Historic rugby encounter sees British Army women power past Canadian Armed Forces women
The British Army women's rugby union side had too much fire power for their hosts to handle as they cruised to victory against the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) in Ottawa.
The current Inter Services champions raced into a 40-nil half-time lead before running out comfortable winners.
The evergreen Sarah Batley skippered the Army side at TD Place Stadium in the absence of regular captain Jade Mullen, who is on Wales duty at the Women's Rugby League World Cup in Australia.
Front row Batley was a popular try-scorer as she added her name to the list of those crossing the white wash. Others dotting down for the Army included Lou Dodd, Jess McAuley, Courtney Pursglove, Lauren Brooks and Abigail Michelow as the women in red ran riot.
The historic encounter saw the Canadian Armed Forces field a women's team for the first time. To their credit, the home side limited their guests try-scoring opportunities in the second half with the British Army closing out as 0-57 victors.
The clash in Canada was particularly memorable for Army players Harriet Amor and Kasalaini Guanavinaka as they were awarded their first senior caps for the side.
The trip to Canada sees the Army season up and running in what will be another busy campaign for the reigning forces champions as they aim to defend their title against the Royal Navy and Royal Air Force.
The game marked a significant milestone for military women's rugby. With the Army side including two players from Premiership Women's Rugby (PWR) as Harlequin Lauren Brooks and India King from Loughborough Lightning took to the fray, they would have been only too familiar with many of the faces in the fixture that followed.
The CAF versus Army encounter was the curtain-raiser to the international match Canada and England's Red Roses.
As well as the England side, 25 Canadian players are contracted to PWR teams for the 2026-27 season.
Running out each week in the leading domestic women's league competition in the world has proved a smart move for Canada Women's players as they eclipsed England in their latest WXV showdown.
England, who were looking to avenge a 24-21 defeat to Canada in Toronto a week before, fell short yet again.
RAF star Amy Cokayne was on the score sheet for the Red Roses, crashing in for a try from a driving maul. But the RAF Odiham-based officer and her teammates could not stop Canada winning 31-22 as England suffered back-to-back defeats for the first time in a decade.
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