National Two 2016-17 season preview

The big kick-off in National Two is nearly upon us once again, but what will it serve up this season?

National Two North and South were two leagues which provided thrills, spills and high drama throughout the 2015/16 campaign with teams experiencing elation and heartache every step of the way.

With that in mind, we hope for more of the same this time around as 30 weeks of fourth tier actions is set to get underway this weekend.

National Two North

In truth, last year’s title race was only ever about two teams – Macclesfield and Sedgley Park. Macc eventually prevailed and it was another season of being the bridesmaid and not the bride for Sedge. They finished runners up but were beaten in the play-off by Old Albanian in May. They will certainly be one of the favourites to make it out of National Two North come the end of this term.

Dean Scofield was the man at the helm who guided the Tigers to a top two finish last season. He will be hoping that they can finally clinch that top spot this time around as Sedge look to return to National One for the first time since the 2012/13 campaign.

In the shadows of Macclesfield and Sedgley last year were the likes of Leicester Lions, Caldy and Stourbirdge. The surprise package of last term was Leicester who maintained strong performances throughout the season despite staying in the division on the final day of the previous campaign. The Lions have appointed Andy Key as their new Head Coach and he will be hoping to pick up from where the squad left off in May.

Caldy had another positive campaign, but once again a slight inconsistency in results hampered their progress meaning they missed out on a top two spot last term. They, along with a Stourbridge side that looked back to their best at times last season, will fancy their chances to challenge for promotion in a league likely to be fiercely competitive again.

Relegated from National One into this division for this season were Yorkshire based side Wharfedale. Dale’s 10 year stint in the third tier of English rugby came to an end in May and they will looking to rebuild and bounce back as quickly as possible. James Doherty hasn’t had the easiest of pre-seasons with 11 first team players currently side-lined heading into the opening weekend of the campaign, but they will be eager to get off to a winning start.

Elsewhere in the league, the Luctonians will be a club going into this season full of optimism. Alex Davidson’s side looked set to be in a relegation battle up until November of last year, but a sensational run 14 wins from their final 20 games saw the Lucts finish in an unlikely sixth place in the table. A couple of clubs looking to try an emulated the Luctonians’ consistency for this coming season will be Otley and Harrogate.

Once again it was a mid-table finish for the two Yorkshire clubs who failed to really get going last term. Otley ended the season with just one win from their last eight games which saw them slide down the standings while Harrogate ended one place above in seventh. Otley have rung the changes in the summer bringing in seven new players and Director of Rugby Peter Clegg believes Otley can be promotion contenders this season. As for Harrogate, they will believe if they can fire on all cylinders on a regular basis, they too could challenge for the top spots.

It was a tough season on and off the pitch for Tynedale last year. Relegation from National One was followed by a change in coaches and varying results meaning the North-East club ended the campaign in the bottom half of the table. Added to this, their clubhouse and pitches were ruined by the floods last winter which has led to a rebuilding job at Tynedale in 2016. Now, the wheels of recovery are in motion and Tyne will be hoping for a fresh start and a positive term this time around.

Preston Grasshoppers and Chester will be hoping to improve on their campaigns from last season too. Garth Dew’s Preston side certainly showed what they are capable of in snapshots, but they will be keen to produce that more regularly in this campaign. In terms of Chester, it really was a miserable season for them last year. After such expectations of the men from Hare Lane to mount a promotion challenge, they were unable to produce the performances needed to match what they achieved in the previous campaign and now they will want to wipe the slate clean and refocus ahead of this season.

Last year, Sale FC and South Leicester were both promoted in this division and both did enough to extend their stay in the fourth tier for another season. Sale FC’s home record at Heywood Road was key to their success while a decent run of form for South Leicester in the final two months of the campaign helped them avoid the drop. Both clubs have strengthened in the summer (with Sale looking set to give twins Ben and Tom Curry their debuts this weekend) and both will be looking to cement their places further in National Two.

And what about the newly promoted sides? Well, National Three Midlands champions Scunthorpe are just one of the teams to join National Two North. The Yorkshire side lost just three times last season while it was second time lucky for fellow National Three Midlands side Hinckley. They beat Wirral in the play-off after losing out Sale 12 months earlier.

