RNRU Royal Navy Rugby Union

Today the Royal Navy Rugby Union acknowledges the 116^th anniversary of the Entente Cordiale and celebrates the rugby between the Royal Navy Women and Marine Nationale Féminine who compete for the trophy that carries this lasting and very special accord’s name.

The proclamation of the Entente Cordiale on the 8^th April 1904 brought to an end almost a thousand years of sibling rivalry between England and France, two nations separated by a narrow but strategically significant stretch of water which depending on your preference is the English Channel or La Manche.  Of course, for any Bretons reading this they consider it their sea, ‘Mor Breizh’ whilst we have to travel West to the good folk of Kernow for a wider perspective as they call it Mor Bretannek (British Sea).  Both these Celtic names are perhaps a nod to the difference between the Celts relationship with France as opposed to the Anglo Saxons but more of that later. 

The accord is the longest current running foreign alliance of France and the third longest in France’s history.  And by common consent has been one of the most successful alliances.  However, though the fighting stopped the sibling rivalry has remained, particularly amongst the respective armed forces, who continued their combat on the sporting field.  Prior to the start of the current Royal Navy v Marine Nationale series in 2005, the Royal Navy had regularly travelled to France to play the French Army and then their Armed Forces along with some of the club sides nestled in the South West corner of France.  Eventually the fixtures were taken over by Combined Services, but they remained dear to the heart of many Navy rugby players of old and the stories of those mini tours continue to be recounted when Life Members meet to reminisce. 

It was therefore no surprise that the start of fixtures between the two Navies, at Kneller Hall in 2005, for the Babcock International Trophy, ‘Le Crunch’ quickly became a key fixture in the sporting calendar and was afforded full cap status by the Royal Navy in 2011.  As befitting of the French Republic who hold equality and liberty so dear to their hearts with the bust of Marianne often holding a place of honour, it was the French who suggested that a Women’s fixture was added to the occasion.  It was a great idea and welcomed by both Navies. The first match was 12-a-side held at HMS Drake but by the first game in Toulon, in 2012, it was XV-a-side and the Entente Cordiale Trophy had been gifted to the match by the Marine Nationale Féminin.  

As is so often the case with Anglo-French relations, it was not quite all as it seemed.  The French famed for their joie de vivre in their rugby had revived their oldest alliance that was also their longest lasting.  For 265 years the Gaelic An Seann-Chaidreachas or in French the Vielle Alliance, had existed between the Celts of Scotland, predominantly, but also the Irish, and France for the sole purpose of controlling English (Anglo-Saxon) invasions.  And so with their rugby the Marine Nationale Féminine had forged a formidable alliance with the ‘raven from Brest’ ,an Irish Byrne, a clan famed for their long fight for freedom and someone who brought structure, discipline and control to what was to prove to be an excellent French Women’s side.  To give context to this early French Women’s team it is perhaps best to compare them with some other great Women’s Service rugby sides that have been produced.  If there could be a competition between the Marine Nationale Féminine of 2012-2015, The RAF Women 2019, the unbeaten Australians Defence Force side who toured the UK in 2012 and either the 2008-09 or 2013-15 Army side it would be difficult to predict a winner but we would be certain to watch a top quality mini tournament.

Perversely the strength of the French side contributed to what remains the most successful period in the Royal Navy’s Women’s short history.  Though the results, whether in Toulon or back at home, did not look good on the surface it provided a real test for the Women’s team and provided a focus as they prepared for what was then their real opposition, the Royal Air Force.  Prior to 2011, and matches against Marine Nationale Féminin, the Air Force led the series 5-3 and but for some poor attack by them and heroic defence from the Navy in 2010 it should have been 6-2.  However, after the introduction of the Entente Cordiale Trophy, the Royal Navy Women fought back and by 2014 had levelled the series 6-6.  Since then, as is well documented, the RAF side have recruited and developed well and the culmination of five years of steady progress was rewarded with their first Inter Service title last season.

With the two domestic Inter Service opposition clearly ahead of the Royal Navy it was the fixtures against the Marine Nationale Féminine which provided a yardstick to measure progress and also a key away fixture to assist the important recruitment required to close the gap on both the Army and the RAF.  The match in 2017, played in front of the Wardroom at HMS Drake, stands out as the high point in the series, when viewed from a Royal Navy point of view.  Tries from Charlie Fredrickson, Stacey Hargrave and Drew Powell put the Marine Nationale Féminine under pressure that they had not encountered during the Entente Cordiale series however the elusive first win was not to be, and the opportunity was lost as the Navy Women’s side went into a couple of seasons of re-building.

It would be easy to look across to the other two UK Service Women sides and ask the question why the development in the Royal Navy has taken so much longer.  The Royal Navy does not have the numbers to match the Army who used to put out a number of Corps sides, such was their strength in depth.  Neither can it offer a work package similar to the RAF that allows players to easily combine topflight rugby in the Tyrrells Premier 15 League alongside Service life; sea deployments break the continuity required by these clubs.  But development is clearly happening and the loss of the match against the Marine Nationale Féminine this year was a loss of a first opportunity to see exactly where on the pathway the current Navy Women’s squad are.  Whilst success in Toulon, as the Men continue to find, is very difficult to achieve the match would have been a great experience for the emerging side and would have provided needed experience for the domestic Inter Services.  It is a view shared by the Marine National Féminine who, in their own words also believe

“Cependant le progrès des britanniques ainsi que les défis rencontrés lors de cette saison RCMN/F rééquilibrent l'entente cordiale entre les deux équipes “ 

I hope that the sequence is maintained and that when fixtures resume against the French the first fixture is away.  This definitely makes achieving a first win harder, but I do believe will provide greater development for the Women’s team and accelerate the development of a number of the youngsters who have not experienced Toulon and the Stade Leo Lagrange.  The Stade Leo Lagrange nestles at the edge of Toulon overlooked by the mountains of Coudon, Faron, Baou de Quatre Aures, Croupatier and Caume.  As you turn from the mountains the view is across the busy commercial and Naval port out to the Mediterranean Sea.  It is a wonderful place to play rugby, with a warming Southern sun on your back.  It is also a fitting stadium to resume playing ‘capped match’ rugby when both France and the United Kingdom emerge from the disruption of Covid-19.

I have no doubt that the first fixture will remind us all that rugby does bring its joie de vivre, a zest for life, but before then the Women from both sides, whether serving the Republic in the spirit of Marianne, or Regina, Her Majesty the Queen, have a busy and crucial role providing assistance to their respective Government’s civil ministries.  But we look forward to when the two sides are once more led out by their captains, past the Entente Cordiale Trophy and rugby can again be the combat of choice between the two Navies and their women sailors and ‘marinettes’.

By line: Geraint Ashton Jones
Images credit: © Alligin Photography