Birmingham Moseley hoping for early Christmas gift against Hartpury

With the season of goodwill rapidly approaching, Birmingham Moseley will be looking to collect an early present this weekend when they travel to league leaders Hartpury College.

Moseley currently sit 14 points behind College who have secured 13 straight bonus-points wins and the table toppers are in a danger of running away with the National One title.

Kevin Maggs’ Moseley side have a mountain to climb, but they can start clawing themselves back into this championship race with a victory this weekend.

Just below the top two, Plymouth Albion and Ampthill battle it out in Bedfordshire as both sides look to be the ‘best of the rest’ while Blackheath aim to return to winning ways when they host Macclesfield.

Elsewhere, bottom of the table Blaydon welcome Cambridge to the north-east while relegation rivals Hull Ionians have the in-form Rosslyn Park as their visitors. Also this weekend, James Shanahan and Rowland Winter renew their rivalry from National Two South as Coventry and the Old Albanian meet while its Fylde v Darlington Mowden Park and Esher against Loughborough Students.

Hartpury College v Birmingham Moseley

Hartpury College go up against promotion rivals Birmingham Moseley this Saturday with both sides looking to turn the title race in a certain direction. League leaders Hartpury College have been faultless this season as they have achieved 13 consecutive bonus points which sees them sitting 14 points clear at the top of National One.

Moseley were relegated from the Championship last term and Kevin Maggs’ side would have certainly hoped for an immediate return to English rugby’s second tier. 11 wins from their first 13 games is the sort of form that is needed to gain promotion, but they have been unable to keep pace with College who have not put a foot wrong.

Now, Moseley know they must be the first team to secure a victory over Hartpury if they stand any chance of promotion because anything less than that would mean another big step towards the title for Hartpury College.

Ampthill and District v Plymouth Albion

Ampthill and District welcome third place Plymouth Albion to Dillingham Park for their final home game of the season.

The A’s produced an excellent home performance against Blaydon last week to consolidate their fifth place position in the table. It was a vital victory for Ampthill as they closed the gap to the teams above and they can do the same this weekend if they were to secure their sixth home victory of the season.

The visitors on Saturday have had a great first-half of the season to date as they currently sit in the top three of this division. Dan Parkes’ side have won 10 of their 13 matches this term and travel to Bedfordshire on the back of five straight wins.

Their hard-fought victory over Macclesfield last weekend was their seventh consecutive home win, but their away form has been mixed. They have had three wins and three defeats on their travels thus far and Albion will be hoping to add to their ‘W’ column this weekend and continue their excellent recent form.

Blackheath v Macclesfield

Macclesfield will be setting an alarm for another early start as the Cheshire side head south this weekend to Well Hall for their meeting with fourth placed Blackheath.

Macc Head Coach Giles Heagerty said this week that you would be justified in calling their last couple of games and their upcoming fixtures as ‘a month from hell’. His side have played Birmingham Moseley and Plymouth Albion over the last two weeks and prepare to take on Blackheath tomorrow before hosting league Hartpury College on December 10^th.

The Blues have certainly picked up some positives from their last two fixtures, but they remain in the relegation zone as things and with just two wins to their name. They are also seven points adrift of safety and looking at their next two fixtures, it is only going to get tougher for the men from Priory Park.

They may feel that this is the perfect time to play Blackheath though, considering the hosts are currently going through their worst spell of the season so far.

After seven wins from their first eight matches, Club welcome Macclesfield to London having won just two of their last five games which has seen them fall away from the top two in this division. Blackheath currently lie fourth in the table and will be searching for their first home win in just under a month this weekend as they look to get their season back on track.

Coventry v Old Albanian

Coventry fly-half Will Maisey admits he is glad his side are back at home this weekend when they welcome the Old Albanian to the Butts Park Arena. It is easy to see why Maisey thinks that too as six of Cov’s seven wins this term have come at home and it is the major in factor in why Rowland Winter’s men currently lie sixth in the table.

They head into this fixture with the OAs on the back two defeats from their last three games, but prior to that they had won four games on the trot. They will be hoping to recapture that sort of form before the Christmas break, starting with this weekend.

As for the Old Albanian, they are certainly holding their own in this division following promotion via the National Two play-off last term. Currently , James Shanahan’s men sit ninth in the table with six wins to their name this season.

