Taunton and Old Albanian ready for top of the table showdown

The huge fixtures are coming thick and fast in National Two South and it doesn’t come bigger than the top two taking on each other this weekend with just a point separating the two sides.

Cambridge will be waiting in the wings for any slip up made by either one of the Old Albanian and Taunton while Bishops Stortford face another challenge at home against the in-form Old Elthamains.

Elsewhere, Clifton will be looking to close the gap on the top three while sides at the bottom will be desperate to move away from danger with just five games until the Christmas break.

Old Albanian v Taunton Titians

What a prospect this fixture should be this weekend. The top two in National Two South do battle in St Albans with the Old Albanian having their sights set on going to the summit of this division for the first time this season.

The OA’s were relegated from National One last campaign, but five straight wins has seen them move within a point of top spot as they target an immediate return to the third tier of English rugby. They have won all four of their home matches this season and will be confident of taking that tally to five on Saturday.

The current league leaders are Taunton who moved back into first place after their third win in a row last weekend combined with Cambridge dropping points. Taunton have won three of their four away matches this season with their only defeat coming against Cambridge. After that loss, the Titans were knocked off the top so they will be hoping to avoid that same fate this weekend.

Cambridge v Barnes

Cambridge slipped down to 3^rd in the table when they saw their lead disappear against the Old Elthamians last weekend so they will looking for a quick response when they hosts Barnes at Volac Park on Saturday.

Cambridge remain just a point behind Taunton and if they are to pick up their fifth home win of the season this weekend, it could see them go back to the top of National Two South. Cambridge are unbeaten in their last eight and have beaten Taunton and the Old Albanian on this run, so this will be a tough task for Barnes.

After four straight wins, Barnes have suffered back to back defeats and the National Three South play-off winners will not want to make that a habit. They have performed very well since promotion into this division as they currently lie 9^th in the table, just four points outside the top half. The loss to Bury St Edmunds last weekend would have been tough to take for Barnes, but that will be erased from the memory if they get something against Cambridge this Saturday.

Chinnor v Clifton

The change in fortunes for both of these sides from last season has been remarkable. Chinnor finished 6^th in the table while Clifton ended the campaign just three points clear of the relegation zone. Now, Chinnor find themselves in the bottom three with just one win to their name this season while Clifton are 4^th. What a difference seven months can make.

Chinnor are currently 15^th and four points from safety and know that they must start to string some positive results together if they are to get out of this current situation they find themselves in.

As for Clifton, they have to be pleased with the first third of their season. Seven wins from their first 10 matches is impressive, but the gap between themselves and the top three is starting to widen and Clifton will not want that to continue happening. They have won just once on the road this season – that coming against Launceston – and they will want to double that total this weekend. Clifton did win this fixture 29-32 back in February of this year.

Bishops Stortford v Old Elthamians

After a big fixture against Clifton last weekend for Bishops Stortford, they are involved in another massive game this Saturday when they welcome 6^th place the Old Elthamians to Sliver Leys. Stortford are a place above the OE’s in the table but just two wins in their last five matches has seen them fall away from the front runners. Stortford have won all four of their matches at home this season and have won 16 of their last 19 games on home soil.

In terms of the Old Elthamians, they are certainly one of the form sides in the division having lost just one of their last seven games. The OE’s really have impressed after a shaky start to the season and know they could move into the top four with a win on Saturday. They have transferred their unbeaten home record into their away matches recently and they will be hoping for that trend to continue this weekend.

Redruth v Worthing Raiders

Last season Redurth finished behind Worthing in the table and if that is to repeat itself again this term, something dramatic must happen.

The Reds are currently 7^th in the division and just the four points behind 4^th place while Worthing are languishing in 12^th. Redruth have won three of their last five games and have lost just once at home all season.

As for Worthing, they must have had thoughts on a promotion challenge after such a strong second half of the season last campaign, but that just hasn’t materialised so far. Just four wins from their first 10 games – including one away win in four- leaves them in a precarious position above the drop zone, but a win last time out against Chinnor could be their springboard for the rest of the season.

Southend Saxons v Redingensians

If Southend are to pick up one point this weekend in their home clash with the Redingsensians, they would have already achieved half the points they picked up last season, after just 11 matches. Southend are much improved from the team that just about survived in this division seven months ago, but they will be hoping to get back to winning ways after just one win in their last four games.

Southend have won two and drawn two of their games at Warners Bridge Park this season and may fancy their chances of another victory against a struggling Redingensians side.

The Redingensians currently lie 15^th in the table after promotion last season with just two wins from their opening 10 games. They are yet to win away this season, but their last four matches have seen them pick up points. Their aim will be to pick up at least another four this Saturday.

Bury St Edmunds v Launceston

Bury St Edmunds’ victory over Barnes last weekend meant they are now nine points clear of the relegation zone and the newly promoted side seem to be enjoying their time in National Two South.

They have identical records both home and away this season with two wins and three defeats and Bury know a win could move into the top half of the table.

They may well fancy their chances against a Launceston side who remain winless and are 11 points from safety at this early stage of the season. They have won just five of their last 19 away games, but their spirited draw against Southend last weekend would have instilled some confidence in the Launceston players.

Dorking v Canterbury

With two wins in their last three games Dorking are steadily moving themselves up the table after a very inconsistent and disappointing start to this campaign. The side that finished 4^th last year are currently 11^th in the table with two home wins to their name this season.

They welcome an out of form Canterbury side who had begun this season so well. Three straight wins saw them in the top four early on in the season, but seven straight defeats as seen them fall dramatically down to 13^th – where they finished last year. Canterbury have won two of their five away games this season and will be aware that this bad run of results much be halted quickly or they could find themselves in a lot of trouble as we approach the midway point of the season.