Army v Navy: Can the Navy end Army dominance at Twickenham?
The biggest clash on the military sporting calendar is finally here, with the final round of Inter Services Rugby Union once again taking place at the home of English rugby, Twickenham Stadium.
The Army v Navy fixture has taken place every year since 1907, with the only exceptions being the First and Second World Wars and the coronavirus pandemic.
The Army men and women come into this year's fixture as the reigning Inter Services champions, whereas the Navy men have not won since 2016 and the women are yet to win the Babcock Trophy.
The Army women have won the Inter Services every year since the women's game was introduced in 2003, except in 2019 when the Royal Air Force snatched the title away from them.
The women's Army v Navy game was played at Twickenham for the first-time last year, and this year they go into their clash with the Navy determined to retain their Inter Services crown.
After seeing off the RAF in Gloucester with a commanding 36-8 win, many could expect the reds to win the title again this year.
Head Coach, Warrant Officer Class 2 Sarah Mitchelson, says they are confident that they can "pull it out of the bag" on Saturday.
The Navy women played well against the RAF in the Inter Services opening round in Plymouth in wet, muddy and difficult weather conditions, despite having to settle for a 17-10 loss.
Skippered by Leading Hand Rose Dixon, the promising showing will raise hopes that the navy blues can put up a real fight against the Army.
Navy Rugby's Officer Cadet Rowann Sinclair told BFBS that the Navy has the "best opportunity it has ever had" to beat the Army.
She said: "I think it will be a very physical game, I know my opposite number is a pretty good player so it's going to be a pretty big match-up.
"But I'm just excited to just take it in my stride and the Navy has got the best opportunity it has ever had to beat the Army - let's see what happens this weekend."
Meanwhile on the men's side, the Army stormed to a handsome 48-17 win against the RAF in a recent confidence-boosting performance.
Following the departure of several of their best players, including former England international Semesa Rokoduguni, a new-look Army team certainly proved their worth after scoring seven tries against the Air Force.
The Army men will be looking to win their third consecutive Inter Services title after winning in 2019 and 2022, with the two-year break due to Covid-19.
Army Head Coach Lieutenant Colonel Tim Osman told BFBS: "I am pretty content with where these boys are at, and the ability and the potential that they've got, so we are pretty much focused on us.
"It would be good to measure ourselves [against the Navy] and if we can, produce the performance as we did in a lot of the second half certainly against the RAF, then I think we will be in the game."
The Navy men should not be ruled out, however, after their historic 13-13 draw against the RAF in the opening round in Plymouth.
Their draw and the Army's win against the RAF means that the Navy can win the Babcock Trophy if they win against the Army on Saturday - a feat they last achieved in 2016.
Navy team captain, Captain Jarrard Hayler, said that there are "no excuses" for the Navy this year and that "this is our time".
The Army v Navy match at Twickenham will be shown LIVE on Forces News YouTube channel and Facebook and service personnel can watch on BFBS TV.
Find out more about how you can watch here.
Key Players
Army Women - Courtney Pursglove
Flying winger Courtney Pursglove gave the Army lift-off at Kingsholm and her eye for a gap combined with gas to burn will be a constant threat on the Twickenham turf. Pursglove has plenty of topflight experience with club side Sale Sharks and she will look to add to her try tally for the Army in this year's tournament having already bagged a brace of tries against the Airwomen.
Navy Women - Rose Dixon
Leading the Navy women's side, Rose Dixon has been instrumental for the Navy women for many seasons. The former Wasps RFC and Basingstoke RFC player will captain the Navy side once again at this year's Army v Navy clash at Twickenham. With caps for the Royal Navy and for UKAF, Dixon also played at the women's International Defence Rugby Competition (IDRC) in New Zealand last year.
Army Men - Senitiki "Shane" Nayalo
Known as "Big Shane" to his colleagues, Nayalo is a pivotal player for the men in red and has the ability to read the game from the back of the pack. A regular starter for Championship side Coventry this year, his previous clubs include London Irish and Edinburgh. He will not only try to negate the threat of the Navy's superb Sam Matavesi but also provide the Army with options in attack
Navy Men - Sam Matavesi
Born in Truro, the Flying Fijian player will appear for the dark blues and will play a crucial role in the quest to win the Navy's first Inter Services title since 2016. He was part of the line-up that helped the Navy to a 13-13 draw against the Royal Air Force in the Inter Services opening round. Matavesi plays for the Northampton Saints in Premiership Rugby.
Did you know?
After the formation of the Army Rugby Union and the Royal Navy Rugby Union, the first Army v Navy match in 1907 was played at Queen's Club.
The fixture was played there until the First World War broke out, with the Army v Navy game ceasing play between 1915-1919.
The game returned in 1920, where it was played at Twickenham for the first time, and it was the Royal Navy who took home the Babcock Trophy in the game's inaugural Twickenham debut.
Jon Knighton, Sports Editor, BFBS Sport, says:
The annual battles are about to commence on the hallowed turf at HQ.
The Army will go into both men’s and women’s matches as favourites, having produced very strong performances against the RAF at Gloucester, but they know the Navy will provide the strongest of challenges.
The dark blues have had plenty of time to reflect and re-assess after they drew with the RAF in Plymouth and neutrals will say it's high time the Navy broke the Army stranglehold on this fixture.
The Army, in what they admit is a season of transition, keep the settled line-up that overpowered the RAF, hoping to reproduce that level.
The Navy women have improved dramatically from last year and the Army, well aware of that, are taking nothing for granted.
But the signs are that Sarah Mitchelson’s team will keep up their tremendous record in only the second meeting between the two teams inside Twickenham.
It's set to be an exciting showdown at the home of English rugby.
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