Army Senior Women captain, SSgt Jade Mullen (AGC (SPS)) says that the Inter Service Championship title was won thanks to a squad effort.
The red shirts retained their title with a win over the Royal Navy at Twickenham, but while the 67-5 scoreline was comprehensive, the balance of play elsewhere was more even for long periods, and the Army’s 11 tries came in regular bursts throughout the team.
Indeed, on the hour mark the difference between the teams in terms of possession was a mere two percent. And SSgt Mullen acknowledged that this reflected how much of a challenge the 80 minutes had been.
“It was a really good game,” SSgt Mullen commented. “I’m proud of the girls. They put in the performance we asked for. We lost a bit of structure at the start, but came out in the second half and listened to the Head Coach’s points.
“I’m not sure whether it was the stage and whether it got to people or not, or whether we were a bit complacent, but when we did get into it we worked hard. But the Navy brought it as well. They’re improving every year, which is what we want, and it was a 50/50 game, even if the scoreline reflects differently.”
Seven of the 11 tries came from Bdr Bethan Dainton (RA) and Pte Courtney Pursglove (RLC), who showed their eye for an opportunity and the power, pace and skill to capitalise on it. But while praising their individual achievements SSgt Mullen also said that they were able to finish off work done by the rest of the team.
“Obviously it’s great to have players like Bethan and Courtney,” she said. “But for me it’s the work done by the forwards in the middle, getting our structure right, and when we do that we put people like Bethan and Courtney into space. That’s what’s important. People in the middle, like the front rowers, get missed out, and they do a lot of work for us.
“It’s great to highlight them too, but it’s a squad effort altogether.”
Words © New Dogs, Old Tricks
Images – Alligin Photography © Army v Navy Match
