Leaders looking to keep pace at the top

The Old Albanian head into Round 17 as the leaders of National Two South, but will be fully aware that they cannot afford any mistakes as Cambridge found out last weekend.

The’ Blood and Sand’ were knocked off top spot after defeat to Bishops Stortford and now they are playing catch-up while also making sure they stay in a play-off position with the likes of Storford and Taunton still firmly in the hunt.

The bottom half of the table remains extremely tight with just 10 points separating the bottom seven sides while Launceston are stranded at the foot of the division.  Worthing v Barnes and Canterbury v the Redingensians are the pick of the games this weekend.

Old Albanian v Southend Saxons

It is clear that the Old Albanian’s main target for this year is promotion back to National One. After a disappointing campaign where they were relegated last season, the OA’s may have the felt the pressure on their shoulders to deliver an immediate response this term and currently they are doing just that. The OA’s are top of National Two South and very much in the fight for the league title.

Their form has been superb recently as well. They have won 11 games in a row and they can take heart from the fact that they haven’t tasted defeat since October.  The OA’s are firm favourites for this game as they also look to maintain their 100 per cent home record this term.

Southend Saxons are enduring a mixed season. The Saxons seem unable to gather any consistency and although they have picked up some impressive wins this campaign, they’ve also dropped points against the likes of the Redingensians and Launceston.

Compared to last season however, the Saxons are in a slightly better position as they currently lie in 11^th place. Although they are just four points clear of the bottom three, Southend know they could potentially get something from this fixture this weekend as they are one of only two sides to take points off the Old Albanian this campaign.

Chinnor v Cambridge

Chinnor’s National Two South campaign has not gone as expected this season after a sixth place finish last term. The Oxfordshire side have struggled for results so far this campaign meaning they are currently occupying one of the three relegation places.

Chinnor’s form has been awfully shaky so far and as a result, they have picked up just four wins this term but are only one point from safety.  Two of those victories have come in the last four games and another triumph could take them out of the bottom three come Saturday night.

Cambridge are certainly one of the teams currently fighting for promotion from National Two South. In fact, the Blood and Sand find themselves in second place after 16 matches of the campaign, after a run of five wins from their last six matches.

Although Cambridge may not have been considered to be one of the favourites for promotion this season, they have built on their seventh place finish of last year and have been in the mix throughout this campaign. They were knocked off top spot last week after defeat against Bishops Stortford so they will be looking to bounce straight back this Saturday.

Bishops Stortford v Dorking

Bishops Stortford are in the hunt for a promotion place once again this season. Although, they have not been firing on all cylinders throughout the campaign, Stortford are now looking strong and are firmly challenging for another shot at National One.

They made a mixed start to the season but since the November, Stortford have lost just once from eight matches. A defeat against Clifton was their only blip and after a major victory over Cambridge last weekend, Stortford look like a team that mean business in the second half of the campaign.

Dorking are starting to find some consistency this season. Although, they sit eighth in the table and have not built on a fourth place finish from last year, they seem to have turned a corner in recent weeks having won three of their last five games.

Dorking travel to Silver Leys this weekend knowing that Bishops Stortford have won all seven of their home matches while Dorking have won three of their seven away games. A win for the visitors on Saturday will cement their position further in the top half.

Taunton Titans v Launceston

Taunton are battling hard for promotion from National Two South this season.  After finishing third last season, the Titans currently find themselves seven points behind the play-off spot and in third place once again.

Recent form has seen the Titans fall into the background of the title race after topping the division in the first seven weeks of the season. Taunton have lost two of their last three matches and know they need to get back to winning ways sooner rather than later if they are to stay in touch with the top two.  Taunton have won all eight of their home matches this season.

Launceston’s season is quite the contrast.  They sit rock bottom of National Two South and find themselves a mammoth 22 points from safety already.

The visitors to Hyde Park this weekend are without a win from their first 15 games of the season with their only highlight being a draw against Southend Saxons. Launceston will need a miracle to stay up and with this being their first fixture of the New Year, they will be hoping to kick start 2016 with their maiden victory of the season.

Redruth v Bury St Edmunds

Redruth will be very pleased with how this season is going so far. Having finished ninth last season and two points outside the top half, they now find themselves fifth in the table and just six points off the top three.

A strong run of results could slide The Reds into a potential play-off place and with five wins in their last six league matches; they are certainly on course to do just that. Redruth will be looking for their seventh home win of the campaign this Saturday.

Bury St Edmunds have been inconsistent this season, but they won’t be too disappointed with that. Bury have won seven of their 16 matches since promotion to National Two South and they currently occupy ninth place in the table. More importantly for them is the fact that they are already eight points clear of the relegation zone.

Bury take the 754 mile round trip to the Recreation Ground this weekend looking for their third away win of the season and will be also searching for revenge after Redruth edged out Bury 22-23 back in September.

Clifton v Old Elthamians

Clifton are battling well in National Two South this season. The South Gloucestershire side are competing towards the top half of the table after a 12^th placed finished last term and are currently sixth this campaign.

Clifton started the season brightly, but recently, their form has dipped after winning just one of their last six matches which has seen them lose touch with the top four sides in the division. On the plus side, they have won seven of their eight games at home this season, but will face a tough test against the Old Elthamians this weekend.

The Old Elthamians are also fighting to finish as high as possible in the top half of the table. One defeat in seven matches propelled them up the division, but just two wins in the last seven games has seen them settle in seventh place.

The OE’s are only two points behind Clifton heading into this contest and they will be looking to improve their away form considering they have won just two of their last six games on their travels.

Worthing Raiders v Barnes

It has not been the campaign Worthing Raiders would have expected and wanted. After finishing fifth last season, they may have harboured ambitions of promotion at the beginning of this term, but instead it has been the complete opposite.

Worthing currently occupy 12^th place in the table and are just three points clear of the drop zone. The West Sussex side have won six games this season with four of those victories coming at home. They will be hoping to take their tally to five this weekend to kick start their second half of the season.

Barnes head into this fixture with Worthing Raiders full of confidence. A great result over Taunton last weekend saw them move eight points clear of the relegation zone as they picked up just their second win in eight matches.

The newly promoted side have done well to date and will now be focused on making it back to back wins to start 2016. They have won just once away from home this season so they will know this will be another challenge this Saturday.

Canterbury v Redingensians

Canterbury currently sit the relegation zone in National Two South, despite starting the season very positively. The City Men won their first three matches, but since then, they have fallen dramatically which has left them in 15^th place in the table.

Canterbury have won just two games in their last 13 matches, but saying that, they ended 2015 with a solid victory over the Old Elthamians. Canterbury weren’t in action last weekend due to their game against Launceston being called off, so they will be hoping to carry that bit of confidence from their game with the OE’s into this relegation clash with the Redingensians.

The Redingensians are just a point clear of the drop zone at this stage of the season after they were promoted into the division for this campaign. The Rams have won five of their 16 games since entering the fourth tier of English rugby and know that these encounters against relegation rivals are vital in their fight for survival.

The Redingensians highlighted that when they battled to a win over Chinnor just before the Christmas break and they will be hoping for a repeat performance this Saturday.