Army Senior Women’s Head Coach, WO2 Sarah Mitchelson (RLC), says that she is looking for the team to take more strides forward in its development at Twickenham this coming Saturday.
The red shirts may be in pole position to retain the Inter Service Championship title after their come-from-behind 36-8 win over the Royal Air Force at Kingsholm but WO2 Mitchelson insists that the team is taking nothing for granted ahead of this weekend’s decider at the home of England rugby.
“We have been very focused on ourselves and the performance we want for the fixture,” she says. “We are very much looking forward to the occasion and the crowd that we know will be supporting us.
“For me it may be one of the final games of the season, but we are still building and I am looking for progression in the areas we have been working on that we can take into next season.”
Saturday’s occasion might be the next in a career for WO2 Mitchelson which already spans more than a dozen Army Navy matches as player and coach, but it will be the last for Director of Women’s Rugby, Lt Col Charlie Maxwell (AGC (SPS)), who steps down from her role at the end of the season.
“We hope the day will be the perfect send off for our incredible DoR Charlie Maxwell,” WO2 Mitchelson says. “No one understands the meaning of the red shirt more than she does. Her commitment as a player and as the DoR has contributed to this iconic fixture.
“The day is testimonial to her hard work as DoR. As a squad we continually talk about filling the shirt and leaving it in a better place. Charlie has certainly done that and I can only hope we do her proud on Saturday and it’s a day she will remember.”
Words © New Dogs, Old Tricks
Header and featured image – Alligin Photography © Cat Goryn
