National League Two Division South Review/Preview

Two weeks into the New Year and National League Two Division South has thrown up some cracking matches so far.

Round 17 was no different and we saw the league leaders Henley Hawks stutter once again as the race for the title is now closer than ever. It was also a very mixed week of results in this league as we look back at last weekend’s action as well as previewing Round 18.

Henley Hawks v Cornish All Blacks
Henley Hawks went on a 14 game winning streak earlier in the season which saw them command proceedings at the top of this league, but they have now won just once in their last four games after suffering a shock 18-17 defeat to Southend Saxons last Saturday. Tom Ashton’s late try in unfavourable conditions gave Southend the win. It was another disappointing weekend for Henley who were outplayed by a more quick-witted Southend side, but Henley do remain top due to them securing a bonus point.
As for their opponents this Saturday, the Cornish All Blacks made it four straight home wins as they beat bottom side Dings Crusaders 18-8 at Polson Bridge. The All Blacks have now won five of their 10 matches at home this season and have beaten the Crusaders in six of their last eight meetings. The Cornish All Blacks are currently ninth in the table.
Henley will be looking to remain top of the league this weekend with a win against the All Blacks. Despite their recent results, they still have the only 100 per cent home record in the league and did beat the All Blacks 22-32 in the reverse fixture in October. The Cornish All Blacks go into this game with just one defeat in their last seven matches which has propelled them up the table. They have won three of their eight away games this season and know with a win they could move into the top half of the table. This seems to be the perfect time for them to play Henley.

Dorking v Southend Saxons
Dorking took advantage of Henley’s slip up as they beat Lyndey 14-38 on Saturday moving them level on points with Henley, but behind them on point’s difference. This was a comprehensive win for Dorking who claimed their 15th win of the season and wrapped up their eighth bonus point of the campaign before half-time.
Well what a weekend it was for the Southend Saxons. Their 18-17 win over Henley Hawks was their best performance of the season. Henley’s talented squad is unquestionable considering they are the home to Wasps’ academy and it was clear what the victory meant to Southend when Tom Ashton touched down in the final seconds as the fans and players went wild. With that victory, Southend are now 12th in the table.
Southend will be going into this weekend’s clash with Dorking hoping for a repeat performance, but the hosts will have other ideas. Dorking know with a win - and any kind of slip up from Henley - will see them go to the summit of National Two South. They have won seven of their nine matches at home this season and have won three of their last five games overall. They also won the reverse fixture in October 13-18. As for Southend, they have won just two of their eight away games this season, but like Dorking, have won three of their last five matches overall. Can they cause another upset this weekend?

Bishop’s Stortford v Canterbury
Bishop’s Stortford produced another convincing win last Saturday as they saw off the Old Elthamians 14-26 in very difficult, windy conditions. Their pack was in outstanding form and Stortford used the wind to their advantage to help them on their way to their 11th win of the season. They are now third in the division, nine points behind the top two and with a mammoth 18 bonus points to their name.
Canterbury picked up a superb win over fourth place Taunton last weekend winning 19-14 at home. Scrum power, well worked tries and some hard hitting defending earned them a well-deserved victory in arguably one of their best performances of a shaky season so far. It was an unrecognisable performance from the one Canterbury had put in earlier in the season at Taunton and this win lifts them out of the relegation zone and into 13th place.
Stortford will certainly be wary of the threat Canterbury pose and know Saturday’s encounter will be another demanding task, but one they will be relishing. Stortford have won six of their eight home games this season and have lost once in their last six matches overall. Stortford did beat Canterbury 10-22 earlier in the season. That win against Taunton for Canterbury will boost their confidence ahead of this game with Stortford. Canterbury are still yet to win on the road this season, but they did win 22-27 at Stortford last season.

Taunton v Worthing
After a change in fortunes in recent weeks, the momentum Taunton had built up dissolved after their 19-14 defeat to Canterbury. It was a game where they were second best in all areas of the match and the fourth placed side are now three points behind Bishop’s Stortford after this defeat.
As for Worthing Raiders, they showed real grit and determination to beat Chinnor 36-14 last Saturday to extend their unbeaten run to five matches. Chinnor controlled the first 40 minutes despite the Raiders leading by three points at the break, but Worthing came flying out of the blocks in the second-half and capitalised on ill-discipline from Chinnor. Worthing find themselves in fifth position – level on points with Taunton.
With that in mind, this Saturday is set to be a very interesting contest between the sides. Taunton have lost just once at home all season and have won three of their last five matches overall. They edged out Worthing 27-29 earlier in the season. As for Worthing they know with a win, they could go as high as third, but will certainly be in the top four on Saturday night if they are to be victorious. They have won four of their eight away matches this season, but currently have the best form in the league with five straight wins.

