Friday night festivities kick off 'Derby Weekend' in National League Rugby
Fylde and Preston Grasshoppers collide in the Lancashire derby in National Two North
©Chris Farrow
The final weekend of National League Rugby in 2025 begins with the Sheffield derby on Friday night, whilst Saturday includes more local rivalries and key clashes across tiers three and four.
National One
The final round of National One action before the Christmas break gets underway on Friday night under the lights at The Rock as Rosslyn Park (3rd) entertain Tonbridge Juddians (7th).
The hosts will be searching for some much-needed festive cheer after suffering three defeats in their last four outings.
Steve Neville and Kieran Power’s side had been right on the coattails of league leaders Rotherham Titans, but last week’s 40-29 defeat against Rams has left them five points adrift of the summit.
However, it is far from doom and gloom for Park, who remain firmly embedded in the leading pack, but after suffering rare back-to-back home losses, they will be eager to give their supporters something to smile about.
Tonbridge Juddians arrive in South-West London after narrowly missing out on successive victories for the first time this season.
Connor Lloyd’s last-gasp penalty attempt from almost the halfway line fell agonisingly short, consigning Jordan Turner-Hall’s men to a 26-24 home defeat against an in-form Bishop’s Stortford.
Turner-Hall - a former player and coach at Rosslyn Park - will be hoping his side can quickly dust themselves down and capitalise on their hosts’ recent dip in form.
As for the other sides in the top half, leaders Rotherham Titans (1st) are on the road for the third time in four matches as they head to AMT Headingley Stadium to face old foes Leeds Tykes (13th) - in what promises to be a feisty festive derby - while second-placed Plymouth Albion also travel, with a trip to Clifton (10th) on the agenda.
Albion sit five points behind Rotherham following an extremely encouraging spell for Ryan Lamb’s troops.
Four straight victories - three of them against fellow top-six opposition - suggest Plymouth are beginning to flex their muscles in the title race.
However, they will be wary of what Clifton can produce at Station Road. The Lavender and Blacks have won two of their last three home fixtures, including a 37-29 success over Rosslyn Park, and after back-to-back defeats overall, the hosts will be keen to respond before Christmas.
Fourth-placed Blackheath head to Bishop’s Stortford (8th), who are now knocking on the door of the top half following a scintillating run of form.
Tom Coleman’s men have picked up five bonus-point victories from five since the start of November and with key players returning, Stortford at Silver Leys will pose a stern test for ‘Club’.
Sale FC (5th) renew their Manchester derby rivalry with Sedgley Park (9th) at the Morson Stadium.
Since Sedge’s promotion to National One in 2023, this fixture has consistently favoured the home side - a trend that won’t make for pleasant reading for the visitors, who have won just one of their last five matches.
In the bottom half, attention turns to what feels like a key all-Midlands clash at Westleigh Park between Leicester Lions (14th) and Birmingham Moseley (11th).
As things stand, the Lions currently sit nine points behind Mose, who themselves climbed out of the bottom three last weekend following consecutive wins.
After Round 13’s defeat against table rivals Dings Crusaders, Leicester will be desperate to finish 2025 with a morale-boosting victory. Failure to do so could make the second half of the campaign an uphill battle for Gareth Collins’ side.
And bringing it back to Dings (12th), their much-needed win over Leicester Lions should give them a spring in their step as they welcome Rams (6th) to Shaftesbury Park. However, the same could be said for the visitors, who arrive on the back of that excellent away victory at Rosslyn Park.
National Two North
Like in National One, Friday night lights kick off the weekend in National Two North with the Steel City derby between leaders Sheffield (1st) and Sheffield Tigers (8th).
Despite Sheffield’s significant progress over the past three seasons, these local clashes have typically been tight affairs regardless of league position.
While Sheffield have won the last five meetings, the average margin of victory has been under 10 points, the notable outlier being their 29-9 triumph at Dore Moor earlier this term.
Even then, they only led by three points just after half-time before pulling away and since that match, victory has become a familiar taste for Anthony Posa’s side.
They enter Round 14 having won all 12 of their matches (Sheffield also have a game in hand) and with a four-point advantage at the top.
As for their nearest and dearest, Sheffield Tigers will make the short 2.5-mile trip to Abbeydale Park, sitting just outside the top half after a 22-0 victory over Hull last time out saw them return to winning ways.
The Tigers have not beaten their neighbours since a 30-21 victory at Abbeydale back in February 2023, but with Sheffield having lost just once in their last 29 home games, to repeat that feat would rank as one of the Tigers’ most famous derby wins in recent memory.
From Yorkshire to the North-East we go where for the second week running, Tynedale (3rd) lock horns with a local rival.
Tyne produced a clinical first-half display to secure a 41-0 win over Billingham in Round 13, and they are once again at home on Saturday when Darlington Mowden Park (4th) visit.
Just two points separate the pair, with DMP arriving on the back of consecutive losses against Macclesfield and Sheffield, respectively.
Injuries haven’t helped Danny Brown and John Newton’s side, but they will be eager to end a testing festive period by returning to the winners’ lounge.
As for second-placed Macclesfield, they might not want the Christmas break to come.
Momentum is firmly with the Blues after five successive bonus-point wins, and the Cheshire outfit are back at home this weekend to face struggling Rossendale (13th), who have lost their last nine games.
Two cracking Christmas derbies that always add extra spice to the festive fixture list take place in Lancashire and Humberside.
Fylde (5th) host Preston Grasshoppers (10th), while Hull Ionians (6th) travel to Hull (12th).
Expect a four-figure crowd at Woodlands as Fylde look to go six unbeaten, while Ionians will be seeking a fourth consecutive win and their first league double over Hull since 2014.
