How facing world-class Canada forced this British Army rugby team to elevate their game
Since the inaugural women's Inter Service Rugby Championship in 2003, the British Army have missed out on the title just once.
Army players have been at the vanguard of the women's game in the UK with many playing topflight club rugby.
A host of female soldiers have featured on the international scene too, including Jane Leonard and Bianca Dawson representing England, and Bethan Dainton running out for Wales.
Having capped international players has not only bolstered the Army's reputation, but it has helped the side become the dominant force in women's inter services rugby.
No wonder then that international teams come calling, regularly asking to play against the Army in order to test their own teams ahead of various tournaments and boost player development.
South Africa, Sweden, Portugal plus England women under-20s and Wales Women under-20s are just some of the sides to have gone toe to toe with the military outfit.
Attracting international opposition
The most recent international side to have travelled to Aldershot were the Canada under 20s women during their tour to the UK and Ireland.
The junior Canucks included a number of players who were in the senior Canada women's national team that reached the 2025 Women's Rugby World Cup final in September.
Against the Army, the visitors ran out winners 58-10.
A positive outlook
Far from being downbeat, the Army women rugby hierarchy believe such fixtures are a vital part of their preparations ahead of the Inter Service Championship.
Former Red Roses international Lieutenant Colonel Ann O'Flynn is the Director of Army women's rugby and maintains that facing illustrious opposition battle hardens the Army players before they face the Royal Navy and Royal Air Force.
She said: "Matches like this are essential for us to really test out our combinations, get some of our new, exciting and emerging players playing alongside seasoned capped Army players. It helps us see where we stand in our preparation for the Inter Service Championships.
"Last season we played Portugal, and before that we've played Sweden, we've played England and Wales under-20s in recent seasons, so for us playing international sides is a fantastic honour.
"We take it as a challenge and it's great sides like Canada are looking to us for competition and we provide a really good test for them."
Perfect Inter Service preparation
The key fixtures for the Army each season are the clashes with the Navy at the Allianz Stadium in Twickenham and the RAF at Kingsholm in Gloucester.
Head coach for the Army women is Warrant Officer Class 2 Sarah Mitchelson. She too takes the long view and highlights the positives from encounters with international teams.
She said: "It's a showcase of our rugby. We can play these big oppositions, and no matter what the score is, we can really polish our performance.
"And if we can defend against teams like these [Canada U20s women], and attack and hopefully score points against teams like these, then we can do that against Inter Service teams as well.
"I know they are able to test their players against us and it's a really good advert for us and a really good advert for women's rugby all round."
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