Serving soldier Semesa Rokoduguni dedicates try to his Army colleagues as he aims for regular England place

The Bath wing is 'a soldier first and a rugby player second' but has his sights set on tying down a place Eddie Jones' squad before returning to duty

Semesa Rokoduguni dedicated his try against Argentina to his fellow serving soldiers on Remembrance Day (Getty)

For Semesa Rokoduguni, scoring at Twickenham on Saturday was extra special. The Bath wing has three tries in three appearances for England, spread out over three frustrating years, but not even this mattered in comparison to the feeling of scoring a try on Remembrance Day.

The 30-year-old is part of the British Army, serving in the Royal Scouts Dragoon Guards, and is the first to admit that he is “a soldier first, a rugby player second”.

Having made his England debut in November 2014 to become the first serving British soldier to represent the national team since Tim Rodber in 1999, Rokoduguni had to wait another two years before he won his second cap in last year’s autumn internationals. His third, nearly an exact year later, coincided with the Remembrance Day tributes ahead Saturday’s 21-8 victory over Argentina, and the result was very much in the balance until he crossed in the 68th minute to put the result beyond doubt.

“It’s a special day for me; an honour and a privilege for me to be part of the team,” Rokoduguni said. “But to get over and score a try as well, on Remembrance Day; that means a lot too. For me, it is about going out there and representing the Army as a whole, all the guys who have been there before us and those boys who are serving right now. It is an honour and a privilege to represent the Armed Forces.

“A couple of my mates out there have been through quite a hard time, even in the regiment. Some of the guys were casualties out there, so for me to be out there representing them made it an emotional day for me.

“I dedicated my try to the boys out there. A few of my Scottish boys phoned up and said ‘Congrats mate, I can’t believe we’ve been cheering for England!’. I dedicate my try and the win to my regiment and the boys out there.”

Rokoduguni, like his England teammate Jonny May, has been in red-hot form for his club this season, scoring seven tries as many Premiership matches, following up from last season’s haul of 10 league scores. But international recognition has been hard to come by, with May, Elliot Daly, Anthony Watson and, up until this season, Marland Yarde ahead of him in the pecking order. Even Denny Solomona had squeezed ahead of Rokoduguni after featuring on the tour of Argentina in the summer, but when it came to Jones selecting his squad for the opening autumn international, it was Solomona who was sent home to Sale, and Rokoduguni who stayed in camp as the replacement back named on the bench.

This struggle for international chances pales in comparison to his real job though, and Saturday proved the perfect reminder of why the sporting world makes the effort to recognise the sacrifices that servicemen and women have made. Having toured Afghanistan in 2011, and his father being a member of the Fijian Army, Rokoduguni knows exactly what this sacrifice is.

Rokoduguni scored England's second try against Argentina (Getty)

“Before the season started I went up there [Scotland[ for a couple of days because we used to deal with tanks, but now we’ve moved to Jackals – we’re light cavalry – so I had to get used to those new vehicles,” he explained. “I had to familiarise myself with the drills and meet up with the boys there, because it’s been ages.

“We used to be based out in Germany, but now we are based in Leuchars up in Scotland so I went up there. I won’t get up there again until the end of this season. I’ll do a couple of courses and basically be a soldier again. It’s says on my contract that I’m a soldier first and a rugby player second.”

But at least for the next seven months until the season ends, he can focus on his rugby and trying to make the most of any international opportunities that come his way. “All I can do now is focus on the things I can control; my performance on the training field so that I keep banging on the door. I will review my stuff from today; things that I need to work on and improve, then train as hard as I can. I have to be ready for any opportunity that comes across.”