Pacesetters keen to build on opening day victories

The new National Two South campaign got underway last weekend and even at this early stage, there are sides that have marked out their intentions for this season.

Last year’s third placed side Bishops Stortford began the new season with a confident victory and will be hoping to go one better this year while Taunton, Redruth and new boys Henley Hawks and Cinderford will all have ambitions of lifting the title in April.

And what about the other teams? Well, it was a great start to the new term for Chinnor who currently top the table while there were also wins for Bury St Edmunds, the Old Elthamians and Worthing Raiders.

While those sides will be looking to build on their positive opening day results the likes of Canterbury, Barnes and the Redingensians will all be looking to get their first victories of the season this weekend. Elsewhere, all three newly promoted teams are aiming to get off the mark as quickly as possible.

Henley Hawks v Chinnor

I think it is fair to say that Henley Hawks have their sights set firmly on promotion back to National One this season. Having been relegated last term, the Hawks will be hoping for an immediate return to the third tier of English rugby and then a maybe a year of consolidation at that level.

However, Henley did not get the new campaign off to a winning start last weekend as they fell to a 23-18 defeat away at Redruth. The men from Dry Leas were in National Two South two years ago where they romped to the league title. They won 24 of their 30 matches and 12 of those came at home so can Henley replicate that sort of form as they look for their first win of the season?

Chinnor had a wonderful end to the last campaign and got off to a flyer to start this season. Eight wins from their final 10 matches saw them escape relegation last term and a thumping 47-10 victory over London Irish Wild Geese to open their account for this year leaves Chinnor sitting top of the tree at this early stage.

Matt Williams’ men had to bounce back from a disappointing first half of last season in order to avoid the drop, but now it looks like they are continuing their recent purple patch of form into this current campaign. This fixture against Henley will certainly be one of their toughest trips of the season, but Chinnor will go into this game oozing confidence and belief.

Taunton Titans v Exmouth

Taunton Titans enjoyed another strong campaign last year, but were unable to reach the top two spots and have a shot at promotion. After flying out of the blocks last season, which saw them with their first seven matches, their form became very inconsistent which saw them slip out of contention for a place in National One.

You have to feel that the Titians will be looking to make amends for last season and they certainly have started in the right manner to achieve this. Taunton ran in five tries on their way to an opening day win over the Redingensians and now they will be looking to carry their momentum into their first game at Hyde Park when they welcome Exmouth this Saturday.

Exmouth were promoted to the English fourth tier after winning the National Three South West title in May. The Devonshire based side finally reached National Two South after heartbreak in the play-off against Barnes in the previous season, but now they are in this division, they’ll be looking to make the most of their time here.

Jon Hill’s men started the new season with a defeat last week. Facing a Worthing Raiders side who struggled towards the bottom of the division last term, Exmouth fell to a 22-10 loss at home and next on their agenda is this tough trip to Taunton as they look to get off the mark for the season.

Bishops Stortford v Bury St Edmunds

Bishops Stortford may have suffered a mixed start to the season 12 months ago which led to them missing out on a top two spot, but they appear to have now put that to the back of their minds. Stortford kicked off the new campaign with a 20-13 victory away at Barnes last weekend and now their sights are set on their first home win of the season.

Andy Long’s side have gone close to achieving promotion to National One in each of the last two seasons. In May 2015, they lost in the play-off to Ampthill and District before ending last term third in the table. Can they now take that next step this time around?

Bury St Edmunds really looked like they enjoyed themselves last season and it seems like it is continuing in the early stages of the new campaign. In their first match, Bury ran out 30-10 winners at home to Clifton and the side that were promoted into this division in 2015 are hoping for a similar season to the one they had last year.

Their first away fixture of this term will be a tricky one though. Bishops Stortford lost just one of their 14 matches at Silver Leys in the 2015/16 season while Bury won just five on their travels. If Bury were to get something from this fixture on Saturday, it would signal just how far this side has come over the last 12 months and they certainly do have the tools to gain a result this weekend.

Canterbury v Old Elthamians

Canterbury didn’t get off to a winning start to the season in National Two South, but they can certainly take positives from their defeat. The City Men lost 14-7 to Cinderford who were relegated from National One last term and now Canterbury will be looking to open their account for this season with a victory at home.

Last year, they got off to a great start winning their first four matches, but that was followed by a run of 10 straight defeats. The City Men will be hoping to avoid such a mixed campaign this time around and they may fancy their chances this weekend against a side that finished just one place above them last season.

