Challenge Cup: Royal Navy match 'biggest event of season' for RAF in first round

Both the Royal Navy and Royal Air Force enjoy regular, annual encounters in the Inter-Services matches

Britain's armed forces work together routinely in operations around the world on a regular basis, but occasionally the teamwork makes way for something different.

Such as, Saturday's Challenge Cup tie which pits the Royal Air Force against the Royal Navy for a place in round two.

There has always been a healthy competition within the forces, and inter-forces rugby league is just one domain in which the superiority is up for grabs.

"The rivalry has been there for years. There is a great spirit to the games - there's plenty of aggression," the Navy's head coach Darren Bamford told BBC Sport.

"There's a great camaraderie between the players and the different forces, but we want to win and to be the best."

Opposite number, RAF boss James Hutchinson agrees. "There's always added spice, and the tempo goes up a bit," he said.

"Playing the army and the navy is the biggest event of the season - everything is geared toward it."

This will be a personal highlight for Hutchinson, as it is his first game in charge since succeeding Garry Dunn in the head coach role for 2024, having been a player, strength and conditioning coach and assistant coach.

The magic of the cup

The historical might of the Challenge Cup with its memories of Wembley finals and famous moments has captured the imagination of many a fan and player, and representing your service in the competition is special.

Services were invited to enter the competition back in 1999, and have rubbed shoulders with the professional clubs on occasions.

The Navy reached round four in 2022, with Bamford involved at stand-off as they were beaten by Championship side Batley.

"A lot of the lads have grown up in the north in Yorkshire and Lancashire although we do get the odd player from the south, and they've grown up with the Challenge Cup," said Navy coach Bamford, who played for Salford and Swinton in the professional game.

"As a kid I remember going down to Wembley every year with my dad.

"It's even more special to be playing in the Challenge Cup as a service representative because it gets us involved and in the limelight. We don't get the same publicity as the National Conference League clubs.

"It's a great chance to publicise and showcase armed forces rugby league, what great sides and players we've got and a great occasion."

Participants are drawn from sections of their service all over, and get a taste of professional rugby league in some respects during their build-up.

"Everyone is excited to join up for the camps," ex-Keighley player Hutchinson said. "There's always a buzz, as we come from all corners of the country. We meet up on a Monday and train twice a day with the game in this instance on Saturday.

"Some of the lads will play for civilian clubs [community clubs] aside from that, but for some of the lads they don't have rugby league clubs where they're deployed or stationed, so playing for the RAF is their only chance to play."

Putting a squad together

Both coaches will understand the pressures of trying to maintain a regular squad for their season of fixtures, given the nature of their work.

"Especially with what's going on in the world at the moment, we are still missing a few players - every training camp is the same," Bamford said.

Hutchinson added: "There are always challenges. People get their deployments and detachments earlier in the year, and we've been really lucky to only be missing three players from the side that we had in September.

Players are drawn from all over the forces network, depending on their deployment status

"Generally it's injuries, deployments and detachments that rule players out for us."

Players are also drawn from across the military's hierarchical system of ranks, so anyone from an officer to a seaman or an airman could find themselves on the same team.

"Yeah, there's no ranks on the field," Hutchinson said. "An officer could be stood outside and airman and he'll get told if he's not in the line or doing what they should."

Support from above

Playing rugby league in the armed forces is a relatively recent notion, given the lifting of the ban on the sport in 1994.

The work of people such as the RAF's Damian Clayton in establishing an unofficial rugby league side and then fighting to have it and the right to play the 13-man game recognised has resulted in a thriving scene within the forces network.

Some players have gone on to play in the professional game, with the Army's Ratu Naulago and Mitieli Vulikijapani at Hull FC, and York centre Carrie Roberts all making the elite grade across men's and women's sport in recent years.

"Our chain of command, the COs [commanding officers] and Divisional Officers are fully supportive," Bamford continued.

"Not only because for a lot of the lads it gets them into a team environment that they can excel in, but also for some who are in intense and high-tempo jobs it's a break from work and a chance to be around friends and play a game they love."

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