The IDRC 2025's surprise eighth team: Who are the Vodafone LooseHeadz?
The 2025 International Defence Rugby Competition will see some of the best military teams battle for supremacy, but with New Zealand and South Africa unable to compete, a mystery team was selected for the fourth spot in pool B.
UKAF organisers worked hard to arrange a suitable replacement, with the quality of the team needing to be strong in a 'Group of Death' with champions France, Australia and Fiji.
A conversation with the tournament sponsors, Vodafone, got the desired result and the Vodafone LooseHeadz Invitational XV have been announced as competing in the tournament – but who are they and what will they offer as a challenge?
How they were formed
A collaboration between tournament sponsors Vodafone and the charity partner for the tournament, LooseHeadz was the perfect solution to avoid having a three-team pool B.
The squad will have a Barbarians-style to them, with no two match day teamsheets expected to be the same. We've been promised that the invitational side will "embody the spirit of the game with flair, camaraderie, and diversity".
Another key cog to the team will be the Civil Service, who will provide a number of players to perform on military rugby's biggest stage.
Air Commander Alun Roberts, the IDRC 2025 tournament director, said: "We're thrilled to welcome the Vodafone LooseHeadz team as our eighth side.
"Their inclusion not only strengthens the competition but also shines a spotlight on mental health in rugby, which LooseHeadz champions so passionately."
Players to watch out for
The captain of the LooseHeadz team is a master of both codes.
Eloise Hayward has starred in rugby union for Leicester Tigers and Saracens in the past, as well as impressing in the league code with Leeds Rhinos.
She's already had a summer to remember as she was part of the Great Britain 7s team that won the European Championships.
She comes from a sporting family, with her father Steve previously serving as head coach of the Royal Navy Rugby League team.
Her grandad, Tony Hayward, was a footballer for Leeds United and Manchester City, while her mum, Tracie, also played netball for Hampshire and represented Wales.
Ffion Lewis is a former Welsh international with 33 caps won since her debut in 2018. She departed the Wales Rugby Union team in the middle of the 2025 Women's Six Nations after learning that her contract with the Welsh outfit would not be renewed.
Lewis recently signed with the Chicago Lions women's sevens team in the United States.
Darcey Price has captained the Jamaican rugby league team, known as the Reggae Warriors. She is a dual-coded player, playing for the Rochdale Hornets in rugby league and Bury RFC in rugby union.
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