Time running out for Dorking and Southend

The clock is ticking for sides fending off relegation in National Two South and time is not on the side of Dorking and Southend who both sit in the bottom three and can be relegated this weekend.

A defeat for Southend Saxons will seal their fate while a loss for Dorking may not be enough to see them go down. If other results don’t go their way though, they too could be waving goodbye to the fourth tier of English rugby.

With this in mind, there are a number of sides that can mathematically secure their survival this weekend. In fact, as many as nine teams can confirm their places in National Two South on Saturday so there is still an awful lot to play for with three games still to come in this division.

It is certainly not over at the top of the table either. League leaders Cambridge have a five point gap over their nearest and only challengers for the title, the Old Albanian, so the race for promotion could go down to the wire.

Cambridge v Southend Saxons

It has been a brilliant season for Cambridge thus far. Having been relegated from National One two years ago and finishing seventh last season, the Blood and Sand have battled their way up National Two South this campaign and now find themselves five points clear at the top of the division with three games remaining in the season.

Cambridge have never really been out of the title race since the beginning of the season and they have continued to gather momentum. After a professional display to earn victory over the Redingensians last weekend, they are still in pole position for the championship and know just three more wins will see them promoted back to the third tier of English rugby.

Southend Saxons’ season has been another tough one. Having somehow escaped relegation on the final day of last season, it now appears that the Saxons’ time in National Two South is over as they sit inside the bottom three, 14 points behind Canterbury with only three games of the season remaining.

Last year, Southend stayed up on ‘Games Won’, but they come into this match with Cambridge having tasted victory just seven times this season with just one win in their last seven games. Their recent defeats to Bury St Edmunds and Dorking seem to be the final nails in the coffin for Southend who know even if they did the unthinkable and won at Volac this Saturday; it may not be enough for them to avoid relegation this weekend.

Old Albanian v Old Elthamians

The Old Albanian have enjoyed a great season and they still remain firmly in the title race as things stand. The OA’s are on the verge of a top two finish, but they will be hoping that league leaders Cambridge collapse so they can swoop in to claim the title and an immediate return to National One.

A comfortable win over Clifton last time out showed that James Shanahan and his side still believe they can be crowned champions and overturn the five point gap which currently separates themselves and Cambridge. The key thing for the OA’s is that they need to continue to keep the pressure on the leaders. Five straight wins is exactly what the doctor ordered for the Old Albanian and they will be looking to extend their run on Saturday.

The Old Elthamians have had a mixed season. The OE’s finished eighth last term following promotion from National Three London & South East, but some inconsistent results throughout this campaign has meant that the Old Elthamians have not been able to build on last year’s positive outcome.

In truth, the OE’s maybe very satisfied that they have been able to solidify their place in National Two South once again this season, but with just one win in their last seven matches, it appears as though the OE’s have taken their foot off the gas as the season draws to a close. That said, a top half finish isn’t nailed on for the Old Elthamians so I am sure they will be eager to get a couple more wins on the board before the season comes to an end.

Bishops Stortford v Redingensians

Once again for Bishops Stortford, it has been another good season in National Two South. After suffering heartbreak in the National Two play-off last year, Stortford have picked themselves up and dusted themselves down resulting in them being a force yet again at this level. As things stand, they sit third in the table and look good for a top three finish.

Stortford started this campaign slowly with just four wins from their first eight games and that immediately put them on the back foot in terms of a promotion and title challenge. Fast-forward six months and 12 points now separates them and second placed Old Albanian so Stortford’s focus will purely be on ending this season well and rebuilding for another shot at National One next term.

It has been a very good season for the Reidngensians following promotion into National Two South 12 months ago. The Rams had been flirting with relegation for large periods of this season, but a recent run of seven straight wins has propelled them up the league table and now their position in the tier of English rugby looks safe for another year.

The Redingensians fell to ninth spot in the table last Saturday as their excellent run was halted by league leaders Cambridge. However, the Rams are still 12 points clear of the drop so their safety can be confirmed this weekend if they were to pick up a victory in this fixture. That will be a tough task though as Stortford have won 12 of their 13 home matches this season.

Redruth v Barnes

After finishing ninth last season in National Two South, I’m not sure followers of this league would’ve expected the strong campaign which Redruth have had. Maybe the fans at the Recreation Ground knew what was coming from their side as the Reds have been brilliant this campaign with three games still left to play.

As things stand, Redruth sit in fourth place in the table and are on course to finish in the top four especially if they continue their superb recent run of form. The Reds have won 10 of their last 12 matches since the beginning of 2016 and have also lost just twice at home all season.  They look good to keep on producing positive results this weekend when Barnes take the trip to Cornwall.

