Who will take control of National One?
Coventry are looking to move higher up the table after two straight wins
©Nick Meredith
It will be interesting to see if the defeats to Esher, Ampthill and District and Rosslyn Park last Saturday will have any effect on their performances this weekend as they look to get their promotion challenge back on track.
Hartpury College, Richmond and Blackheath will be purely focuses on going about their business in the same manner as last week while at the bottom, all three sides in the relegation zone are away from home.
Hartpury College v Loughborough Students
League leaders Hartpury College will be looking to maintain their stay at the top of the table when they host Loughborough Students this weekend. This should be a routine win for the home side, however Students have strung together two straight wins including that impressive victory over Rosslyn Park last week.
Loughborough are 11th in the table, but they still only five points clear of the danger zone. They showed six days ago what they can do against tough opposition so it isn’t unthinkable for them to get a result this weekend.
Richmond v Wharfedale
Lurking just a point behind Hartpury are Richmond who continue to impress in what has been a much improved season for the side. They welcome Wharfedale to Surrey in game which the home team are firm favourites to win as they look to crank up the pressure further on Hartpury.
Wharfedale have lost their last five matches and currently lie in 15th place in the division so this will be an uphill task for the side from the Dales.
Hull Ionians v Blackheath
Third place Blackheath travel to Brantingham Park to take on Hull Ionians this weekend, whose heavy defeat against Darlington Mowden Park last weekend might have come as a shock.
Blackheath have remained consistent this season and they may well have the edge against an I’s side that is usually impressive at home.
Esher v Cinderford
Esher will be looking to bounce back from their surprising loss against Blaydon when they host bottom club Cinderford this weekend.
The home side will be looking to close the gap on the top three and may fancy their chances even more considering Cinderford have parted company with former Director of Rugby Nic Corrigan this week.
It all means Paul Morris will be stepping in as interim coach for this game as he looks to turn round the short term fortunes of a side struggling for form.
Blaydon v Rosslyn Park
Rossyln Park will be fully aware of the challenge that faces them when they travel to north-east this weekend to take on Blaydon who were Esher’s conquerors last week.
Park suffered their own shock defeat when they were beaten at home by Loughborough Students and even though Blaydon are now out of the bottom three, we may well see a retaliation from the away side as they look to stay in touch with the front runners.
Plymouth Albion v Ampthill and District
Plymouth Albion dropped to 10th in the table after defeat to Blackheath last week and they meet an Ampthill and District who have been hit by a number of injuries in recent weeks.
Those injuries to the A’s were exposed last week away at Richmond and Plymouth could capitalise on that if they get power up front. Expect a close game on the south coast.
Coventry v Henley Hawks
Coventry are slowly turning their season around as they have now picked up maximum points in their last two matches after three straight defeats. They welcome a struggling Henley Hawks side to the Butts Park Arena this Saturday who ate now in the relegation zone after just three wins this season.
Henley also have the worst defensive record in the division so this is a huge fixture for the Hawks to try and tighten up in defence and move away from danger. As for Coventry, they need to keep winning if they still have desires of promotion.
Fylde v Darlington Mowden Park
One of the form teams in National One are Darlington Mowden Park who have picked up back to back wins in recent weeks. They take the trip to Lancashire to play Fylde who had a narrow away win at Henley despite a controversial red card.
Fylde have performed better at Woodlands this season and are up to 8th in the table so this one will be an intriguing battle in the north-west.
