Ampthill pose greatest threat to Hartpury’s record

Second placed Ampthill and District take on the runaway league leaders Hartpury College this weekend in National One aiming to become the first team to beat John Barnes’ men.

College are currently 28-points clear at the top of this division after 21 straight wins and no team has been able to claim a victory over the Gloucestershire side this term.  The only side to stop Hartpury picking up maximum points this season were third-placed Plymouth Albion at Brickfields just before the Christmas break, so Ampthill will certainly provide a stern test for the table toppers.

The big news of the week in National One involved Old Albanian Head Coach James Shanahan. It was confirmed on Wednesday that he would depart Woolams at the end of the season and join Blackheath on a two-year deal with the option of another 12 months.

Shanahan will leave the OAs after six years with the club and when speaking to TRU, he thanked everyone at the OAs for their support in his decision.

Elsewhere in National One, focus will also turn to the wrong end of the table in Round 22 as four of the bottom five sides take on one another this weekend as they battle to survive the drop.

Ampthill and District v Hartpury College

It is a matter of when and not if Hartpury College will lift the National One title this season. After 21 games, John Barnes’ men are the runaway leaders having secured 21 wins and with nine matches remaining, they sit 28 points clear of the rest of the field.

No side has been able to halt the Hartpury steam train as it racked up 100 league points for the season last weekend after a thumping win over Blaydon, but their opposition this Saturday may well be in the best position to end College’s remarkable unbeaten run.

The Gloucestershire side travel to second-placed Ampthill and District with the A’s needing to believe that home advantage at Dillingham Park can help them become the first side to beat Hartpury this term. Ampthill have won 10 of their last 11 games heading into this fixture and have also lost just twice at home all season long.

The A’s also beat College on home turf last year so this is arguably Hartpury’s biggest test of the campaign so far. With the chase for the title already over, the league leaders still won’t be taking things easy, especially not this weekend, as they look to increase their advantage at the summit of this division.

Plymouth Albion v Coventry

After a long trip up north to Darlington Mowden Park last week, Plymouth Albion return to Brickfields this Saturday as they host Coventry. Albion have had another ‘soap-opera’ of a season with changes on and off the field, but current player/coach Kieran Hallett is doing a fine job of steadying the ship since Dan Parkes left the club in December.

Plymouth lie third in the table and are level on points with Ampthill and District as things stand with the hosts currently on a four match winning streak. In addition to this, Albion have won 10 and lost just once at home this term which just highlights the scale of the task Coventry are faced with this weekend.

In the reverse fixture earlier in the season, Cov edged out Plymouth 34-33 in a thriller at the Butts Park Arena and it is at home where Coventry have flourished. However, despite Rowland Winter’s men currently occupying seventh place in the table, it is their away form that has halted any further progress up the table for the Midlands side.

Cov’s defeat to Fylde last Saturday was their seventh loss on the road this term and they have only won two of their 10 matches on their travels. It is something Winter and his side will want to improve on in their final five away games of the season, but this will be a tough place for them to start.

Old Albanian v Birmingham Moseley

This fixture between Old Albanian and Birmingham Moseley has one common theme this weekend as both head coaches will not be at their respective clubs for the 2017/18 season. Earlier this year, it was announced that Kevin Maggs would not be staying with Moseley and this week, it was confirmed that OAs Head Coach James Shanahan will become Blackheath’s Director of Rugby next term.

In terms of Shanahan, he guided the OAs back to National One last season and has done a brilliant job to lead them to ninth position in the table in this campaign. The OAs have won on nine occasions this term and the outgoing Shanahan believes his side can finish in the top eight.

“I spoke to the players on Tuesday and told them my reasons for leaving the club and they understood my decision which shows the great group of people we have here,” said the England Counties and Cambridge University coach.

“The biggest thing I said was that I want to put everything into these final nine games and I want to finish in the top eight despite the long list of injuries which we have had. That will be tough, but it is realistic because of the outstanding the effort we have put in this season.

“We have some very tough games to play including against Birmingham Moseley this weekend, but I want us to go all-out attack. It might mean us slipping up in a few games, but if we finish in the top-half I think it would be a great achievement for this club.”

As for Birmingham Moseley, they make the trip to Hertfordshire on a high after victory over an in-form Rosslyn Park side last weekend. Since the club announced that Maggs’ contract would not be renewed at the end of the season, the Midlands outfit have won two and lost once as they continue to aim for the runners-up spot after relegation from the Championship last May.

Moseley are currently five points behind second placed Ampthill, but they do have a game in hand against relegation threatened Blaydon at the end of the month. For now, the men from Billesley Common will be focused on this weekend and they will be hoping for a repeat performance of their 56-33 win against the OAs earlier in the season as they go in search of their seventh away win of the campaign.

Cambridge v Blackheath

Fifth placed Blackheath travel to Cambridge this weekend looking to halt a two game losing streak as they aim to end the season strongly before the arrival of new Director of Rugby James Shanahan. The acquisition of Old Albanian’s head coach has been the story of the week in National One and ‘Club’ will be hoping to give him a good platform to work from going into the next term

The incoming Shanahan told TRU: “When I arrive at Blackheath, we are not going to shout out and say that we are getting promoted next year because it is just unfair on the quality of National One and I would see that as over-confident and ignorant.

“I want to help the club improve and if that means staying in the top four/five in this division then great because if you are in it, you never know what can happen”

Back to this current campaign and the men from Well Hall are slowly falling away from the race for second spot. They are currently 11 points behind Ampthill and travel to Volac Park this weekend with just two wins from their last five games. ‘Club’ will be boosted by the return of Jesse Liston and Adam Kwasnicki who have joined the club after the demise of London Welsh and they will be hoping to help Blackheath return to winning ways this weekend.

