Royal Air Force Senior Men’s captain, Alex Stanley, says that Wednesday’s clash with the French Air Force is as close to the intensity and passion that the team will experience during the Inter Service Championship.
In a contest where momentum changed regularly throughout the 80 minutes, only a late drop goal and converted try from fly half, Cdt Adrien, took the contest away from the RAF in a 22-30 final score.
Toby Evans’ early try gave the RAF a lead, but the French struck back to build up a 20-10 advantage. However home fly half, Jordan Oatley, was having a great night from the tee, and four unanswered penalties gave his team a two-point advantage going into the final few minutes.
“It was a close game and exactly the dog fight that we wanted,” Stanley commented. “We just didn’t quite execute and weren’t clinical in the areas we wanted to be. It was super close until that last try, but that’s how rugby goes.
“It’s as close to the IS as we’re going to get, and was the perfect test. We can look at the things we need to improve and our work-ons and go from there.”
Stanley’s disappointment at the result was tempered by the character shown by the team in clawing their way back from a 10-point deficit against a French outfit which had shown its talent and danger with ball in hand throughout.
“I was banging on about it all week, about resilience and being able to bounce back if we do go down,” the second rower said. “The boys definitely did that. They fronted up, and even when we went 10 points down the boys were still up for it, getting back into the fight, and I commend them for that.”
There are two more Anglo-French clashes coming up for the UK Armed Forces in March, with the British Army heading to Pau on March 15 and the Royal Navy’s men and women facing their French counterparts in Vannes the following day.
Stanley said that these games will provide a useful yardstick as the preparations for the 2024 Inter Service Championship move into their next phase, adding: “It’s handy because we all get the footage and work around that. Things do change for IS, but it gives us a pretty good idea going into that competition.”
The RAF take on the Royal Navy at Plymouth’s Brickfields Stadium on Saturday, April 20, and the British Army on Saturday, May 11.
For tickets head to:
Royal Navy v RAF | www.plymouthalbion.com/tickets
RAF v British Army | www.eticketing.co.uk/gloucesterrugby
Tickets also remain on sale for Army v Navy 2024 at www.eticketing.co.uk/rfu