RAF women expect tough test in Inter Services showdown with Royal Navy

The Royal Air Force women say they are ready for a physical challenge against the Royal Navy as they prepare for their Inter Services rugby league opener in Portsmouth on Friday.

The sides go head-to-head in Portsmouth on a super Friday of fixtures, including the men's clash afterwards.

In the women's competition, the Navy and RAF aim to close the gap against a dominant Army team with all three matches live on the BFBS Forces News YouTube channel.

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Warrington Wolves star and experienced RAF leader Grace Burnett said: "I'm really excited, to be honest, I think that the girls are excited as well. We're just looking forward to it, keeping morale high, keeping the fun up as much as possible, trying not to get too nervous.

"I think it's going to be a tough battle, to be honest, it always is every year, they sort of give what we give them back so I think it’s going to be a bit of an arm wrestle."

The RAF won last year's corresponding fixture after a thrilling Inter Services match in Wakefield.

The Air Force bossed the first half, but a strong Navy comeback after the break made for an end-to-end contest.

A decisive penalty from Katie Segrave helped the RAF to a 26-14 win.

Hinting at the mix of players in the squad this year, Burnett spoke of the need to ensure the younger members feel confident on the big stage: "You've got players on the squad that are, they've got Super League background or Super League experience, so they've really played like the top of the top and then you have got those players that haven’t really had that much experience either.

"It's sort of getting around and getting those more experienced players to put their arm, almost, around those less confident players and bringing it up and really just showing that you can achieve whatever you want to achieve in this sport, and you can achieve whatever you want to achieve on Friday.

"You've just got to do a little bit of extras in the background and really get that confidence because confidence is everything in my opinion."

Dual code rugby league and union star Chelcey Greasley spoke of the dangers of being complacent: "We always have a really good contest against the Navy.

"We've been successful, obviously, the last couple of years, but we never underestimate what they can bring to the table.

"They've got a really strong forward pack, but I also know that they've got some really good backs as well, so I think we never go into that contest expecting to win, so we just obviously need to put our best foot forward from the start, really.

"If we dominate from the start, I think we can be successful."

You can watch the match, which kicks off at 16:00 UK time, live on the BFBS Forces News YouTube channel on Friday.

The Army v Navy battle is on Sunday 22 September, before the RAF host the Army in Wakefield on Friday 27 September.