National Two South: Can Taunton continue their perfect start?

After Redruth and Canterbury lost their unbeaten starts to the season last week, it has paved the way for the likes of the Old Albanian, Cambridge and Bishop’s Stortford to try and knock Taunton off top stop.

The Titians have made a perfect start to the season and are yet to drop a single point. Can they be dislodged from their perch this weekend? Elsewhere, four teams will be hoping that they can pick up their first wins of the season in round five of National Two South. Here is a preview of what is coming up this Saturday.

Southend v Taunton

Taunton are currently the only side with a 100 per cent record in National Two South and their next assignment takes them to the south coast as they visit Southend.

After finishing third last season, it was clear from day one of this campaign what Taunton’s aim was and so far they are yet to put a foot wrong as they go in search of promotion to National One.  With four bonus point wins so far for Taunton, Southend will have a job on their hands cracking the code to beat the Titians.

Having said that, Southend are playing with confidence at the moment. After holding second placed Old Albanian to a draw two weeks ago, they ended Canterbury’s unbeaten start to the season last weekend. Those two results alone show what the Saxons are capable of. One other thing to add; Southend won this fixture 18-8 last season.

Cambridge v Old Albanian

Southend against Taunton will be a good match, but Old Albanian’s trip to Cambridge is arguably the fixture of the weekend.

The home side continue to impress and they know with a win, they can go ahead of the OA’s on Saturday. Cambridge have won three of their four games this season and have won 13 of their last 17 matches at home.

As for the OA’s, their draw with Southend seemed to be just a blip. They responded with a resounding win over Bury St Edmunds six days ago to remain firmly on the coattails of Taunton. The side relegated from National One last season have certainly begun this campaign in the right fashion if they are to make an immediate return to the third tier of English rugby.

Bishop’s Stortford v Redruth

After a surprise defeat to Dorking two weeks ago, Bishop’s Stortford have their promotion challenge back on track after their win away at Chinnor. Stortford finished second last season and looked to have put the heartbreak of the National Two play-off defeat behind them. They beat Redruth 45-20 in this fixture last season and have won their last seven home matches – a run which extends back to that game against the Reds.

In terms of Redruth, their 100 per cent start to the season ended last week when they were beaten at home by Cambridge. The Reds have already matched their total for away wins from last season and will be looking to make it a treble this Saturday. It’s another long trip for Redruth – a 670 mile one to be exact.

Launceston v Clifton

Clifton have made a very solid start to this season after a 12^th place finish last campaign. The side from South Gloucestershire have won three of their four games so far, but have lost their last six away matches.

As for Launceston, they enter round five still without a win and still without any points to their name. They sit bottom of National Two North and were no closer to that elusive victory last week when they were humbled by Worthing. So far, all of their games this campaign have been against sides in the top half, but they did do the double over Clifton last season.

Bury St Edmunds v Canterbury

Canterbury are back on their travels after they lost their unbeaten start to the season last weekend. The City Men have performed well this campaign and are being rewarded with some very good results, but they will now be looking for a reaction when they travel to Bury St Edmunds this Saturday. Canterbury have won both of their games away from home this season.

In terms of the hosts, they have picked up six points from their opening four games, which is the highest out of the newly promoted sides so far. Bury beat Chinnor in their first home game of the season and they will be looking to make it 13 wins from their last 16 matches at The GK IPA Haberden.

Redingensians v Worthing

After a stuttering opening day defeat to Clifton,  Worthing are on the march as three straight victories leaves them in the top half of the table and in an excellent position to get themselves in the mix towards the summit of the league. Worthing have won nine of their last 16 games on the road.

As for the Redingensians, they have had it tough so far. Like Launceston, all four of their fixtures have come against teams in the top half and it continues this week. They may look to their home form from last season to give them the inspiration they need to pick up their first win of this campaign. The Rams won 13 out of their 14 games at Old Bath Road last year.

Barnes v Old Elthamians

The Old Elthamians will be searching for their third straight win after recent victories over Dorking and Clifton. After winning, just two of their previous 11 before then, the OE’s finally have good reason to be positive and are favourites for this clash against Barnes.

Barnes are still yet to pick up their first win of the season, but three bonus points from their first four matches could prove vital as the season progresses. The National Three South play-off winners have had some tricky fixtures so far, but will be hoping that they can secure their first victory of the campaign in front of their home crowd.

Dorking v Chinnor

Dorking will be disappointed that they failed to back up their win over Bishop’s Stortford after they were beaten by the Old Elthamians last week. I do believe Dorking still harbour hopes of pushing for promotion after letting it slip away from them last season, but they need a change of fortunes to do that. Their home record is very good though, with just five defeats in their last 17 games in Surrey.

Like Dorking, it hasn’t really been the start of the season Chinnor were looking for either. After finishing sixth last campaign they have failed to get going this term and are one of four teams without a win so far. Chinnor won seven times on their travels last year and one of those victories was a narrow 5-6 win over Dorking. Also, a one point margin has separated the two teams in their last two meetings.