Chinnor v Lydney
Chinnor lost ground in their hunt to move up the table after that 36-14 defeat to Worthing. They may only have themselves to blame after receiving sin-bins and even a red card despite them performing so well in the first half of the game. Their lack of discipline certainly played a part in their defeat first defeat in four matches. Chinnor are sixth in the table and are five points behind Worthing.
In terms of Lydney, they slipped into the relegation zone after their 14-38 defeat to Dorking. Lydney are 14th in the league and are only two points from safety.
Chinnor know with a big win they could move into fifth in the table and they haven’t lost at home since September 27th when they were beaten by Worthing. They did lose to Lyndey 30-24 earlier in the season. It will be a difficult task for Lydney to repeat as Chinnor have won their last six home matches. To add to that, Lyndey have lost all eight of their away games this season and have only won twice in their last nine games overall. The last six meetings between the sides as seen three wins for Chinnor, two for Lydney and one draw.

Dings Crusaders v Cambridge
Seventh placed Cambridge stole the bragging rights on Saturday as they beat local rivals Shelford 29-8 in front of around 1,600 at Volac Park. This was a great win for Cambridge, but they sensed they should have got more points on the board after creating so many chances. Nevertheless, Cambridge have won four of their last five matches.
As for Dings Crusaders they suffered their 14th defeat of the season last Saturday when they were beaten by the Cornish All Blacks 18-8. The Crusaders have won just once on their travels this season and remain bottom of the division - 11 points from safety.
Cambridge have stated that they will certainly not be taking this game against Ding Crusaders lightly as they know they will be fighting for their survival. Cambridge have won just twice on the road this season, but did win this fixture 27-17 back in October. The Crusaders have won three times all season with two of those wins coming at home. They have lost their last five matches and have lost to Cambridge on the last three occasions.

Redruth v Old Elthamians
The Old E’s claimed that their 14-26 defeat to Bishop’s Stortford was down to their opposition using their experience to ‘manage the game and the referee.’ The Old E’s conceded 14 penalties to three in the first half and had two players sin-binned. Away from that, Stortford executed everything they wanted to do and The Old E’s know they will need to sharpen up their performance ahead of this week’s game against Redruth. The Old E’s sit eighth in the table just two points behind Cambridge.
Redruth just missed out on a bonus in Bristol against Clifton as they were beaten 30-22. The Reds found themselves 20-0 down and after an excellent fight back they were denied a bonus point thanks to a late Charlie Foley penalty. Redruth conceded 14 points in the opening four minutes of the game only to lose the match in the last ten minutes when they seemed to be the team in the ascendance. Redruth stated after the game they just didn’t get the rub of the green in some decisions especially at the scrum and this defeat kept them 10th in the league just five points outside the top half.
The Old E’s know with a win against Redruth they could go into seventh in the table, but will be wary that if they lose the match they could drop down to 10th. The Old E’s have won three games away from home this season and have won just three times in their last 11 matches overall. As for Redruth, they have won six games on home soil this season, but have only won two of their last nine league games. Redruth lost 13-12 earlier in the season to the Old E’s.

Shelford v Clifton
Clifton would certainly have been nervous when Redruth mounted a comeback against them in their 30-22 victory last Saturday, but showed great character to hold on to the win. Clifton are now 11th in table and that win against Redruth was their first in four matches.
As for Shelford, they lost the bragging rights to Cambridge last Saturday when they were beaten 29-8. This was Shelford’s eighth away defeat of the season, despite them making a bright and positive start to the game. However, it was Cambridge who won the derby leaving Shelford in 15th place and seven points from safety.
Clifton go to Shelford in search of their third away win of the season. They will also be looking for revenge as Shelford beat them 31-32 in October. In terms of the hosts, they have won just three of their home games this season and have won just one their last eight matches overall, but Shelford have beaten Clifton on the last four occasions.