Pte Courtney Pursglove (RLC) may have been the focus of attention after marking her first Senior Women’s cap with two tries against the RAF, but the flying winger was quick to pay tribute to the contributions of the whole match day 23 for the opening Inter-Services Championship win.
Pte Pursglove caught the eye on the Sevens circuit last summer, and she showed her eye for the line with a first-half brace which demonstrated both her close-range footwork and speed over extended distances.
But while individuals score the tries, they are created by the team, and the 24-10 win was built on effort and quality across the pitch, according to the debutant.
“From the get-go we gave it everything,” she said. “No words can explain how proud I am of everyone who was on the pitch. Without them we wouldn’t have had the success that we did.
“I was shaking all day, and tried to stay composed on the pitch. So when the ball came to me I was like ‘go!’, I didn’t look around I just ran. It would have been nice for a hat trick but that’ll have to wait until next time!”
The 12-0 lead Pte Pursglove’s tries gave the team was critical as the RAF fought back in the third quarter to reduce the deficit to two points before the Army pulled away once more.
“The RAF were phenomenal and put us under a load of pressure. We had to come back strong, which we did,” added Pte Pursglove.
The fourth and final try came from team skipper SSgt Jade Mullen (AGC (SPS)), who gave some insight into the work done behind the scenes which paid off at Kingsholm.
“It’s absolutely great,” she said. “We wanted to work on not being individuals and instead being one team, and really worked on our culture in our last few training camps, that that showed in the game.
“It was a hesitant first part of the second half, but we got under the posts and got it together, stuck to what we know best, and got that third try.”
Tickets for the 2022 Army Navy match (April 30th, Twickenham) are now available.
The fourth and final try came from team skipper SSgt Jade Mullen (AGC (SPS)), who gave some insight into the work done behind the scenes which paid off at Kingsholm.
“It’s absolutely great,” she said. “We wanted to work on not being individuals and instead being one team, and really worked on our culture in our last few training camps, that that showed in the game.
“It was a hesitant first part of the second half, but we got under the posts and got it together, stuck to what we know best, and got that third try.”
Tickets for the 2022 Army Navy match (April 30th, Twickenham) are now available.
