Royal Navy U23s and women's development team impress with victories

It was double delight for Royal Navy rugby union this week after wins for the men's under-23s and women's development teams.

The Navy's young stars are preparing for next month's Inter Services, which will begin in Stourbridge against the RAF on 12 November, and a 39-19 win over the University of Portsmouth was perfect preparation.

The match was held at Burnaby Road in Portsmouth, which is a stadium used by both organisations, and the Navy led from the start to have a 12-0 lead at the break.

• Two late tries not enough to save RAF from Le Crunch loss to French Air Force
• Rams Raid: Army Under 23s suffer a heavy defeat in the opening game of their season
• Amy Cokayne scores try to help Red Roses to World Cup victory against Canada

The second half saw some Portsmouth resistance, but the Navy ran away with a 39-19 win.

Over at HMS Collingwood, a Navy women's development team were in action against a team from Havant Rugby Club.

A mix of experience and fresh faces was on show, including UKAF stars Jasmine Abel and Laika Swain for James Pilbeam's first selection of the season as head coach.

They also led 12-0 at the break thanks to tries from Holly Cole and Kaitlin Bark, which set them up for a classy win.

Abel's trademark jinking running led her to score in the second half, and it was Cole who took the headlines with a hat-trick in a 33-5 win.