9 Point Gap at the Top of National Two South

Henley Hawks remain top of the league as Dorking keep pace, Chinnor slip out of the top four whilst the fight for survival continues. Here is what happened in Round 22 in National League Two South and also Talking Rugby Union looks ahead to Round 23 of action.

Round 22 Review
Old Elthamians 18-23 Henley Hawks
Henley Hawks maintained their spot at the top of National Two South after this win over the Old Etlthamians. They stay nine points clear of Dorking thanks to two late penalties from scrum half Connor Murphy. This was another determined effort from the Hawks who once again had to come from behind to beat the Old E’s. The hosts started well and took a 13-0 lead thanks to some great ball retention and good territory work. The Old E’s led 13-5 at half-time, but could only manage one more try in the second half as Henley took control against a tiring Old E’s side.

Clifton 11-15 Dorking
Dorking edged out 10th placed Clifton in this one to pick up their ninth away victory of the season. Dorking have the best away record this campaign, but will be disappointed not to have secured their 12th bonus point. They can reduce that nine point gap at the top of the table if they win their game in hand against Southend in two weeks’ time, but they seem nailed on to have a shot at promotion. As for Clifton, this was their second defeat on the trot after a positive start to 2015.

Taunton 33-17 Shelford
Taunton bounced back straight away from their defeat to Redruth last week to pick up victory on Saturday against relegation threatened Shelford. This was Shelford’s 10th away defeat of the season and another match where their discipline was brought into question as two yellow cards seemed to cost them. Taunton raced into a 29-5 lead at half-time, but even with a late rally from the visitors it was another successful home win for Taunton.    

Worthing Raiders 33-11 Southend Saxons
Worthing moved back into the top four places after this win against Southend, but this was certainly a stop start game by all accounts. Southend suffered a number of injuries throughout the game, but the Raiders didn’t let that affect them as they did play some good rugby with them winning this match in a 15 minute period. Worthing have been in excellent form recently and some say it has come too late in the season, but nevertheless this was another comfortable win for the hosts.

Bishop’s Stortford 45-20 Redruth
After back to back defeats, Stortford returned to winning ways and maintained their remarkable bonus point tally for the season. The hosts have picked up 21 bonus points this season and without them, they would currently be 12th. As the score line suggests this was a much improved performance by Stortford who, despite another slow start, raced to a 31-6 lead at halftime.  The home side took their foot of the pedal in the second half, but did enough to fight off a comeback from Redruth with the visitors ending the game with 14 men as their replacement prop Jon Drew was shown a red card.  A tough away day for The Reds.

Cambridge 22-14 Chinnor
This game was a great advert for National Two rugby. Cambridge came away victorious from this entertaining match at Volac Park thanks to some great handling whilst dominant with possession.  The hosts lead 15-14 at the break and would have been pleased that they kept Chinnor (who were fourth before the start of play) to nil in the second half. Cambridge have played three of the top four in the last three weeks and with this win are now just seven points behind Chinnor.

Cornish All Blacks 16-13 Lyndey
The Cornish All Blacks ended a run of three games without a win as they narrowly beat Lyndey. This was the All Blacks’ sixth home win of the season and after a tough start to the campaign, they now look as if they are safe for another season in National Two South. The same cannot be said for Lydney. After a vital win against Southend last week , they remain three points from safety and are still the only side without an away win to their name this season.

Canterbury 31-14 Dings Crusaders
A lively butcontrolled second half performance secured Canterbury a crucial win over the league’s bottom club. This bonus point win gives them some extra breathing space in the battle against relegation and it was helped with the four teams below them all losing. In addition to this, Canterbury travel to Henley next weekend and then host Dorking seven days later, so this win was important. Canterbury secured the win with a quarter of the game remaining as they opened up an 18 point gap which they never looked like losing. This was a positive display by Dings but they are 17 points from safety and look like their National Two days are numbered.

Round 23 Preview
Henley Hawks v Canterbury
Henley go into this game on the back of four straight wins and are starting to pick up their early season form again at the right time, as they enter the final stretch of the campaign. They have won all 10 of their matches at home this season and host Canterbury who have won just once on the road.  That win for Canterbury came against Bishop’s Stortford a month ago.
Both of these sides are in great form as Canterbury have also won four of their last five games at the perfect time in the season,  but this will be an extremely tough challenge for them. Henley edged out Canterbury 28-30 earlier in the season.

