The page lists all the players who have ever represented the Royal Navy Rugby Union in a designated capped match.
The Royal Navy Rugby Union started awarding caps from 2011 for the Women's XV with a qualification of six Inter Service matches since 2008, the first player to be awarded a cap under this qualification rule was Vic Percival. In 2014 the qualifying criteria was altered and the Women were to be awarded their first cap after four Inter Service matches. The four matches had to be since 2009 and to include an appearance in IS2014 or later. This criteria left a couple of players in the hinterland between the old and the new criteria. After the 2014 match v the Royal Air Force Stacey Hargrave became the first to win her cap under the new criteria. The 2015 match against the Marine National Feminines was the first occasion that this game was considered a capped match. At the Annual General Meeting held in November 2017 the criteria was changed for a second time and the award of the Women's cap was brought in to alignment with the men's game. i.e. if you played in a capped game you received a cap without the requirement for any previous matches played. Like the previous change the amendment was not back dated. In 2022, Geraint Ashton Jones, raised the point about caps at the Annual General meeting with the point that caps should be backdated to bring the Women's game in alignment with the Men's game. An undertaking was given via the Vice Chair to have a re-look at the issue. At the 2023 Annual General Meeting it was confirmed that all Inter Service matches against the RAF and Army from 2003 would be considered capped games and that caps would be awarded to the players who played in those matches. This would be a retrospective award and would not alter the cap number for those players already capped. i.e. Vic Pervial would remain cap 1. This change does after an implication on how we report total number of caps and this is currently under debate. At the moment the total we show is only those caps awarded after 2011.
In 2023 against Marine Nationale, the first Royal Marine, Bronagh Gibb, was capped by the Royal Navy Women. In the same game Sam Alderson came off the bench to win her 21st cap and become the Women's most capped player.
Geraint Ashton Jones - March 2024
