Chasing pack looking to hunt down Stortford
It would have been a very Merry Christmas for Bishop’s Stortford, but the men from Silver Leys will now be firmly focused on staying on top of National Two South after a tremendous run of form.
Andy Long’s men have won 10 of their last 11 matches which has seen them surge to the top of the National Two South table and now it is their aim to stay there. The nearest challengers to Stortford are the Old Elthamians who begin 2017 with an away fixture at Clifton and third placed Chinnor who will be hoping to recover from their mini blip towards the end of last year.
Down at the bottom, London Irish Wild Geese and Exmouth face each other in the first relegation battle of the New Year whilst for the likes of Barnes and Worthing, they’ll be hoping they can kick off 2017 with a much needed victory.
Bishop’s Stortford v Cinderford
After early dominance from Chinnor in National Two South, we had new leaders at the top of this division to end 2016 and it was hard to argue that Bishop’s Stortford did not deserve to be at the summit. Andy Long’s men racked up 10 wins in 11 matches to storm to the top of the league standings and they begin 2017 two points clear of the rest of the field.
Stortford have been close to taking that next step up the English rugby ladder in recent years, but they have just come up short. 13 victories from 16 matches is their best ever start to a National Two South campaign and it has put them in a great position to finally earn promotion into National One. They start the New Year with a home fixture against Cinderford and Stortford have won six of their seven games at Silver Leys this term.
Cinderford may not have wanted the three weeks Christmas break to come. The side relegated from National One last season are currently going through one of their best spells of the campaign which has seen them cement their position in the top half of the table.
The Gloucestershire side had an inconsistent start to life at this level, but just one defeat in their last five games has seen them move up to eighth in the division. The men from Dockham Road have won on eight occasions thus far, but have only triumphed twice on the road. This fixture with Stortford will certainly be a tough one for Cinderford, but they certainly do have the capabilities to upset the odds.
Clifton v Old Elthamians
One win from their first six matches left Clifton once again contemplating another season in the bottom half of National Two South after two successive campaigns of finishing just above the relegation zone. However, seven wins from 10 matches has completely changed the direction of their season and now the Lavender and Blacks are on the cusp of the top half.
They did have the chance to move into the top eight just before Christmas, but lost out to Gloucestershire rivals Cinderford, but they will now be itching for a response to keep up their steady recent form. Clifton welcome the Old Elthamians to Station Road having won five of their seven fixtures on home turf this term and a sixth triumph against one of the frontrunners in this division would be the perfect way to kick off the New Year.
It won’t a straight forward task for the hosts though. One of the headline makers in the first-half of this season were the Old Elthamians who have surprised followers of this division so far. After two consecutive eighth placed finishes, Gavin Lach’s men have taken a huge step forward and currently find themselves second in the table and just two points behind leaders Bishop’s Stortford.
The OEs have accumulated 14 victories this term which is the most in the division and come into this fixture with Clifton on the back of five straight wins. They are only in the top two on ‘Games Won’, but they have shown before Christmas that they are serious about mounting a promotion challenge. An eighth away win of the season would certainly highlight their title credentials once again.
Redruth v Chinnor
Following just one defeat from their first eight matches, it looked as though Redruth were once again challenging for a top spot in National Two South, but this time under the guidance of new Head Coach Marek Churcher. The Reds finished fourth last season and were looking good to achieve that or even better it this term, but an inconsistent end to 2016 has slightly hampered their progress.
The men from the Recreation Ground lost four of their last eight games of the year which has seen them fall away from the top three. Redruth are now fifth in the table and 11 points behind second placed the Old Elthamians, but it isn’t a deficit which is impossible to turnaround. The Reds host third placed Chinnor this weekend looking to begin 2017 on the front foot by securing a seventh home win of the campaign and if they achieve that, it could well relaunch a possible promotion bid.
Like Redruth, Chinnor staggered over the line into the Christmas break. After 10 victories on the trot, Matt Williams’ side were looking comfortable at the summit of this division, but now they find themselves as part of the chasing pack after just two wins from their final six matches of 2016.
To win a league championship that sort of form is far from perfect, but Chinnor are still very much in the title race as they sit level on points with second placed the Old Elthamians and are just two points adrift of Bishop’s Stortford. The Black and Whites would have been frustrated by the two draws they picked up to end the calendar year so they will be aiming for a positive response when they take the long trip to Cornwall this weekend in search of their fifth away victory of the season.
Taunton Titians v Barnes
Taunton Titians suffered mixed fortunes in the first-half of the campaign, but will be raring to get going again this weekend when they host Barnes. After flying out of the blocks for the second season running, the Titans picked up five straight wins which left them top of the tree in October.
However, just three wins in the seven games that followed scuppered their early optimism and saw Tony Yapp’s men fall out of the top two and it left them with a lot of work to do if they were to revive their promotion bid. But, the Titans were able to turnaround their fortunes and now begin 2017 on a five game unbeaten which leaves them just six points outside the top two.