Elsewhere, Wharfedale (7th) will look to back up last weekend’s 34-28 win over Scunthorpe when they host Billingham (11th), while Scunthorpe (14th) themselves will want to take positives from that aforementioned defeat into their clash with Otley (9th) at Heslam Park.
National Two East
If Oundle (2nd) vs Bury St Edmunds (3rd) is anything like the reverse fixture back in September, Saturday’s clash at Occupation Road promises to be a Christmas cracker.
Late tries from Taylor Gourlay and Rian Hamilton secured a 47-43 victory for Oundle in Suffolk, perfectly encapsulating the nip-and-tuck nature of National Two East this season.
Just 10 points separate the entire top half of the table, with only four points separating Bury and Oundle.
Oundle are level with league leaders Old Albanian thanks to an impressive recent run of eight wins from their last nine games.
Last week, the Northamptonshire side showed their clinical edge to defeat Westcombe Park on the road while two determined wins against Barnes and Dorking - along with a storming victory at Henley - have kept Bury right in the thick of the leading pack.
Their 24-14 success against Barnes and last Saturday’s 20-17 win over Dorking highlight the ability of James Shanahan’s side to find ways to get over the line.
They will need to replicate that same resilience in Round 14 if they are to become the first team to defeat Oundle at home since the opening day.
Table-toppers Old Albanian (1st) will, of course, be interested in the outcome at Occupation Road but if they are to be Christmas No.1, they will need to back up last week’s victory at Havant.
James Osborn and Dan George’s side got back on track at Hooks Lane, but they do welcome an in-form London Welsh (8th) to Woollams this weekend. Cai Griffiths’ men have won three on the bounce so will arrive in St Albans with a spring in their step.
Elsewhere in a congested top half, Dorking (4th) will look to respond after their gut-wrenching late defeat at Bury St Edmunds last week.
Armand Roux’s side host Guernsey (9th) at The Big Field while sixth-placed Canterbury - who have won their last four matches - renew acquaintances with Kent counterparts Sevenoaks (11th), with both clubs keen to build on recent momentum.
Elsewhere, Westcombe Park (7th) visit Mike Brown’s Esher (10th) while Barnes (5th) will be targeting successive victories when they go to second-from-bottom Henley (13th).
The Hawks once again suffered late heartbreak last week, falling 36-32 at London Welsh, a result that leaves them eight points adrift of Sevenoaks in 11th. However, a source of encouragement for Luke Allen’s side could be the 20-20 draw they earned against Barnes back in September.
Henley may also be keeping a close eye on the key bottom-half clash this weekend, as Oxford Harlequins (14th) host Havant (12th).
It really does feel like opportunity knocks for Pete Davies’ side, with Oxford Quins trailing their visitors by nine points heading into Round 14.
Having been well beaten by Sevenoaks last Saturday, a third win of the season would represent a huge boost for the hosts, while Havant are also in need of a springboard result heading into 2026.
With recent back-to-back fixtures against two of the top four yielding no points, this encounter feels pivotal for Havant as they look to start the second half of their campaign on a positive note.
National Two West
Described as a “statement of intent” in their own match report, it is hard to argue with Camborne’s (1st) assessment of last week’s victory over title rivals Luctonians.
Tom Kessell’s side secured a bonus-point 29-15 win against their nearest challengers, and they simultaneously denied Lucs any points on their trip to Cornwall.
In a testing block of fixtures ahead of Christmas, this Round 13 success felt like a clear message from the Cherry and Whites as they moved eight points clear at the summit.
Camborne now close out 2025 with their traditional derby against near neighbours Redruth (9th).
Since their promotion to National Two in 2023, ‘Town’ are unbeaten in their five previous meetings against the Reds. However, Redruth will carry more confidence into this latest instalment than they might have done before last weekend.
Richie Kevern’s side halted a five-game losing streak with a 27-10 home victory over an in-form Hinckley (5th), and with large crowds expected at the Recreation Ground on Saturday (the average attendance for a Cornish derby over the last three seasons has exceeded 2,800), Redruth will be hoping to secure some festive derby delight on their own turf.
Elsewhere, second-placed Luctonians will be eager to bounce back before the Christmas break, but they won’t take bottom club Syston (14th) lightly when they visit Mortimer Park.
The Midlands club claimed an excellent victory over third-placed Barnstaple last time out and have now won two of their last three matches.
Syston sit just eight points behind fellow bottom two side Loughborough Students as well as Exeter University (12th), who themselves travel to face Barnstaple (3rd) this weekend.
Gareth Elliott’s squad is particularly youthful, with an average age of 19 and nine first-year students set to be involved. Their challenge now is to down Barum at Pottington Road, something that hasn’t been done in just over a year.
As for Loughborough (13th), they will hope to carry the buzz from last week’s 28-28 draw with Chester into their all-Midlands clash against Hinckley (5th).
Two late tries from No. 8 Jack Lee and a clutch conversion from Ben Webb halted a three-match losing streak for the African Violet, but they will be desperate to secure their first win since Round Nine.
Just above them, Old Redcliffians (11th) continue to make steady progress, highlighted by a hard-fought 28-26 victory over Taunton last time out.
Dan Cox’s side have won three of their last five and now travel to sixth-placed Cinderford, who boast the same record after an impressive 43-33 win at Lymm in Round 13.
Speaking of Lymm (7th), they go to Chester (10th) for the Cheshire derby, while an all-Somerset clash sees Taunton (8th) - aiming for a fourth consecutive home win - host fourth-placed Hornets, who recorded their first away victory of the term last weekend.
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