those qualities easily transfer onto the rugby pitch.
- Silvian Buinimasi: The training was really intense. We learnt from our mistakes from previous years and we knew where our weaknesses were and what we needed to improve.
- Kieran Morton: We each went off on our own and got into the right mindset. In training we had a few lectures on 'judgement index' which taught us about making the right decisions when it matters and I think that really helped within the game.
- John Lamsin: There were some days when you would wake up and you could hardly walk after a training session the night before. We all started to dread the end of week sessions, but it was worth it in the end. When we came onto the pitch, we looked a lot more conditioned and ready for the game.
- Mike Egglestone: It's the belief that we can keep going and it's knowing that however hard it gets, you can keep driving along. It's just like Commando training. It's a long hard battle, but you keep going to the very end.
- John Lamsin: With an atmosphere like Twickenham, if you need to be shouted at to get yourself motivated, then you shouldn't really be there. It's a huge stage and the biggest stage that every rugby player wants to play on so that was motivation enough.
- Kieran Morton: If you're going to go into it, you want to go into it thinking that you're going to win. Remain positive and keep going!
A winning attitude
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