Army star Cameron McDonald expects a 'spectacle' at this year's Twickenham showdown
The annual Army v Navy clash at Twickenham in 2023 saw the Royal Navy win the Babcock Trophy for the first time since 2010.
The Navy took the victory by a comfortable 39-22 margin, upsetting a traditionally dominant Army team who just couldn't stop a resurgent Navy side on the day.
Despite this agonising loss, Army player Sapper Cameron McDonald was still able to put in a stand-out performance in front of a crowd of tens of thousands by becoming the Army's sole try scorer with a hat-trick of tries.
Despite the disappointment of losing out on the Inter Services title to the Navy, Spr McDonald's performance was a stand-out at last year’s Inter Services which saw him named 2023 Sportsman of the Year at the Army Sports Awards.
This year, however, the Army will be heading into Twickenham without their hat-trick scoring hero who has stepped aside in order to focus on his international rugby commitments with the German national team.
BFBS caught up with him at the UK Armed Forces Sports Awards where he said he hopes to help Germany qualify for the Rugby World Cup in 2027.
"In the sporting side of things, for me, it's going to be focusing on my Germany commitments," he said.
"We have a World Cup qualifying year next year, so I am doing my best for the team and hopefully we can qualify for the World Cup in Australia in 2027," he added.
Although Spr McDonald will not be in his red jersey alongside his teammates this year, he will be cheering his team on at Twickenham from the sidelines and anticipates this year's Inter Service championship coming to a "showdown" between the Army and the Navy.
He said: "It keeps getting tighter, the quality of rugby keeps getting on getting better.
"I think that this year, I can still see a Navy against Army showdown, I think the RAF are getting better, but I think this year the Navy have the motivation to win it again.
"But on the other hand, you have the Army who are motivated to take it back off of them, so I can see the Navy v Army being a great game to watch. It will be a great spectacle down at Twickenham and obviously I am still backing the Army, but I can see it being a tight game overall and a great day out for everyone involved."
The Army will have to win this week's game in order to prevent a Navy victory in the Inter Service Championship before they face the RAF at Kingsholm Stadium, following their narrow 25-24 win against the RAF in Plymouth.
Spr McDonald has singled out Army players Frank Kelly and Ifereimi Balodau as players to watch when they step onto the pitch at Twickenham.
He said: "In the Army side I would say Frank Kelly, I think he's a great addition, he's a great ball carrier and I think he can take care of their [Navy's] centres.
"In the forwards I would have to mention Ifereimi Balodau, someone who's just an iconic player, great carrier, brings that buzz to the team, and I can see those two having an impact in the backs and forwards themselves."
The Army v Navy showdown will take place at Twickenham Stadium on Saturday 4 May and will be broadcast live on Forces News YouTube Channel and RugbyPass TV, with catch-up also available on BFBS TV for service personnel.
Find out more on how you can watch here.
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