Traditionally the Royal Navy Senior XV was selected by and under the management control of 'The Selector'.  More recently the role has evolved and the representative sides are managed by the Royal Navy Rugby Union's Director of Rugby who has also taken the traditional role of Selector. The first Director of Rugby was former Senior XV captain, Captain Chris Alcock RN.  Towards the end of his tenure as Director of Rugby, the Director Role and the Selector Role were split.  As a consequence, and to preserve the historical links that the Royal Navy Rugby Union has to the position of Selector, the History of Navy Rugby by Alligin Photography started in 2001 to record a Selector and a Director of Rugby.  The first Selector under this arrangement was Lieutenant Mark Sheldon.

The Director role and Selector role were re-united under Lieutenant Commander Geraint Ashton Jones and remained this way until Commander Mark Deller became Director of Rugby.  After his first season in charge it was generally accepted that the defined roles were no longer serving their intended purpose and there was a 'de facto' change to the relationship between the Senior XV Head Coach and that of the Director of Rugby.  To most accurately reflect the roles held for the 2015/16 season the History of Navy Rugby by Alligin Photography has once more reverted to recording two people in the role, with the first being the Selector, albeit named as Head Coach, as originally envisaged by the Royal Navy Rugby Union at their August 1911 meeting.

Chris Roberts held the position of Director of Rugby but due to Covid19 did not compete for a Senior XV Inter Services title.  Similarly when Rob O'Kane was appointed Director of Rugby the 2021 Inter Services had been cancelled, again due to Covid19

Currently there have only been four selectors who were not previously capped players when they were entrusted to Select the side and all were successful in winning an Inter Service title; John Moore Casement [1931], Geoff Randle [1970], Geraint Ashton Jones [2010] and Ash Coates [2016].

The full list of Inter Service winning Selectors is as follows:

IS Winning Sole Selectors

Selector IS Win Year v Army v RAF
Dave Pascoe 2023 W39-22 D13-13
Ash Coates 2016 D29-29 W9-8
Geraint Ashton Jones 2010 W24-22 W73-3
Chris Alcock 2001 W31-20 W23-3
Jeff Blackett 1995 W34-17 W43-19
Tony Hallett 1987 W21-10 W13-6
Binge Gatehouse 1981 W7-3 W15-12
Mike Pearey 1977 W16-0 W15-9
Glyn Thomas 1974 W25-3 W23-13
John Jacobsen 1973 W10-7 W15-0
Geoff D O Randle 1970 W11-9 W17-6
Alun Meredith 1966 W10-9 W11-3
Rip Kirby 1961 W6-3 W9-3
Hugh Browne 1951 W11-0 W6-5
John (Jeff) Forrest 1939 D6-6 W8-3
Ginger Osbourne 1938 W10-9 W10-6
John Casement 1931 W6-0 W16-0
Ernest Roberts 1927 W6-3 W8-3
Norman Wodehouse 1922 W7-3 W9-6
Dreadnought Harrison 1921 W11-10 W33-3
Ernest Roberts 1920 W23-11 W12-3

The Sole Selector

When the Royal Navy Rugby Union first formed its Central Committee in 1907 they elected a selection Committee under the Chairmanship of Percy Royds.  This remained the way the Royal Navy Team was selected until 1911 and it was the only time that the Secretary was involved with selection.  At the Annual General Meeting of 30th August 1911 Commander Royds proposed "That the Selection Committee shall consist of one officer."  The motion, seconded by Ernest Roberts was carried unanimously .  Lieutenant Walcott, seconded by Captain Phillpotts then proposed "That Eng Lieut Roberts be asked to act as the Selection Committee"  Again this was carried unanimously.  Since that day the Royal Navy Rugby Union has had a 'Sole Selector' although it did come under debate during Captain Browne's tenure.

Ernest Roberts went on to be the Selector on four different occasions, covering seven seasons, a record that stands today. Another returnee was Trevor 'Binge' Gatehouse who completed two stints in the 1980s. Ginger Osborne who had two stints before and after WWII and Mark Deller, who acted as a Selector when Chris Alcock was Director of Rugby and in his own right when he became the last person to hold both the position of Selector nad the newly formed Director of Rugby.

Of the 43 people to have held the role of Sole Selector only 20 have delivered an Inter Service winning team.