The Old Elthamians also had an inconsistent 2015/16, but they have enjoyed a strong start to this term. Thanks to Tom White’s boot, the OE’s won 31-8 against newly-promoted Barnstaple last weekend which is exactly what the doctor ordered as they lost four of their last five matches at the end of last season.

Forwards Coach Aaron Liffchak said before the season begun that the OE’s mixed results last term epitomised why they finished mid-table. He, the rest of his staff and the players will hope that they can avoid such inconsistency this year as they look for back to back wins this weekend.

Worthing Raiders v Barnes

Worthing Raiders are hoping to put the disappointment of last season behind them as they look to push on towards the right end of the league this term. Having failed to build on their fifth place in the 2014/15 campaign, the Raiders found themselves in a relegation dogfight for the majority of last year.

Three wins in their last five games was part of the reason why they avoided the drop and their opening fixture of this season also passed without hiccup. Worthing beat newly-promoted Exmouth 22-10 last weekend and they are now focused on opening their home campaign for the season with a victory.

Next up for them in National Two South are a Barnes outfit who were unable to begin the new campaign with a victory as they lost 20-13 at home to Bishops Stortford. Barnes started 2016 with just one defeat in eight matches, but since then it has not gone according to plan for them.

Their last league victory came on February 20^th when they beat Southend Saxons meaning Barnes have now not tasted that winning feeling for eight straight matches and they will be eager to change that as quickly as possible. This fixture ended in a 24-24 draw last season, but Barnes will be desperate to secure a victory on Saturday.

Clifton v Cinderford

Even though we are one game into the new season, I get the sense that Clifton are really keen to get a victory under their belts as quickly as possible. The South Gloucestershire outfit finished one place above the relegation zone last term and have had a wretched 2016 in terms of results.

They began the last campaign with two defeats in their first 10 games, but since the turn of the year, Clifton have won just three of their last 16 league matches. Their early season form of 12 months ago was enough to keep them in this division and after defeat to Bury St Edmunds last week, they need to return to winning ways sooner rather than later or it could be a tough season for Clifton.

Cinderford are hoping to bounce back to National One at the first time of asking following relegation from the third tier of English rugby. Cinderford put up a strong fight towards the end of last season in National One, but the side will have learnt from that experience as they look for an immediate return to the third tier.

They made a good start to their campaign with a home win over Canterbury and now head into this Gloucestershire derby hoping for their first away triumph of the season and back to back wins. Consistency will be key for Cinderford if they are to achieve promotion this term.

Redruth v Barnstaple

Redruth are certainly a side on the up at the minute as they continue to improve as each season passes. The Reds finished eighth in 2014/15 and last term they ended the campaign in fourth place. Now, they may be hoping new boss Marek Churcher can be the man to take them to the next level.

It’s been a positive start for Churcher and his squad as they picked up an opening day victory over one of the title favourites Henley Hawks. They are back at The Recreation Ground this weekend where Redruth won 12 of their 30 matches last season and The Reds will be hoping to carry on that form this season.

This season represents Barnstaple’s first in the fourth tier of English rugby. The side from North Devon won promotion into this division via the National Three South play-off in May and now they are looking to consolidate their place in National Two South and enjoy their time in this league.

Verity White’s side began the new season with a 31-8 defeat at home to the Old Elthamians, but now they are preparing for their first away trip of the season down at Redruth. Barnstaple won nine of their 13 away games last year and they will be looking to take a scalp this Saturday.

London Irish Wild Geese v Redingensians

London Irish Wild Geese are one of the newly-promoted teams in National Two South. Having clinched the National Three London and South East title last season, Geese are looking to avoid an immediate return to the fifth tier of English rugby but you can’t help but feel that it could be a very difficult season for them.

After a 47-10 thumping away at Chinnor to begin the season, the men from Hazelwood currently sit bottom of table but will be looking to bounce back in their first home game of the campaign tomorrow. London Irish Wild Geese have lost just four of their last 26 matches at home, but can they pick up their maiden win in National Two South this Saturday?

The Redingensians also did not get off to a winning start to the season, despite a strong campaign last year. The Rams finished in an impressive seventh place last term, but lost to Taunton to last Saturday.

Granted, Taunton are certainly one of the promotion candidates this season so Redingensians may fancy their chances much more this weekend when they make the trip to Hazlewood. The Rams won six of their 15 matches on the road last season and they will be keen to get their away fixtures off to a winning start this weekend.