Who will lead the way at the end of this weekend?

Even though we are 10 games into the season, we have no clear idea about who will secure that golden ticket to the Championship and who will be playing National Two rugby next season. 

The top six sides are separated by just six points and there is a difference of just four points between the bottom six teams in this division as we head into Round 11 this weekend.

Wharfedale v Hartpury College

Hartpury College went back to the top of the table last week and will be confident of staying there when they take the trip to Yorkshire this weekend to face Wharfedale who are currently in the bottom three.

Hartpury’s good defensive record is certainly a factor in them topping the pile in National One and they are bound to be favourites against Wharfedale who have won just twice this season.

Ampthill and District v Richmond

Richmond are just a point behind Hartpury and will be ready to pounce if they fail to get the job done in the Dales. Richmond won’t have an easy task though as they travel to Milton Keynes to take on Ampthill this weekend.

Richmond have won eight of their 10 matches this season and are now real title challengers whereas Ampthill will be hoping to re-find their early season form as they have won just two of their last five matches. Having said that, the A’s are 6^th in the table just six points from the top.

Blaydon v Esher

Esher were dislodged at the top of National One last weekend as they were thwarted by Rosslyn Park at home so they will be looking for an immediate response when they travel to the north-east to take on Blaydon.

Blaydon returned to the bottom of the league after a defeat to Coventry last week, but they are only three points from safety. I feel Esher will be too strong for Blaydon as the visitors look to close that three point gap at the top of the table.

Blackheath v Plymouth Albion

Blackheath suffered only their second defeat of the season when they were beaten by Richmond last weekend and will be looking to bounce back against Plymouth Albion. ‘Heath are four points behind Hartpury and welcome a Albion side that were stunned by Darlington Mowden Park last Saturday.

Albion are struggling to find consistency after relegation from the Championship and will find it tough this weekend against a solid looking Blackheath side.

Rosslyn Park v Loughborough Students

Rosslyn Park seem to have got their season back on track having picked up four straight wins. They were one of the pre-season favourites for promotion and they are certainly playing like a side who mean business as they are now up to 5^th in the table.

They host Loughborough Students who will take confidence into this encounter after their win over Wharfedale last weekend and scrum-half George De Cothi says the side are purely concentrating on this fixture and not thinking about their win last Saturday.

He said:  “National One is a very tough league and it is tough to say where we want to finish. I think we need to take it week by week and at the moment we are solely focused on a tough away trip to Rossyln Park. I think if we can perform to the level we have played at in parts of games this season, we can definitely come away from this fixture with some points.”

Darlington Mowden Park v Hull Ionians

Darlington Mowden Park will have been buoyed by their excellent victory against Plymouth Albion last Saturday and welcome Hull Ionians this weekend in what will be a tough match for both sides.

The visitors have settled into National One rather well after winning National Two last season and will go in search of their sixth win of the season this weekend.

Cinderford v Coventry

After victory over Hull Ionians two weeks ago, Cinderford were given a reality check last week against Fylde so they will have to regroup as they host Coventry this Saturday. Cinderford are 15^th in the table and are already embroiled in another relegation battle. They will be hoping to escape danger once again this term.

As for Coventry, they ended a three game losing run against Blaydon last week and must start on the front foot once again this weekend as they aim to continue their progress up the table.

Henley Hawks v Fylde

Henley Hawks have slid down the table in recent weeks and find themselves just two points above the bottom three. They seem to be leaking try after try at the moment and will need to tighten up at the back when Fylde visit Dry Leas on Saturday.

Paul Arnold’s side ran in seven tries against Cinderford last week and will be in a confident mood that they can pick up back to back wins for the second time this season.