SERBIAN soldiers visiting Colchester were shown weapons and vehicles used by the British Army.

The Serbian Armed Forces is competing against Great Britain, Australia and New Zealand in the Armed Forces Rugby League World Cup, which is being held at Colchester’s Merville Barracks.

They have yet to score a point in their two matches so far, losing to Australia 112-0 and 98-0 to Great Britain.

Troops from 2 Para, based in Colchester, showed the team weapons they would use as the British Army’s airborne reaction force.

Lieutenant Colonel Dragan Todorov, who heads up the 25-strong Serbian squad, said: “Rugby League is a growing sport in Serbia and our players are young and inexperienced.

“We are playing against established teams and the matches have been very hard for us, but this is an excellent experience to learn the sport and improve.

“The facilities we have been using are fantastic and we have been very well looked after.

“A lot of the team are cadets from the Serbian Military Academy and it is very interesting for them to learn about British equipment.”

Tournament organiser Major Nick Galle said: “They’ve played with heart and determination throughout and have been fantastic sporting representatives for their country.”

The Serbians’ next match will be against New Zealand at 11.30am on Saturday as part of the Colchester Garrison Show.

Taking place on Abbey Field, the event will also include a match between Great Britain against Australia, kicking off at 1.30pm.