Army v Navy: The history behind one of the biggest and most illustrious military sport fixtures
It's the day that every British Army and Royal Navy rugby union fans pick out: Army v Navy takes place LIVE from Twickenham Stadium on Saturday.
BFBS Sport have you covered with live coverage of the matches starting from 13:45 UK time on the Forces News YouTube channel but what makes this fixture so special?
With more than 100 years of history and a rivalry that has been competitive throughout, the Army v Navy event has cemented itself as one of the biggest sporting events in the military calendar.
104 years of Army v Navy Inter Service men's matches at Twickenham Stadium
The first Inter Service match at the home of English rugby between these two bitter rivals took place in 1920 when the Navy were victorious by 23 points to 11.
However, the fixture has roots going back to the 1880s when it was limited to officers only and came before the formation of the Army and Navy's rugby union boards.
In regards to Inter Service matches, there's been 95 matches played with eight years seeing the game cancelled due the Second World War and the Covid-19 pandemic.
The Navy have won 27 times, including last year's dramatic clash, while the Army have been victorious 64 times.
There's been four draws in that time too – with the last being a 29-29 score in 2016.
The women add Twickenham Stadium to their history
In 2022, the Army and Navy women's team made history by playing their fixture at Twickenham Stadium for the very first time.
In their two fixtures there so far, the Army, with the speedy Courtney Pursglove, have been dominant but the Navy have made great strides to close the gap.
In fact, the ladies in red have been victorious in 100% of their fixtures against the Navy since the first match in 2003.
The recent story
2023 was a banner year for Royal Navy rugby union.
For the first time since 2010, the Senior Service were triumphant at Twickenham and they'll take great confidence from their 39-22 win.
For the Army, they will want to make sure last year was a blip on an otherwise dominant 15 years of rugby.
The women's fixture, as already mentioned, has been a one-way Army triumph but over the past few years, more and more Royal Navy players are progressing into the civilian game.
The hope is that a more competitive women's fixture will follow.
Who to watch out for
British Army men – Jack Johnson
Everyone knows how decisive having a strong kicker can be in rugby. The Army will hope that Johnson can provide that for them. He's a product of the Army U23s system and has already impressed at Twickenham and Gloucester's Kingsholm Stadium in 2023.
Royal Navy men – Ben Chambers
A try-scorer across both codes, Ben Chambers had an impressive 2023 winning both the rugby union and rugby league Inter Service titles as well as a bronze medal for the UK Armed Forces at the Forces World Cup in France. His fast-paced running on a big Twickenham pitch could prove to be a key attacking threat for the Navy.
British Army women – Courtney Pursglove
Twickenham Stadium has been Courtney Pursglove's playground in an Army red shirt in both matches at the stadium so far. A hat-trick of tries in 2022 was followed up by déjà vu a year later, as she scored another three tries. The Navy know how dangerous she is but stopping the threat is another challenge.
Royal Navy women – Rose Dixon
She's the leader of the Navy pack and she already has scoring form in a Navy shirt this year against Havant. She has experience at strong teams like Wasps and after witnessing the Navy score at Twickenham for the first time last year, she promised that it would just be the beginning. Will 2024 prove her correct?
Where to watch
The matches will be live on the Forces News YouTube channel with coverage beginning at 13:45 UK time.
Highlights of the matches will be available shortly afterwards here on forcesnews.com or on the BFBS Sports Show YouTube channel.
Serving personnel can also watch on the BFBS TV service while the action will also be available on RugbyPass TV.
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