National One 2016-17 season preview

Who will escape National One this season, which teams will be looking to keep clear of danger and what can we expect from the new boys?

The hard graft for nine months, the early starts on Saturday, battling the weather conditions and going through a roller-coaster of emotions all begins once again this weekend when the National Leagues get underway.

Last season was a great advert for National One we expect no less in this upcoming campaign as sides go for glory and battle to avoid the drop.

At times last year, the promotion race in the third tier of English rugby swung one way and then the other. Four or five teams were in the hunt heading into the final stretch of the season, but ultimately Richmond secured the automatic promotion spot to the Championship thanks to 23 wins from 30 games. Will that be enough this year?

New boys Birmingham Mosley may feel like they have high hopes of bouncing straight back to the second tier of English rugby after relegation last term. You usually expect a strong response from a side that has come down from the division above and Kevin Maggs’ team will be hoping escape from National One can happen at the first attempt.

Maggs, a former Ireland international, has already given the squad a revamp signing the likes of Sam Palior from Coventry, Jake Farnworth from Leicester Tigers, Elliot Bale from Plymouth Albion and winger Sam Harrison from fellow National One side Hartpury College.  There is no doubt they will be a force, but there will be other clubs looking to seriously mount a title challenge after coming close last season.

The aforementioned Hartpury finished runners-up in May and were in with a shot at promotion right up until the penultimate weekend of the season. The Hartpury College faithful will be happy to see that scum-half Robbie Shaw has re-signed for the club and his experience with the US Eagles and in higher levels of the English game may play a huge part in their season.

On the tails of Hartpury last season were Blackheath who have recruited heavily in the summer but Director of Rugby Colin Ridgeway will be pleased with the way his side has gone about their business on the pitch with impressive friendly wins over London Scottish and Richmond.  Ampthill & District are another team that will be looking to continue their rise in the National Leagues. 48 months ago,  they were up opening up their National Two campaign at home to Stockport and now two years on, they really do have the credentials to challenge for a spot in the Championship.

Elsewhere, Scott Sneddon and his coaching team will get a good crack at taking Rosslyn Park to the next level after been given the job in March earlier this year. After Sneddon took over the reins at The Rock, there was a clear upturn in results and Park will be hoping to push on from their fifth place finish last term. Darlington Mowden Park were the surprise package of last season going on 12 game winning run during the campaign. The Darlington Arena is a fantastic place for them to play their rugby and with that in mind, DMP certainly have ambitions of moving forward as a club.

Esher have bolstered their front row by completing the signing of Karl Furey from New Zealand. Esher will be hoping Furey can help them bring some of the consistency shown by the All Blacks if they are to mount a serious title challenge.

Coventry and Fylde are two sides that will be looking to improve on a mediocre campaign last term. Both sides finished mid-table, but Coventry have fresh optimism heading into the new season. Rowland Winter is the new Director of Rugby at the Butts Park Arena and after his success with Cambridge last year, they will be hoping Winter can deliver more joy at his new home. As for Fylde, it will be Paul Arnold’s second full season in charge of the Lancashire club. After laying the foundations last year, Fylde will now be eager to push on under Arnold and have a strong National One campaign.

Plymouth Albion were another side that suffered mixed fortunes last season, but for different reasons to Coventry and Fylde. At one stage under the leadership of Graeme Dawe, Albion were in the hunt for promotion after an excellent run of results, but off the pitch situations halted their progress. The club had to sell up meaning they briefly slipped into administration which led to a deduction in points.  The new owners Dave Venables and Nigel Sparrow came in shortly after and Dawe left the club as Albion ended their season in eighth place.

Now, Dan Parkes in the new Head Coach at Brickfields while local businesswoman Ali Hannaford has joined the board. Parkes and the club have been busy bringing players into the club including eight from the Exeter Chiefs. Albion look as though they are on much more solid ground going into this campaign and are certainly ones to watch.

For the likes of Blaydon, Hull Ionians and Loughborough Students they will be hoping for a less stressful campaign this time around. Blaydon have recruited well from the North-East with the versatile Max Connon joining from DMP while former Newcastle Falcons academy player Ryan Foreman has also been added to their ranks.

As for Hull Ionians, they survived their first season back in National One last year and were given a boost in the summer. They were awarded £127,000 to improve their facilities by their local council.  Chairman Pat Wilson said it was “like winning the lottery” and he will be hoping that the club can now move forward off the pitch as well as on it this season.

Loughborough Students once again maintained their status in National One which is another great achievement for this side. A team mainly made up of University players has certainly got the ability to compete at this level and with the expertise of David Morris and Ciaran Beattie behind it all, they will be looking to extend their stay in this division for another season.

Now on to the new boys who were promoted into this division. National Two North champions Macclesfield were untouchable at times last season and Head Coach Giles Heagerty will be aiming to avoid a repeat of their last spell at this level. The Blues had a tough time two years ago and finished bottom of National One, but he feels the changes he has made since then puts them in a much stronger position this time around.

National Two South champions Cambridge have had to ‘go again’ in some respects with Director of Rugby Rowland Winter joining Coventry. The new man at the helm is Ross Stewart and he has spent no time at all stamping his authority on this squad. No less than 10 players have arrived through the door at Volac Park and the club will be keen to push on from a well-deserved title win four months ago. Joining Cambridge from the South are the Old Albanian who beat Sedgley Park in the National Two play-off to earn their spot in the third tier. It is an immediate return for the OA’s to National One and James Shanahan and his side will be aiming to progress this term.

National One Opening Day Fixtures (All 3pm kick-offs unless stated)

Blaydon v Old Albanian (1430)

Hartpury College v Blackheath (1430)

Ampthill & District v Rosslyn Park

Coventry v Loughborough Students

Esher v Macclesfield

Fylde v Birmingham Moseley

Hull Ionians v Darlington Mowden Park

Plymouth Albion v Cambridge

This season TRU is working alongside Coach Logic - A video feedback and communciation platform for Sports Teams. We look forward to analysing National One alongside them during the 2016/17 season.