Who will be top of the tree at Christmas?

They may have both won 12 games this season, but as we wave goodbye to 2015 in National Two South, we still are without a clear leader heading into the New Year.

For the past few weeks now, Cambridge and the Old Albanian have wrestled with top spot with both teams currently on the same amount of points and are separated by a points difference of just eight at the half-point of this campaign.

Taunton set the early pace in this division, but defeat last time out now means they are eight points behind the front runners while the likes of Bishops Stortford, Redruth and Clifton battle it out below.

Elsewhere, the race for a top half positive is gathering momentum as is the fight for survival as teams are aiming to go into the Christmas break outside the bottom three.

Cambridge v Bury St Edmunds

Cambridge are enjoying a phenomenal season in National Two South. Despite finishing seventh last campaign, the Blood and Sand currently occupy top spot and they will most certainly feel they can win the title.

Last weekend’s win over Southend Saxons saw Cambridge nudge the Old Albanian off top spot for now having lost just once all season and with this impressive run of form showing no signs of slowing down,  the home side are in a good position to be at the summit of National One heading into 2016.

Bury St Edmunds are hoping to maintain their top half position in the table as we approach the Christmas break. The club have to be pleased with the way the first half of the campaign has gone after promotion and there are no signs as yet that they are struggling to cope with the demands of National Two South.

This season, they currently sit eighth and it’s fair to say that performances by Bury have been excellent in recent weeks. Three wins in their last five matches has seen them move into that top half, but this fixture on Saturday will be a tough nut to crack when they travel Volac Park where Cambridge have not lost this season.

Old Albanian v Barnes

This is another fixture which pits a title contender against a newly promoted side as Old Albanian host Barnes.

The Old Albanian have performed extremely well this season so far. The OA’s are currently second in the table, level on points with Cambridge and they are separated by a points difference of nine. They had to be one of the pre-season favourites after relegation last season and they are living up to that.

A victory against an in-form Old Elthamians side last weekend was the OAs’ 12^th of the season and keeps them level at the top, but they need to keep winning games to remain their otherwise they could slip away from the title race.

Barnes may have been unable to find any sort of consistency in National Two South this season, but considering they were promoted via the National Three South play-off last term, they aren’t doing too badly so far.

As things stand, Barnes are 10^th in the table and they level on points with eighth place Bury St Edmunds so the top half is very reachable. They have won five of their 14 games this season and have won just one of their last six, but what has been crucial is that Barnes have picked up 10 bonus points. Without them, they would be 15^th in the table so that could prove vital come the end of the season. 

Taunton Titans v Clifton

Taunton Titians are having good season so far. With sights set on a promotion place at the start of September, Taunton have stuck to their goal and have produced some outstanding results which has led them to third in the table.

As good as they have been, they suffered a body blow to their title chances last weekend when they lost away to Worthing Raiders which now leaves the Titians eight points off the pace. Taunton go into this fixture with 11 wins to their name which includes seven home victories so they will be hoping that their defeat last Saturday is a blip as they look to continue their impressive home record.

Clifton are a side that seem to be looking to progress. After finishing 12^th last season, the South Gloucestershire outfit have come on leaps and bounds this campaign and are showing signs of development.

Clifton are 6^th in the table after picking up eight wins from their 14 matches this season. However, only one of those victories has come away from home and on form alone, Taunton is not a place where they are likely to double that tally.

Bishops Stortford v Southend Saxons

Bishops Stortford are progressing well this season, but they may feel they should be higher in the table. Stortford lost out in the National Two play-off match last season to Ampthill & District and many may have thought they could take the extra step this campaign. So far, that hasn’t been the case.

Last weekend’s 15-27 away win over the Redingensians leaves Stortford 4^th in the table, 12 points off the all-important promotion places, but confidence will still be high as they have lost just one of their last six matches. They have also won all six of their home matches this term as well.

Southend Saxons are certainly not replicating the form which saw them become embroiled in a relegation battle last season. The Saxons survived by the skin of their teeth last campaign but that appears to have disappeared from the minds of the Southend staff and players as their National Two South form has been much improved this season.

Having being at the wrong end of the table for the majority of last season, Southend will be pleased to find themselves in ninth place, despite having won just one of their last five matches. They will need to end Stortford’s unbeaten home run in order for them to stay in touch with the top eight before the Christmas break.

Redruth v Launceston

Redruth are enjoying some good form in National Two South at the moment. They have won three of their last five matches and they have won five of their six games at home this season which has seen them cement fifth place in this division.

But the priority for Redruth will be moving up the table and moving as close as they can to a play-off place even though they are 18 points behind the top two. They have lost just three of their last nine games and they’ll be hoping to keep up their excellent home form this weekend.

Launceston have not enjoyed the same kind of form in National Two South this year. They were hoping to push on from last term following a 10^th placed finish, but things have gone drastically downhill since the end of the 14/15 season.

Launceston are currently bottom of the table and are without win so far this season. They have lost 13 of their 14 games and are already 18 points from safety. They are short of confidence and will be hoping for better things in 2016 if they are to mount a great escape.

Canterbury v Old Elthamians

Canterbury opened the season with three straight wins, but that is now a distant memory for the ‘City Men.’ They are struggling towards the bottom reaches of the fourth tier of English rugby and do sit in the relegation zone at this stage.

After finishing 11^th last season, it was always going to be tough for Canterbury to move away from the bottom half of the table and it is looking bleak for them as they have won just one of their last 11 matches. They’ll want to end this winless streak on Saturday.

The Old Elthamians are hoping to earn a top half finish again this year. The OE’s guided themselves to eighth last season and having tweaked a few things, that is their aim again this season and they may feel they can improve on that too.

A run of one defeat in seven matches hauled the OE’s into the top six, although back to back defeats - which included them losing their unbeaten home record – will have deflated them slightly. Saying that, the OE’s will fancy their chances to bounce back though against an out of form Canterbury side.

Dorking v Worthing Raiders

Dorking’s inconsistency really is hampering their progression. Their year has been characterised by this which saw them miss out on the play-off match last campaign and has now seen them slip to 12^th in the table after just five wins this season.

They have picked up two wins at home so far this campaign and back to back defeats has left them just three points ahead of the relegation zone heading into this encounter.

Worthing Raiders have been rejuvenated by their recent results. With the club struggling towards the bottom of the table, the Raiders seem to have a turned a corner in what has otherwise been a tough season.

Since their defeat to Bishops Stortford at the start of November, Worthing have managed to win three of their last five games including back to back victories over Taunton and Canterbury to  move out of the relegation zone and up to 11^th. Another win on Saturday could see them go into the top half of the table if other results go their way.

Chinnor v Redingensians

As we approach the midway point of the season, this could be a vital fixture in the whole of this campaign for these two sides as they sit either side of the relegation zone.

Chinnor’s season seems to be stabilising somewhat following a terrible start. Just one win in their first 10 games left them in the bottom three and staring at a possible relegation, but since then they seem to be turning their fortunes around.

Although they are just one point clear of 14^th place, they have won three of their last four matches which shows how much Chinnor have improved over the recent weeks and they’ll be hoping to replicate victories over Launceston, Barnes and Clifton this weekend.

The Redingensians are the team that occupy that 14^th place position in National Two South. After promotion into this division, they have found it tough which is normal for a new side coming into the league.

The Rams have won four games this season with one of those victories coming on the road against Southend nearly a month ago. They did pick up back to back wins at the end of November, but it has been a month to forget for the men from Old Bath Road so they will be hoping for some Christmas cheer on Saturday heading into winter break.