Testing tackles and French ferocity: Army and Navy teams take on Le Crunch clashes

The British Army and Royal Navy men's and women's rugby union teams have played Le Crunch matches against their French counterparts.

The action started with a difficult test for the Army women as they lost 24-12 at the Stadium Lille Metropole before the men's team beat their French rivals later that evening by a 33-6 score.

A few days later, the Navy's fixtures saw both the men's (24-7) and women's (73-15) sides lose at Stade Mayol in Toulon.

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The highlight of the week for the UK military teams will have been the Army men's team's victory, but the Navy's men's match was a hard-fought display from the Senior Service.

The women's contests saw a difficult afternoon for the Navy team, where they will learn a lot from the experience but the Army's performance will be a great piece of preparation for the Inter Service despite the defeat.

The Inter Service matches are only a few weeks away now as the Navy and RAF clash in Northampton on 18 April live on the BFBS Forces News YouTube channel.