His Majesty’s Armed Forces women’s team ended their UK tour on a high with a 19–10 victory over the Vodafone LooseHeadz in the 2025 Women’s International Defence Rugby Competition Challenge Cup playoffs.
Tonga scored three first-half tries, holding off a second-half surge from the British side, which managed only two.
Coach Major Caroline Fairs praised the squad’s rapid progress. “The girls were absolutely incredible,” she said. “Seventy per cent of the team had never played rugby before and we only had five weeks to prepare.”
Early training focused on fitness, followed by core rugby skills. “To get even to the first game – against a well-drilled UK side – was a huge achievement,” Major Fairs said.
Captain Second Lieutenant Luseane Vivili celebrated the team’s steady improvement. “I’m so proud of the girls. We started slow with a big loss to the United Kingdom team but we learnt from the experience and got better throughout the tournament,” she said.
Their standout clash was a 31–39 third-round thriller against Ireland. The Australian Defence Force funded travel and provided uniforms for the Tongan and Fijian teams, support Vivili called “a huge honour for all of us representing His Majesty’s Armed Forces on the world stage.”