Three of those victories have come on their travels against Blaydon, Cambridge and Esher and now the next test for the OA’s is to pick up an away win against one of the sides in the top half of this division. It will be tough against Coventry who have that excellent record at home, but it is a challenge they will relish.

Hull Ionians v Rosslyn Park

Hull Ionians host Rosslyn Park this weekend and they may look to their visitors for some inspiration. Earlier this season, Park were languishing in the relegation zone following a torrid start to the season, but they have been able to turn it around over the last few weeks.

The London-based side head to Brantingham Park this Saturday having won four of their last five games which has seen them surge up the table into seventh place. It has been a remarkable revival by Park who will be oozing confidence  and will be aiming for another triumph against a struggling Hull Ionians side.

The I’s occupy 14^th spot as things stand and are six points from safety in National One. They grabbed a bonus point last weekend in their defeat against Cambridge, but it is now just one win nine for the Yorkshire outfit. They have only won three times all season so things needed to change quickly for the men from Brantingham Park otherwise they could begin 2017 with a mountain to climb.

Esher v Loughborough Students

Esher will be hoping they can recapture their recent good home form at Molesey Road this weekend when they host Loughborough Students.

The Surrey-based side have won four of their last five matches in front of their own supporters and considering those wins are the only victories Esher have had this season, it shows just how strong they are at home.

However, they welcome Loughborough Students this weekend having lost their last three games which has seen them drop out of the top half of the table and down to 11^th. Home advantage is something Esher will be looking to this weekend to end their current losing streak.

In terms of Loughborough Students, they currently occupy eighth place in the table after what has been a relatively positive season for the Midlands side. Last year, they were flirting with relegation whereas this campaign, they have been in the top half of the table for the majority of the first 13 rounds.

Students do  travel to Esher having won two of their last three matches and they have also won on three occasions away from home this season. Another triumph on the road would certainly see them cement their place in the top half of this division and continue their excellent term.

Blaydon v Cambridge

Bottom of the table Blaydon host Cambridge at Crow Trees this weekend as they look to try and kick-start their season once again. The north-east side had been showing shoots of recovery when they secured back to back home wins against Fylde and Hull Ionians, but those positive signs seem to have fizzled out.

Granted, their last three  defeats have come against Plymouth Albion, Ampthill and Coventry so this fixture with Cambridge may be the perfect tonic for the Crows to start moving themselves away from danger. Blaydon are currently seven points adrift of safety and both of their wins this season have come at home.

Like the Old Albanian, Cambridge are certainly showing they are no pushovers this season in National One. Both sides were promoted from National Two South and both are doing their upmost to stay clear of trouble this term. Currently, the Blood and Sand sit 10^th in the table having won five games this campaign.

Ross Stewart’s side take the long trip north this weekend following two successive home victories which has certainly kept them in touch with the top half of the division. Now his side need to translate their home performances to their away fixtures as Cambridge have won just once so far on their travels. This is their final game on the road in National One, so they’ll be hoping it will be a happy trip back down the A1.

Fylde v Darlington Mowden Park

Darlington Mowden Park travel to Woodlands on Saturday in what is arguably a cruial fixture between two sides battling in the bottom half of the league table. The hosts, Fylde,  are currently 12^th in the table and once again suffered more away day woes last weekend.

Paul Arnold’s men slumped to their sixth straight away defeat of the season which means it is their home form which has kept the Lancashire side from falling into the bottom three this season.

Fylde have won four of their seven games at Woodlands this season which shows they are formidable force in front of their own supporters. They will have to put in another strong display tomorrow against a Darlington Mowden Park side that will be buoyed by their victory last Saturday.

DMP ended a run of six straight defeats as they beat Esher to move six points clear of the relegation zone. It was a vital win for the north-east side that had begun the season so well. DMP had won four of their first six games, but went on to suffer that slump which was partly down to a long injury list.

With some first team players returning in recent weeks, they put in a strong performance against Esher, before gaining their first win since October 8^th last Saturday thanks to an inspired performance from Yorkshire Carnegie loanee Warren Seals. The north-east side will hope their victory six days ago is a turning point in their very mixed season so far.