In terms of the hosts Cambridge, Director of Rugby Ross Stewart stated this week that he hopes their victory over Macclesfield has ‘relieved some of the pressure’ on his side. The Blood and Sand were in danger of becoming embroiled in a relegation battle, but their first win in seven matches last Saturday will give them some renewed confidence heading into this fixture with Blackheath.

Cambridge will know that ‘Club’ have lost to Ampthill as well as Blaydon over the last two weeks so there is no reason why they can’t secure their fifth home win of the season tomorrow. Stewart’s men are 16 points clear of the bottom two and a victory at Volac Park this weekend would certainly put them in a great position to maintain their status in National One.

Rosslyn Park v Macclesfield

Following a valiant effort against Cambridge last weekend, Macclesfield now travel south on Saturday to take on Rosslyn Park and we are getting to the stage of the season where the Blues may need to get a result in London. As things stand, Giles Heagerty’s side are 11 points adrift of safety, but they do have a crucial game in hand against relegation rivals Hull Ionians in two weeks’ time.

For that fixture to still be a lifeline for Macc, the Cheshire side need to pick up points between now and then. Macclesfield have travelled poorly this season having lost nine of their 10 matches with the other result ending as a draw against Blaydon. Heagerty told the club’s website this week that his side have to stick to their game plan and keep their shape against Rosslyn Park if they are to gain a positive outcome which they so desperately need.

As for their hosts, Rosslyn Park will be itching for a positive response after their six game winning run came to an end last weekend. Park were beaten 36-20 by Birmingham Moseley in an ill-disciplined performance where they received four yellow-cards and a red card.

Despite that loss, they remain in the top six as we enter Round 22 and they welcome Macclesfield to the Rock having won their last seven home matches. On paper, it looks as though Rosslyn will be able to extend that record tomorrow as they look to bounce back from the disappointment of last Saturday.

Darlington Mowden Park v Loughborough Students

It has been a week of recognition at the Northern Echo Arena. Darlington Mowden Park’s Women’s side (Sharks) have a number of representatives in the England squad that takes on Wales in the Six Nations this weekend including Tamara Taylor who will make her 100^th appearance for the Red Roses.

In terms of DMP’s men’s side, they too would have received plaudits for their spirited display against third placed Plymouth Albion last weekend, but they will now be looking to bounce back from that narrow defeat and continue their good recent form.

DMP have lost just two of their last seven matches which has seen them move away from the cusp of relegation and up to 10^th in the table. The north-east side are now 18 points clear of the drop zone and now they will be focused on looking upwards as they aim to finish the season on a positive note.

The hosts this weekend have won nine matches, drawn one and lost 11 and they have the same record as their visitors on Saturday; Loughborough Students. The Midlands side are just two places and seven points clear of DMP in what has been a very impressive season so far. The Students are already five places higher than they were at this stage last season and the men from Epinal Way are on course for their highest ever finish at this level.

Currently, they occupy eighth place in the table, but they will be keen to improve on their current form and also their away performances.  Loughborough travel north this weekend having won just two of their last five games and also they have lost their last four matches on the road. It certainly isn’t disastrous for Dave Morris’ side, but they will want end their away day woes this Saturday.

Blaydon v Esher

Blaydon will want to forget about last weekend’s mauling by league leaders Hartpury College and focus on tomorrow’s clash with Esher at Crow Trees. However, a heavy defeat wont’ be too far from the minds of this Blaydon side when the Surrey-based club visit on Saturday as Esher beat the Crows 71-14 back in October.

It was one of a few damaging defeats Mickey Ward’s have suffered this season, but Blaydon still have a very good chance of staying in National One this term. As things stand, the north-east side are in the relegation places, but are level on points with Hull Ionians. Two wins in their last three games has put them in a great position to challenge for safety and the hosts this weekend can move out of the drop zone if they secure their fourth home victory of the campaign.

In terms of Esher, they too have secured two wins from their last three fixtures which has eased any relegation worries they may have had. The men from Moseley Road have now moved 14 points clear of Blaydon ahead of their long trip north this weekend.

Back to back home wins against Fylde and Hull Ionians (two teams below Esher) has given them some breathing space, but they travel to Blaydon this Saturday looking to translate their home performances into their matches on the road. All seven of Esher’s wins this season have come on their own turf, but they will fancy their chances of ending their 10 game losing streak on their travels against a Blaydon side scrapping for their lives.

Hull Ionians v Fylde

Another side that has struggled on the road this season are Fylde as they take the trip to Hull Ionians this weekend. The Lancashire side have also lost all 10 of their away fixtures this season, but they have only won one of their last 17 matches on the road. That run stretches back to when they beat their opposition this weekend, Hull Ionians, just over a year ago and Paul Arnold’s men will be hoping that lightning strikes twice tomorrow.

The contrast between Fylde’s performances away from home and their performances at Woodlands is remarkable. All seven of Fylde’s wins this season have come on their own patch including victories against Coventry and Plymouth Albion so they know they are capable of picking up good results on the road.  Fylde are currently 12 points adrift of the second relegation place, but have played a game more than Ionians and Blaydon so a victory against one of their rivals this weekend would put them on course for safety in National One.

The hosts Hull Ionians will be desperate for a win in front of their own supporters this Saturday. The I’s performed admirably last term to avoid relegation from this level, but the men from Brantingham Park now need to dig deep once again to keep themselves in this division.

The demise of London Welsh has come to Hull Ionians’ aid because only two teams will be relegated from the third tier this season. As things stand, they are level on points with second-bottom Blaydon with both sides having games in hand. The I’s fixture is against relegation rivals Macclesfield, but with this fixture against Fylde and a trip to Coventry occurring before that crunch match, Hull Ionians will be keen to pick up points between now and the end of the month as they battle to avoid the drop.