2013/14 University Rugby Preview - Week 7

It’s that time of week again, just one more day to go until University rugby fixtures get underway across the country.

With only a few weeks of University rugby left before all student s depart for a month’s break over Christmas, the BUCS rugby competition is starting to get serious.

Last week reigning champions Durham did what they do best and held out for another win, making it five from five so far in their perfect season.

The men in purple beat local rivals Northumbria by 30 points 27, in an incredibly close affair that the visitors dominated for most of the game. After a disappointing first half it was a late surge of tries from Durham that sealed the game.

However, Durham have a rest week this Wednesday; will anyone make a statement and try to bridge the gap between Durham and the rest of the pack?

In the Northern Premier A league there are two fixtures tomorrow: Loughborough host the University of Leeds, whilst Leeds Met also travel south to face Nottingham.

Firstly, fourth place Loughborough welcome sixth place Leeds to the Epinal Way first XV pitch.

Leeds are enduring a disappointing season so far this year, with just one win from four attempts, as they sit just one place above Nottingham in last, on six points.

In the second week of fixtures, and Leeds’s first game, the Yorkshire side beat Northumbria University, with a commanding 43-32 performance away from home; however, their season has travelled down-hill from that point.

Last week Leeds suffered their most disappointing loss of the season, as they fell 29-24 to the previously winless Nottingham, who are now just a point behind them in the table.

On the other hand, Loughborough, who sit fourth with two wins from four games, will be looking to stamp more authority on the league, after an uncharacteristically mid-table season.

However, two weeks ago Loughborough dispatched Nottingham by 34 points to 7 away from home, and the Midlands side will carry some momentum with them tomorrow, before they take on the Champions Durham next week.

Also in tomorrow’s fixtures, bottom of the league Nottingham face the difficult proposition of welcoming third place Leeds Met Carnegie to the Midlands.

The Leeds varsity winners are just one point behind the second spot, and they will be looking to leap-frog Newcastle with a big win tomorrow.

Last week Leeds destroyed the North Eastern side 48-22 in Yorkshire, but still couldn’t overtake them in the league.

However, could Nottingham pose more of a threat than first thought? Once seen as the walk-over team of the Premier A League, after an impressive victory over Leeds University last week. Can they do the Leeds double?

In the second tier of Northern University rugby, after a week without any fixtures, the league gets underway again tomorrow.

Undefeated league Leaders Birmingham, with four wins from four, will be looking to extend their five point lead at the top of the table as they welcome York University.

Elsewhere, second Place Durham 2s have a tough encounter with Loughborough 2s in the North East.
Although Loughborough only sit sixth in the league, with just one win to their name, the multi-sport specialists are bound to provide a difficult challenge.

Nottingham Trent welcome Sheffield Hallam and the University of Manchester who are currently fourth with just two wins from four games host seventh place Edinburgh.

In the Southern half of the competition there was an enormous upset in the Premier A League, as previously undefeated Hartpury succumbed to their first loss of the season, in an incredibly close 11-9 battle with Exeter.

However, Hartpury are still clearly out in front in the league table with 21 points – seven above second place Bath.

This week, though, the two sides collide in what is bound to be a titanic encounter. A win for Bath will bring them right up to contention at the top of the league; however, a win for the home side Hartpury would put some space between them and the rest of the pack.

Elsewhere, third place Exeter, filled with confidence after last week’s giant slaying, welcome the University of Bristol to the Topsham Sports Ground.

In a confusing run of results, where everyone seems to have beaten each other, Bristol beat second place Bath 13-3 last Wednesday.

Both sides will therefore by in high spirits with plenty of confidence, as they look to gain the advantage over the other tomorrow afternoon.

Finally, Swansea University host Cardiff Met in an all Welsh clash. Swansea sit bottom of the league, with just one win this season over Cardiff University last week. Could they be another side to do the double, this time over both Cardiff sides?

Lastly, in the Southern B League, there are four fixtures tomorrow: Reading University host St Marys; Cardiff University 2s host Hartpury 2s; Bath 2s welcome local rivals Exeter to the Sulis club and, finally, the University of South Wales hosts Cardiff Met 2s.

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