Still all to play for in National One

Round 20 of National One marks the start of the final third of the 2015/16 season with still everything up for grabs in this division.

The title battle seems to have become a three-horse race as Richmond, Blackheath & Hartpury College have started to pull away from the rest of the field.

It is much closer at the bottom though as Cinderford & Henley Hawks continue to fight for their National One survival while the last relegation spot could be filled by any of four teams.

Blaydon v Richmond

Table toppers Richmond take the trip to Blaydon this Saturday who occupy that final relegation spot. The North-East side were humbled last week as they suffered their heaviest defeat in the clubs history so a match against the league leaders might not be the ideal tonic for Blaydon to bounce back.

A couple of positives for Blaydon is that they are at home & do look stronger this week with Tom Penny coming in from Newcastle Falcons and added to that, Richmond drew their last away game. Still, the away side are nailed on favourites for this clash as they hope to extend their lead at the top this weekend.

Blackheath v Ampthill & District

Second placed Blackheath are six points behind Richmond, but do have a game in hand, and they host Amphtill & District this Saturday.

Ampthill have done very well since promotion from National Two North last season as they currently sit fifth in the table and will prove a tough test for Club this weekend with the talent that the A's squad possesses.

Blackheath now know what is expected of them heading into the final straight of this season as they hunt down the National One title. They can't really afford to put a foot wrong at this stage.

Cinderford v Hartpury College

After Hartpury College thrashed Blaydon last weekend, Cinderford may well be wary of a College side that will be in a ruthless mood heading into this weekend’s derby game.

Third against bottom of the table should spell trouble for Cinderford after they suffered a heavy defeat last week but in this league, you never ever know.

Another win for Hartpury will keep them on the coattails of the top two and with that, they could deal the deadly blow to Cinderford's survival chances.

Esher v Plymouth Albion

Esher's defeat to Richmond last week left the 13 points behind the league leaders, but that won't stop them from trying to get back into the title race when they host Plymouth Albion on Saturday.

Albion are now up to sixth in the table after just one defeat in their last eight games. Also, their Director of Rugby, Graham Dawe, was invited down to Pennyhill Park this week by Eddie Jones to help England work on their scrum but the man who played in the 1987 & 1995 World Cups insists that this hasn't hinder Plymouth's preparation for this clash.

Darlington Mowden Park v Wharfedale

Darlington Mowden Park are quite clearly the form side in this division. Nine straight wins has seen them rise to a comfortable and well deserved seventh place in the table and they welcome Wharfedale to the North-East this weekend.

Relegation threatened Wharfedale gave themselves a huge boost last weekend after their win over Henley Hawks and they are currently one point clear of the relegation zone, but they will know they will have to produce something special to come away with a positive result.

Rosslyn Park v Fylde

Both Rosslyn Park & Fylde have shown their class this season but unfortunately it has only being in glimpses which explains why both have struggled to surpass last season’s positive campaigns.

Park battled hard in their loss to Blackheath last week while Fylde exploited a red card at Hull Ionians to seal another away win for Paul Arnold's men.

There is no doubt that this will be a close match as both sides look to end this term strongly.

Coventry v Hull Ionians

I think it is fair to say that you could put Coventry in the same bracket as Rosslyn Park & Fylde as their inconsistency has hampered any title hopes they may have had.

The next assignment for the Blues is a home game against Hull Ionians. The I's began life in National One quite well but the current National Two North champions are slowly sliding towards the bottom three. The Humberside outfit will be keen to halt a run of one win in their last nine matches this weekend as Coventry look to push further into the top half.

Henley Hawks v Loughborough Students.

The relegation battles seem to be coming think and fast at the moment an once again, Henley Hawks are involved as this time they host Loughborough Students.

The Hawks are currently 15th in the table and six points from safety after suffering a major setback last week against Wharfedale.

As for the Students, their bonus point win over Cinderford last weekend certainly eased their worries as they are now 12 points clear of the drop and know they must not let that cushion slip from underneath them.