Inter Service title race: Will the Army or the RAF end up with a win?
The British Army’s chances of winning the Inter Service title have increased following stellar performances from both their men's and women's teams last weekend at Twickenham.
Seeing off the Royal Navy at the home of England Rugby is the perfect springboard that the reds needed as they look to add more silverware to their trophy cabinets at their home base in Aldershot.
But it would be silly of the Army to go into Kingsholm Stadium, home of Goucester Rugby, thinking that they have a straightforward path to victory, especially when it is the Royal Air Force that currently stand in their way.
The Army women are the team who will need to be looking over their shoulder.
After dominating the Navy with a 78-5 victory, they can expect the RAF to provide stiffer opposition compared to what they faced at Twickenham.
The RAF saw off the Navy in their opening Inter Service clash in Plymouth with a 34-12 victory, but they were without some of their notable stars including Amy Cokayne, Sarah Bonar and Chelsey Greasley.
The light blues cannot count on Bonar in their clash against the Army as she is currently out due to injury.
But they will be bolstered by England hooker Cokayne, who will be joining their line-up in Kingsholm fresh off the back of helping England win their third successive grand slam in the Women's Six Nations.
In the men’s championship, the Army will be looking to regain the Inter Services title they lost to the Navy last year.
And they made the first step to achieving that after a last-minute try against the Navy at Twickenham clinched them a narrow 43-42 win.
The RAF will be hoping that they can cause an upset at Kingsholm and are within reach of doing that after a narrow 25-24 loss to the Navy in Plymouth and following the Navy's loss to the Army last weekend.
Championship consequences
In the women's championship, the Army have long been the dominant force in the Inter Service Championship since the women's game gained entry into the tournament in 2003, a sequence of titles broken only by the Royal Air Force when they won the title in 2019.
And the RAF will hope that the addition of their international star Amy Cokayne can make a difference, considering their path to victory isn't as straightforward as the Army's.
For the three services, their path to the Inter Service title looks like this:
- The Army will win if they beat the RAF or if they draw the RAF due to superior points difference.
- The RAF can only win if they beat the Army.
- The Royal Navy cannot win.
In the men's championship, the Army put an end to the Royal Navy's hopes of defending their Inter Service title at Twickenham, making it a two-way race to the title between the Army and the RAF.
The Army have a chance of taking back the title they last won in 2022, but the RAF may fancy their chances as they look to win the title for the first time since 2018.
For the three services, their path to the Inter Service title looks like this:
- The Army will win if they beat or draw against the RAF.
- The RAF will win if they beat the Army by two points or more.
- The reigning champions, the Navy, cannot win.
Who to watch out for
British Army Men - Vereimi Qorowale
Rifleman Vereimi Qorowale provided the most memorable moment at Twickenham last week where he stunned the Navy with a last-minute try in front of 46,092 supporters at Twickenham Stadium.
The versatile Fijian, who can play in the centre or on the wing, is currently on loan to Doncaster Knights from Newcastle Falcons this season.
Royal Air Force Men - Josh McNally
Corporal Josh McNally has played a fundamental role in the RAF rugby set-up for over a decade.
Often playing as a lock 4 on the second row, McNally currently plays professionally in Premiership Rugby for Bath and earned his first cap for England when he played against the USA in 2021. He was named UK Armed Forces Sportsman of the Year in 2018.
British Army Women - Courtney Pursglove
Lance Corporal Courtney Pursglove scored a brace against the Navy at Twickenham and was also on conversion duties.
The utility back is currently playing for Ealing Trailfinders for the 2023/24 season, where she joined from Sale Sharks, and has trained with England Sevens and played in exhibition matches at the London Sevens.
Royal Air Force Women - Amy Cokayne
Flight Lieutenant Amy Cokayne will be a key player for the RAF off the back of helping England win their third consecutive Grand Slam in the Women's Six Nations.
The England hooker was on the RAF team that won the Inter Service title in 2019 and switched to Leicester Tigers from Harlequins for the 2023/24 season.
How to watch
The matches will be live on the Forces News YouTube channel with coverage with the women's match beginning at 10:45 BST and the men's at 15:00 BST.
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.
Related topics
Join Our Newsletter