Selectors and Directors of Rugby

Year Navy Rugby Selector / Director of Rugby
2024-2025 Chief Petty Officer Dave Pascoe [43] / Lieutenant Commander Tom Blackburn [8]
2020-2024 Chief Petty Officer Dave Pascoe [43] / Commander Rob O'Kane [7] - 2021 - No Inter Services played Covid19
2019-2020 Chief Petty Officer Dave Pascoe [43] / Commander Chris Roberts [6] - 2020 - No Inter Services played Covid19
2017-2019 Chief Petty Officer Dave Pascoe [43] / Captain Roger Readwin [5]
2016-2017 Chief Petty Officer Ash Coates [42] / Commander Roger Readwin [5]
2015-2016 Chief Petty Officer Ash Coates [42] [19] / Commander Mark Deller [4]
2014-2015 Commander Mark Deller [39] / Commander Mark Deller [4]
2011-2014 Commander Andy Kellett Royal Navy [41] / Commander Andy Kellett Royal Navy [3]
2007-2011 Lieutenant Commander Geraint Ashton Jones Royal Navy [40] [18] / Lieutenant Commander Geraint Ashton Jones Royal Navy [2]
2006-2007 Commander Mark Deller Royal Navy [39] / Captain Chris Alcock OBE Royal Navy [1]
2003-2006 Lieutenant Mike Connolly Royal Navy [38] / Captain Chris Alcock OBE Royal Navy [1]
2001-2002 Lieutenant Mark Sheldon Royal Navy [37] / Captain Chris Alcock OBE Royal Navy [1]
2000-2001 Captain Chris Alcock OBE Royal Navy [36] [17]
1998-1999 Chief Petty Officer C Martin "Spyda" Webb [35]
1996-1997 Major Steve Hughes Royal Marines [34]
1994-1995 Commander Jeff Blackett Royal Navy [33] [16]
1991-1993 Captain Leigh C P Merrick Royal Navy [32]
1989-1990 Commander Chris R Tuffley LVO ROyal Navy [31]
1988-1989 Lieutenant Commander Trevor "Binge" Gatehouse Royal Navy [28]
1985-1988 Commander A P Hallett Royal Navy [30] [15]
1982-1985 Lieutenant Commander Bob K Easson Royal Navy [29]
1980-1982 Lieutenant Trevor "Binge" Gatehouse Royal Navy [28] [14]
1978-1980 Commander Roger Godfrey Royal Navy [27]
1976-1978 Captain Mike Pearey Royal Navy [26] [13]
1973-1976 Instructor Lieutenant Commander Glyn Thomas Royal Navy [25] [12]
1970-1973 Commander John Jacobsen Royal Navy [24] [11]
1967-1970 Commander Geoff D O Randle RN [23] [10]
1964-1967 Instructor Commander Alun Meredith Royal Navy [22] [9]
1963-1964 Captain A R Aldous Royal Navy [21]
1961-1963 Lieutenant Commander J H F Hall Royal Navy [20]
1960-1961 Instructor Lieutenant Commander T K Kirby BA Royal Navy [19] [8]
1959-1960 Instructor Lieutenant Commander D B Vaughan MA Royal Navy [18]
1958-1959 Captain H C Lyddon Royal Navy [17]
1956-1957 Captain (S) R V Brockman CSI CIE CBE Royal Navy [16]
1954-1956 Captain J S Dalglish CVO Royal Navy [15]
1949-1954 Captain Hugh Christopher Browne CBE DSO Royal Navy [14] [7]
1948-1949 Commander (S) J K Watkins [13]
1945-1948 Surgeon Commander (D) L B "Ginger" Osborne Royal Navy [11]
1938-1939 Lieutenant Commander J W Forrest Royal Navy [12][6]
1936-1938 Surgeon Commander (D) L B "Ginger" Osborne Royal Navy [11][5]
1935-1936 Lieutenant Commander W C T Eyres Royal Navy [10]
1933-1935 Commander W G Agnew Royal Navy [9]
1931-1933 Engineer Captain M G A Edwards OBE Royal Navy [8]
1929-1931 Rear Admiral John Moore Casement CB [7] [4]
1928-1929 Engineer Captain Sydney P Start Royal Navy [6]
1925-1928 Engineer Captain Ernest W Roberts Royal Navy [1][1]
1923-1925 Constructor Lieutenant Commander W J A "Dave" Davies Royal Navy [5]
1922-1923 Engineer Commander Ernest W Roberts Royal Navy [1]
1921-1922 Commander Norman A Wodehouse [4][3]
1920-1921 Major H C "Dreadnought" Harrison Royal Marines Artillery [3][2]
1919-1920 Engineer Commander Ernest W Roberts Royal Navy [1][1]
1913-1914 Captain J D Kelly Royal Navy [2]
1911-1913 Engineer Lieutenant Ernest W Roberts Royal Navy [1]

30th August 1911 Annual General Meeting Agenda Item 9 - The Royal Navy Rugby Union elects to have a 'Sole Selector'

 

1908-1911 Selection Committee - Commander P M R Royds Royal Navy, Engineer Liuetenant E W Roberts Royal Navy, Surgeon L L Grieg Royal Navy, Surgeon G M Levick Royal Navy