PWR stars set to shine in Service colours

The Inter Service Championship Women’s title is on the line at Gloucester’s Kingsholm Stadium on Saturday, 17 May, and there are plenty of Premiership Women's Rugby stars set to light up the pitch for the British Army and Royal Air Force.

The most recognisable face on the field will be Amy Cokayne, an England legend who hit the 100-appearance mark in the league when she helped Leicester Tigers beat Sale Sharks in January 2025.

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Exeter Chiefs' Lucy Nye was one of the faces of the PWR Up campaign at the start of the season, and she has once again skippered the Royal Air Force to within 80 minutes of a much sought-after title, after leading the team to a 36-10 win over the Royal Navy at cinch Stadium at Franklin’s Gardens.

Her opposite captain, Jade Mullen, is a former Wales 7s international and a regular face on the PWR scene, having played for Harlequins between 2018 and 2024.

Indeed, Harlequins will be well represented at Kingsholm Stadium.

Current Scotland star, Sarah Bonar, has 50 appearances in the league and returns to the Light Blues fresh from the Six Nations. And while centre Orla Proctor has just the two outings in the PWR Up Series for Quins this season, the 22-year-old is very much seen as a talent to watch out for in the future, having played age grade for Scotland and represented Glasgow Warriors in the Celtic Challenge this season, and just having signed a new contract at Harlequins.

Meanwhile, Lauren Brooks, another seasoned campaigner for Harlequins, was named Player of the Match in the British Army’s 96-0 win over the Navy at Allianz Stadium in Inter Service Championship Round 2.

She is under no illusions as to the challenge which will be facing the Army, saying: “It will be a clean sheet going into the RAF and they’ll bring a different type of game, but we just need to make sure we can be the best of ourselves. Amy and Bonar will be a big test, they’ll see where we’re lacking and will aim to put the ball in the spaces we leave, but we’ll be ready.”

Also for the Army, Sophie Benavent is set for a front row showdown against clubmate Cokayne, and full back Courtney Pursglove counts Sale Sharks and Trailfinders Women among her former teams.

The respective coaches are also well recognised in the women's game.

Sarah Mitchelson has taken the Army team from strength to strength in her three seasons in charge. As well as representing the red shirts, Mitchelson played more than 200 games for Wasps before retiring in 2021, a year after qualifying as a Level 3 coach. She played 34 times for the Army and 15 times for Combined Services/UK Armed Forces.

On the opposition benches, Sian Williams is at the end of her first season as Head Coach of the RAF Women. Williams also enjoyed a stellar playing career and was the first RAF woman rugby player to be granted elite athlete status, which in turn opened the door to becoming Wales’s first full-time female professional player. Williams represented her country 23 times after her debut in 2011 and was named in the BBC 100 Women list in 2016.

Kick off between the British Army and Royal Air Force is at 11:00am on Saturday, 17 May. Tickets start at £5 for juniors and £17 for adults, with 20% savings available for groups of six or more. Tickets also include the day’s game between the Army Men and RAF Men, which kicks off at 3:15pm.

Book tickets via www.eticketing.co.uk/gloucesterrugby/events

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