Inter Services rugby union: Army game a 'must-win' for RAF men
RAF men's rugby union head coach Flight Sergeant Justin Coleman has said his team "must beat the Army" in their titanic clash in Gloucester on Saturday.
The Air Force have been training at Stourbridge Rugby Club ahead of their trip to the Kingsholm Stadium where their match against the Army will be broadcast live on the Forces News YouTube channel.
Flt Sgt Coleman said: "We knew that if we want to win the Inter Services, we’ve got to beat the Army so the second game - it doesn’t change much for us."
"It was great to get that draw [against the Navy in match one]. We could have won.
"We could have lost that game but to go into the second game with everything to play for is a good place for us."
The RAF's rare 13-13 draw against the Navy in Plymouth sets up a potential situation that hasn't been seen since 2015, as the title will be decided during the Army v Navy event.
If the RAF were to be crowned champions, they would lift the Inter Services trophy at Twickenham Stadium like they did under Tug Wilson's stewardship eight years ago.
However, Flt Sgt Coleman isn't looking past their Gloucester test, despite the Army's change of management at the start of the season with Captain Mal Roberts stepping down as head coach.
He said: "Yeah, we know the Army. They’ve got a lot of experience in their team.
"You put guys in a red shirt and they’re going to perform.
"They’ve got some stardust in some of their players that are coming through, so they’re going to be a big threat and challenge.
"The Army always are [a threat and a challenge], regardless if they’re going through some transitional phases at the minute in terms of coaches, management, players, but they’re still a threat.
"They’ve still got big ball-players, big carriers and we’ll need to nullify those like we did in Plymouth against the Navy."
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