Joining those two sides will be Sheffield Tigers who ran away with the National Three North title last season. They finished 16 points clear of the Wirral and lost just four games all term. Can they take that momentum into this campaign?

Opening Weekend Fixtures (Kick-offs are 3pm unless stated)

Sedgley Park v Caldy (1430)

Harrogate v Hinckley

Leicester Lions v Tynedale

Sale FC v Otley

Scunthorpe v Chester

Sheffield Tigers v Luctonians

Stourbridge v South Leicester

Wharfedale v Preston Grasshoppers

National Two South

With both Cambridge and the Old Albanian gaining promotion from this division in May, the two promotion places in National Two South are anyone’s for the taking as teams bid for a spot in National One.

The closest challengers to Cambridge and the OA’s last term were Bishops Stortford and Redruth. Stortford finished third after a slow start to the season, but a run of six straight league wins at the end of the campaign puts them in a strong position to challenge once again this term. Also with the likes Sam Winter, Tom Banks and James Apperley in their ranks, they have all the tools to gain success. As for Redruth, they had a fantastic year last season. A fourth placed finish thanks to 22 wins marked a positive term for The Reds, but now they must follow that up under the new guidance of ex-player Marek Churcher.

Taunton Titans flew out of the blocks 12 months ago and began the season in red hot form winning their first seven games. However, sequences of patchy results cost them dearly as they had to settle for a fifth place finish. Like Stortford and Redruth, they do have the talent to challenge for the title with the likes of Nick Mason and Dan Frost plying their trade in the Singha 7s over the summer for Exeter Chiefs.

The three teams mentioned above will also have to bear in mind the teams coming down from National One. The 2014/15 National Two South champions Henley Hawks return after a tough season in the third tier and they will want to replicate the sort of form they produced two years ago when they were last in this  division. The Hawks topped the table for the majority of the campaign winning 24 of their 30 matches.

National Two South also welcomes back Cinderford who were unable to avoid the trapdoor from National One last term. They will be favourites to make an immediate return to the third tier, but will warn against complacency.

Last season, the Redingensians, Bury St Edmunds and Barnes were the newly promoted clubs and all deserved to extend their stay in National Two South for another season. All three went through purple patches during the campaign which was enough for them to steer clear of relegation and they will want to repeat that sort of form more frequently this season.

It was a similar story for the Old Elthamians and Canterbury last season as both finished around the mid-table spots. The OE’s showed a lot of promise at times, but a lack of consistency and huge amount of injuries halted their progress while a mixed season for Canterbury meant the City Men never really moved out of the bottom half of the table. Between them, both sides have brought in 11 players to boost their squads and they will hope that can help them take their game up a notch or two.

Worthing, Chinnor and Clifton will all want to erase last season from their memories I suspect. After strong campaigns the previous year, Worthing and Chinnor found themselves scrapping for survival last term. Ultimately, good form at the right times - Chinnor winning 8 of thier last 10 matches - saved them from the drop and they will want to dust themselves down and start the new campaign on a positive note. As for Clifton, a storming start to last year saw them occupy a top four spot for the early weeks of the season, but a run of just five wins in 22 matches saw them slide towards the relegation dogfight, but they did just another to beat the drop.

Speaking of ‘the drop’ that will be on the minds of newly promoted Barnstaple, Exmouth and London Irish Wild Geese.

Both Exmouth and Barnstaple were promoted from National Three South West with Exmouth claiming the title. It was a great response by the side from Devon who had lost out in the play-off match against Barnes 12 months earlier. As for Barnstaple, 20 wins from 26 matches saw them enter a play-off against Tonbridge Juddians which they won 31-30 back in May to seal their place in National Two South.

In terms of London Irish Wild Geese, they finished six points clear of Tonbridge in National Three London and South East and have lost just one of their last 26 league matches. They will be hoping to carry that form into their National Two South campaign.

Opening Weekend Fixtures (Kick-offs are 3pm unless stated)

Barnstaple v Old Elthamians (1430)

Exmouth v Worthing Raiders (1430)

Redingensians v Taunton Titians (1430)

Barnes v Bishops Stortford

Bury St Edmunds v Clifton

Chinnor v London Irish Wild Geese

Cinderford v Canterbury

Redruth v Henley Hawks

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