Combined Services Women (22) v Nomads (7)
Newbury - 14 November 2006

Reporter/Photographer: Roger Thompson

A powerful pack and outstanding individual performances from Spr Jane Leonard and SSgt Martina Ashton APTC failed to prevent the CS Women going under to a star studded Nomads team by 22 points to 7 at Newbury - the curtain-raiser to the CS v Barbarians Remembrance match.

The CS Women’s team has already gained in stature since their inaugural fixture against the Dutch national team last year, but the match programme highlighted the intensity of their 2006 challenge - the Nomads, fielding fourteen players with an international provenance including England star Susie Appleby, with 63 caps to her name, at fly half.

The Services did not lack for ball from a competitive pack that included newly recruited 2Lt Chrissie O'Flynn RAMC, sister of the injured ex-England hooker and Army vet, Ann O'Flynn, and Capt Kat Woods QARANC who has represented England A.

The forward power generated territorial pressure on the Nomads although too much attacking ball was spilled in the greasy conditions. Nevertheless the Services with Woods and former Welsh international Maj Jules Parke Robinson, who came into the back row with Jane Leonard, were steadfast into contact and quick to seize an advantage. A forwards try by No4, Sgt Kirsten Taylor AGC(SPS), gave the Services a slight lead at half-time by 7 points to 5.

When the Services moved the ball to attack, Army fly half Martina Ashton, who played for Wasps and now skippers the team at Henley, was full of confident running. Her half back Army partner, Fijian Nancy Tuva AGC(SPS), may have been a little quiet when it came to cajoling her forwards but she was a smooth, quick and consistent operator. LCpl Titilia Bani and the Navy's Pat Garrett in full flight were difficult to subdue and naval Lt Beth Simmons, from HMS Enterprise, steadied the ship consistently well at full back.

For the Nomads, England's hooker Selena Rudge made her mark in the loose whilst Wasps and Australia's No8 Deena Aiken frequently punctured the first line of the Services' defence to set up a series of sophisticated attack options beyond the gain line. With the score-line at 10-7 to Nomads for much of the 2nd half, the Nomads piled on the pressure in the last 10 minutes and were rewarded with 2 late tries by Richmond winger, Claire Davies - her hat-trick.

It is not difficult to understand why Combined Services Chairman and former Richmond flanker Lt Col Eilean Cunningham declared that she was "delighted with the Combined Services' performance" adding that it "ably demonstrated that CS women could compete on the international stage and she questioned why many more Navy, Army and Air Force women did not, when operational deployments allowed, play at a higher representative level".

Army Women dominate Combined Services Team