Barnes, like Redruth, are having a very good season. Following promotion via the National Three South play-off last term, Barnes have adapted to life in the fourth tier of English rugby extremely well and I think the squad and their fans will be very happy to see the club sitting in mid-table at this stage of the campaign.

A run of just one defeat in eight matches earlier this year helped the London-based club banish any fears of relegation and now, sitting in eighth place, they find themselves 13 points clear of the drop zone. A win will mathematically confirm their spot in this division next term, but they must end a recent run of no wins in four if they are to achieve that goal.

Taunton Titians v Worthing Raiders

This time last year, both of these sides were involved in a battle for the play-off spot. 12 months on, their situations have differed slightly as well as dramatically. For Taunton, after a promising start to this season, the Titians have a faded away from the promotion race and are set for a top five finish this time around.

Their recent form has been the main factor in why their promotion challenge has now ended. The Titians have won two of their last seven games which has seen them slip down to fifth in the table and 21 points off the top two. The players will no doubt want to end this season on a high and after victory over Dorking last Saturday, they will be hoping to follow that up with another win this weekend.

Worthing Raiders have needed a late burst of form to steer themselves away from the relegation zone. The Raiders have been below par for nearly all of this season after a fifth place finish last term and after spending most of this campaign fending off relegation, it now looks as if they have done enough to survive in this division.

Worthing travel to Taunton having won two of their last five games including a huge win over Canterbury six days ago. They currently sit eight points clear of the drop so a win here would secure their safety. In addition to this, Taunton have lost three home games this season - all of which have come in their last five matches at Hyde Park - so the Raiders may fancy their chances.

Dorking v Bury St Edmunds

The last 12 months have been extremely tough for Dorking. This time last year they were fighting for a play-off spot and a shot at National One, but since then, it has all been downhill for them. From the beginning of this season Dorking have been in the bottom-half of the table and 27 games later, they still remain there, but they are now under a serious threat of relegation.

After a crucial win over Southend Saxons two weeks ago, Dorking were unable to follow that up as they fell to defeat against Taunton last Saturday leaving them eight points adrift of safety with time running out. Quite simply, anything other than a win this weekend could spell the end of Dorking’s time in National Two South.

In contrast, Bury St Edmunds are now hoping to finish in the top six this term after a brilliant season following promotion from National Three last year. After floating around mid-table for large chunks of this campaign, Bury did find themselves in relegation trouble a couple of months ago, but recently their revival has been emphatic.

Last time out Bury beat relegation threatened Southend Saxons at Warners Bridge Park to pick up their fifth win from their last six games. That run of form has led to Bury moving up to sixth in the table and more importantly 14 points clear of the drop. It looks as though Bury St Edmunds will be plying their trade in National Two South once again next season and victory will be enough to confirm their place for the next campaign.

Chinnor v Launceston

Like Bury St Edmunds, Chinnor have turned their season around over the last few weeks. Their fantastic win over Barnes last Saturday meant that Chinnor have now won seven of their last nine games and that has taken he Oxfordshire side up to 10^th in the table and 12 points clear of the relegation zone.

Following a sixth place finish last term, the club started the season in poor form and at one stage, the club must’ve been worried that they could drop into National Three if they weren’t careful. Before this excellent run which they are currently on, Chinnor had won just four matches in 18 games so their turnaround is quite remarkable. A win here against already relegated Launceston will secure their safety in National Two South.

Launceston’s season is one they will want to erase from their memory. Having finished 10^th last year, the Cornish side have declined dramatically this term and they became the first side to be relegated across the top four tiers of English rugby a few weeks ago.

Last weekend’s defeat at home to Bishops Stortford was their 26^th loss of the season and they still await their first win of the campaign. The only positive point of this term so far was a draw with Southend Saxons and I’m afraid an away victory here looks unlikely.

Canterbury v Clifton

Canterbury’s season has been very mixed indeed. After beginning the campaign so positively with a sequence of wins, they followed it up with a series of defeats and that same pattern as stayed relatively the same throughout the campaign for the City Men.

Currently, that inconsistent form leaves Canterbury one place and eight points clear of the relegation zone. Their last five games have been a good representation of their season. Canterbury have beaten Taunton, Dorking and Launceston but have lost to Worthing Raiders and the Old Albanian. Another victory to add to that tally would also be enough for Canterbury to stay in this division.

Clifton’s season has also been inconsistent, but it has been a slight improvement on 12 months ago. The South Gloucestershire finished 13^th last campaign, but began this term in fantastic form losing just three of their first eight games. However, Clifton have been on a steady decline since then.

In the 15 games that have followed their excellent start to the season, Clifton have won just four of those matches which has seen them go from a top four side, to a team back in the bottom half of this division. In fairness, they have won two of their last five fixtures and like Canterbury, a win for Clifton would also seal their place in National Two South as they currently sit nine points clear of the bottom three.