Surgeon Captain John Inverdale, Royal Navy, was a serving officer for many years and a very proficient rugby player. He represented the Devonport Services, based at the Rectory, Plymouth. When he died, his son, John Inverdale, of BBC and rugby journalist fame, and his daughter Jendy Weekes presented a trophy to be contested by Devonport Services and United Services, based in Portsmouth.

With the demise of that fixture, John and Jendy allowed the trophy to be competed for as the annual Inter-Command trophy. Five Commands compete for the coveted trophy: Plymouth Command, Portsmouth Command, Naval Air Command, Scotland Command and the Royal Marines.

With the Rugby World Cup about to start, John Inverdale junior was unable to attend this year but Jendy Weekes was present for the final day of rugby which saw both a Plate and Cup final played at The Rectory where Jendy had watched her father play on many occasions. A moving time for Jendy, made all the more enthralling when Plymouth Command made it to the Cup final. The Plate was competed for by the very strong Royal Marines side, who thrashed Scotland Command 98-7. In the Cup final, Plymouth lost to Naval Air Command by just three points, going down 10-13.