The Titians are back at Hyde Park on Saturday where they have picked up just four wins this term compared to their seven on the road so their opposition this weekend, Barnes, may see that as a positive when they travel to Somerset. Barnes have had a difficult season so far and they will be looking to replicate their start to 2016 which was enough to keep them in this division last term.
Barnes kicked off last year with just one defeat in their first eight games and they really could do with something like that to begin 2017. As things stand, they sit 15th in the table but they are only one point adrift of safety so it is still very much all to play for at the bottom of National Two South. Barnes have won just three times this season, but have lost all seven of their away games. Can they stop the rot this weekend?
Canterbury v Barnstaple
Canterbury’s seven straight victories were certainly one of the standout moments in the first-half of this season. The City Men had begun the campaign with just two wins from their first eight matches which left them languishing in the bottom half, but a remarkable upturn in form leaves the Kent-based side sitting pretty in sixth place.
Their amazing winning streak was ended by the Old Elthamians just before Christmas, but it was only by a narrow margin. The 18-14 defeat won’t have dampened Canterbury’s spirits too much and they will be eager to taste that winning feeling once again in their first fixture of the New Year against Barnstaple. Canterbury have won five of their seven games on home soil this term.
In a way, you have to feel for Barnstaple. After gaining promotion into this division for the first time in the club’s history, they began this season with just one win from their opening eight games which is not unsurprising for a newly-promoted side. However, just three defeats from the eight games that followed highlights an excellent turnaround by Steve Perry’s side, but they still somehow remain in the bottom three.
Granted, they are only in the relegation zone because of ‘Points Difference’ but to have put such a positive run together to end 2016 and still be adrift of safety must be slightly frustrating. Barum may see it differently and they have put themselves in a great position to mount a survival challenge. They head to Kent tomorrow looking for their first away victory at this level and if they achieve that, they could be out of the bottom three on Saturday night.
Henley Hawks v Redingensians
Henley Hawks are currently going through their best spell of form since their relegation to National Two South last May. After dropping out of the third tier of English rugby, the Hawks have struggled with injuries and other factors which led to them becoming embroiled in a relegation battle for the majority of the first-half of the season.
However, just two losses in their final five games of the year has seen Henley move four points clear of danger and now they must continue from where they left off in 2016 if they are to distance themselves further from the bottom three. First on their agenda in 2017 is a home fixture against the Redingensians and the Hawks will feel confident this weekend at Dry Leas considering that have won their last two in front of their own supporters.
It is shaping up to be another positive season for the Redingensians. A seventh placed finish last season following promotion in 2015 was an excellent achievement for the Rams and they are on course to match that or potentially better it this time around.
The men from Old Bath Road currently occupy seventh place after ending the year with back to back victories against Worthing Raiders and London Irish Wild Geese. In fact, the Redingensians have lost just three of their last 11 games so they will be hoping they can carry their positive run into this year as they look to cement their position in the top half of the table as quickly as possible.
Worthing Raiders v Bury St Edmunds
For Worthing Raiders, 2016 is a year they would rather put behind them. They survived a relegation battle last season, but it looks as though they could be involved in another scrap for safety in this campaign after a very tough first half of the season.
The Raiders kicked off the term with four wins from their first six games, but it has rapidly declined for them since then. The men from Roundstone Lane begin 2017 having lost nine of their last 10 matches and as a result, they sit on the cusp of the relegation zone. They are only outside the bottom three on ‘Points Difference’ and things need to change quickly for the Raiders. They host Bury St Edmunds this Saturday looking for their fourth home win of the season and their first victory since November.
They may feel like this is a great opportunity to end their dismal run of form as Bury St Edmunds travel to West Sussex following a wretched run of results too. The Suffolk side are 10th in the table and six points clear of the relegation zone, but they have only won three of their last 11 matches.
The Wolfpack head into 2017 on the back of four straight defeats so Gavin Hogg and his side will be desperate to begin the New Year on the front foot. Bury have won on just one occasion on their travels this term – that coming against bottom of the table Exmouth – but they may fancy their chances of doubling that tally against a Worthing side also struggling to find a victory.
London Irish Wild Geese v Exmouth
The London Irish Wild Geese may well have taken being outside the relegation zone at the start of 2017 if you had offered it to them before the start of this season. The current London and South East champions are doing just another to keep their heads above water, but will be fully aware they need to continue to improve if they are to avoid the drop.
Wild Geese currently sit one point and one position above the bottom three having accumulated four wins from their 16 matches so far. They ended 2016 with a defeat against the Redingensians, but they did secure a superb victory over Redruth in their last home game. Three of Irish’s wins have come at Hazlewood this term and they will be keen to add to that this weekend.
London Irish Wild Geese will feel that this could be the perfect fixture to begin 2017 as they face bottom of the table Exmouth. For Jon Hill’s, life in National Two South has been tough following promotion from National Three South-West last May. The Devonshire side have only being able to secure one victory from their first 16 games and as a result, they are 12 points from safety.
It is far from over for Exmouth, but if they struggle for positive results in January then an immediate return to the fifth tier of English rugby will start to look ominous. They travel to Sunbury-On-Thames looking for their first away win of the season and against a relegation rival, that could be the catalyst for a revival which they so desperately crave.
