The Royal Navy took on the Norwegians at rugby in the snow when HMS Sutherland’s team took on Trondheim Rugby Klubb.
While Plymouth-based HMS Sutherland is in Norway on multi-national exercise the crew took the chance for a break in Trondheim by taking on local sports teams. The first match, still three months away from the regular rugby season, took place in 1.5 feet of snow.
The game ended with a win for Trondheim 15-5 in what turned out to be a war of attrition with plenty of handling errors due to the slipperiness of the ball.
Following the match, HMS Sutherland’s team were hosted at a local pub by the Trondheim players where they watched the Six Nations rugby matches being played that afternoon.
HMS Sutherland’s team captain, Petty Officer Chris Harris, 33, said: “Playing in the snow was a new experience for everyone and something they will never do again. The weather obviously played a major part and I could feel the temperature drop when it started snowing. Trondheim looked after us really well and it was good to see a club with so many different nationalities coming together.”
