Army Rugby Secures Record-Breaking Win

Despite the challenging result at the largest of Service occasions, the Royal Navy Senior Women can take pride in the resilience and determination shown by their players in the face of a near invincible Army performance. The match demonstrated the Army's profound strength in depth, their exceptional teamwork and skill on the field. In the build up to the fixture the Navy faced less capable opposition; the Army thwarted their every attempt to exploit opportunities and implement their game plan efficiently.

It was one-way traffic throughout with the Red Shirts taking an early lead after forcing a five-metre scrum, No. 8 Manu Komaitai picking from the base to smash her way over for a try converted by Courtney Pursglove.

The lead was extended soon after as player-of-the-match Lauren Brooks blasted over from close range, and the Army’s fast start continued as Pursglove collected a delicate grubber kick to dot down for a third try inside a quarter-of-an-hour.

The full back added the extras for 19 - 0, Navy failing with a shot at goal as they tried to get on the board before Pursglove broke 60 metres as her side chased another score.

A knock-on put paid to that attempt, but the points kept coming as second row Heidi Silcox brushed off a couple of would-be tacklers to touch down to the right of the posts.

Pursglove side-stepped two defenders to double her tally, the conversion making it 31-0 at more than a point-per-minute.

Wing Hannah Gilmour was next to weave her way across the whitewash, the extras added from in front of the uprights.

Brooks doubled up from close range and in added time Gilmour repeated the trick, another conversion making it 50-0 at the break.

Pursglove butchered a gilt-edged chance for her hat-trick when knocking on with the line at her mercy, but Amy Carr then intercepted to glide under the posts for her side’s ninth try.

The scores kept coming as Charlotte Tweddle and Sarah Batley touched down, the latter converted for 69-0 midway through the third quarter.

Komaitai crashed over for a second before skipper Jade Mullen and Holly Beacom took the number of Army try-scorers into double figures, prop Becky Wilson landing the kick.

The game began to fizzle out before substitute India King peeled off a maul to power over on the left with four minutes remaining, and last year’s record of 95 - 0 was broken with the final play as scrum-half replacement Fern Scobie scooted down the right.

The Royal Navy put up a brave defence throughout as they continued to find their first try of the game, but at full time the British Army proved too strong for the Senior Service as they won the Babcock Trophy for the fourth year running with a dominant 96 - 0 win at the home of English Rugby.

Speaking about the match, an emotional Rose Dixon said, “…I think we came into the pitch feeling that we deserved a better score line like than that. I still take away from that an immense pride for the girls. They played incredibly and I told them not to let their heads drop and they didn’t, and we went out again and again, so yeah, just really proud of the girls today. And you know, credit where credit is due, the Army were phenomenal. Lots to think about to take forward.”

Senior Women: A Baker, R Addis, L Honeybell; R Staples (VC), R Sinclair; L Swain, E Brightwell, J Bryan; S Tulloch, R Dixon (C), F Mullett, J Shaw, S McLaughlin, S Hill, J Abel.

Replacements: ⁠F Moore, K Bark, T Haywood, Y Mealy, R Tuvou, A Ashby, J Banks, J Parnaby.

Words by C Wearmouth

Images by PPAUK