Dorking v Old Elthamians
Dorking host Old Elthamians this weekend, knowing that if they put one foot out of line, then they can wave goodbye to their title chances. The gap between themselves and third place Taunton is only seven points so their playoff place is still far from secured just yet. Dorking  have won eight of their 10 home games this season and are unbeaten in their last four matches overall.  
As for the Old E’s, they have won just twice in their last six matches and have won four times away from home this season. The stats don’t bode well for the Old E’s as they have not won against Dorking in their last five meetings.

Dings Crusaders v Taunton
For bottom club Dings Crusaders, they really could do with Tom Cruise in their side [not the one who plays at Rotherham] as it is seems it is ‘Mission Impossible’ for them to stay in this division. They are 17 points from safety with eight games to go so it is still mathematically possible for them to stay up, but it looks a long shot. Without a win in nine and just three wins all season, it doesn’t look promising.
They host a Taunton side this weekend that returned to winning ways last Saturday and may still hold hopes for securing a playoff place, but they must not make a mistake between now and April. The Titans have won five games away from home this season and did beat the Crusaders 31-19 back in November.

Redruth v Worthing Raiders
Redruth suffered a heavy defeat to Bishop’s Stortford last week and it doesn’t get much easier this Saturday as they host fourth place Worthing. The Reds have won their last five matches at home in all competitions but have won just twice in their last five matches overall. They are currently 15 points clear of the drop zone which should be more than enough for them to stay in this division.
 In terms of Worthing they have been flying lately. One defeat in their last six matches as seen them jump into the top four, but if they had maintained these results all season they may well have been challenging for a National One place. Worthing lost on their last away outing, but did win 12-10 on November 1st against Redruth.

Shelford v Bishop’s Stortford
After last week’s defeat to Taunton it doesn’t get much easier for Shelford as they take on fifth place Bishop’s Stortford in the derby this Saturday. Shelford are in deep trouble once again and find themselves nine points from safety. They have won just twice in their last 12 matches and have won just four times at home this season.
As for Stortford, two defeats in a row in the last three games look to have ended their promotion challenge and now they will be looking to end the season as strong as possible. They could still have a shot at a National One spot for next season, but they would need results to fall kindly for them. Stortford have won three out of their last five matches and have won five games away from home this season. Stortford also had the bragging rights in this fixture earlier in the season when they won 31-20 at Silver Lays.

Chinnor v Clifton
Chinnor’s mixed form lately has also seen them fall away from the promotion race and they will want to bounce back after last week’s defeat away at Cambridge. Chinnor have won their last eight home matches and have not lost on home soil since the end of September. Overall, they have won six of their last nine games.
In terms of Clifton, after three straight wins in January they have now lost their last two games. They have won just three away matches this season and look like they will finish mid-table this campaign.  Clifton have won two of the last five meetings against Chinnor.

Lyndey v Cambridge
It is far from over for Lyndey just yet. They are only three points from safety and still have a game in hand which could prove vital. They host Cambridge this weekend and they are looking for their second win in seven matches. All seven of their wins have come at home this season and they will be hoping to keep up this good record on Saturday.
As for Cambridge, they have won three of their last five matches and are sitting nicely in the top half of the table. Away from home, they have won just three times this season which will give Lyndey extra confidence heading into this clash on Saturday.  However, Cambridge thumped Lydney 52-20 in the reverse fixture.

Southend Saxons v Cornish All Blacks
Southend are the bench mark for the relegation battle at the moment. The Saxons are three points clear of the drop zone, but do have a game in hand which could be crucial come April. After three straight wins at the start of 2015 (one of which was against league leaders Henley), they have lost their last two matches (including a defeat to Lyndey) which has cranked up the pressure further on them.  Southend have won an impressive seven home games this season which could well save them from relegation.
In terms of the Cornish All Blacks, they have won just once in their last four matches but have begun February with that win over Lyndey. They have won three times away from home this season and after just two wins in their opening nine matches, it looks as if they will be playing National Two rugby next season.  Southend won this reverse fixture 21-22 back in November.