Last year’s Championship saw drama both on and off the pitch, where on reflection the crucial intervention might not have been not an end-to-end try or referee decision, but instead a fire which caused the postponement of the RAF’s clash with the Royal Navy at Witney RFC.
Instead of being the Championship curtain-raiser, that match instead became a decider thanks to the Navy beating the Army 15-10 and the Army beating the RAF 19-9.
The first of these went down to the wire, Navy replacement Harry Saunders going over for the winning try at the end of an 80 minutes which witnessed eight yellow cards and a red card shared between the Navy and Army.
The following week, the Army turned things around by outscoring the RAF three tries to nil in Aldershot. The three tries were scored before the hour mark, with resolute defence then holding the light blues out in the last quarter.
These two results meant that the trophy could still go to any of the three teams when the RAF hosted the Navy in Basingstoke. This time it was the RAF who threw out the form book, with lineout accuracy and precision allied to a strong kicking game at the heart of a 19-13 win.
So the Championship went to points difference, with the Army finishing on +5, the RAF on +4 and the Navy on -1.
The build-up to this year’s campaign has seen mixed results for all the teams.
The Navy have beaten Brixham RFC and Portsmouth University U23, but have also experienced losses to Ivybridge RFC, Devonport Services RFC and Bristol University.
The Army have beaten Esher RFC, but lost to Sidmouth RFC, Cardiff Met University and Rams RFC.
Meanwhile the RAF’s Under-23's team has had just the one formal fixture – a loss to Cambridge University – but Under-23's qualified players
But of course it is only the Inter Service Championship which counts, which kicks off on Wednesday, 13 November at USSG Portsmouth when the Navy hosts the RAF.
Attention then turns to Witney RFC in Oxfordshire for the RAF’s home game against the Army on Wednesday, 20 November.
Finally the Army host the Navy in Aldershot on Wednesday, 27 November.
All three matches kick off at 1900hrs, with entry free for all.