Its 2nd v 3rd in Nat One as Fylde travel to heavyweights Rosslyn Park?

Fylde's away form has been creaky this season (four wins & seven defeats) and they face their toughest of their outstanding eight fixtures this season by far when they travel to 2nd placed Rosslyn Park on Saturday (ko 3pm). 2nd v 3rd marks this fixture out as the outstanding game of the day in National One.

Park is one of N1's heavyweights and are still in with a decent chance of overhauling Doncaster Knights and earning the sole promotion place back to the Championship. Their home form has been outstanding, losing just once, last time out at Roehampton, 12-15, to local rivals Blackheath. Before that, their last defeat at home was 25 matches earlier, in March 2012, against Fylde by 24-44! That was an extraordinary performance by the Lancastrians which they will be very hard pressed to emulate on Saturday.

Apart from the aberation against Blackheath, Rosslyn Park are in hot form, with the last two away performances illustrating this ability to smash opponents off the pitch - they travelled to Wharfedale three weeks ago and simply beat up the home pack to triumph by 45-3. They followed this up on the road by travelling to Worthing last Saturday and giving them a similar hammering, 44-0. Of their performance at Threshfield the report describes it as: "a superb display of controlled forward power, aided by some neat backs play on a quagmire of a pitch."  

Only at the grounds of the leading teams have Park faltered - losing at Doncaster Knights (17-24), Blaydon (18-19) & Fylde (26-10). The defeat at the Woodlands was the only comprehensive loss they have suffered so far. They showed an obsession that day with pounding their huge pack against the Lancastrian eight and played umambitiously into Fylde's much more expansive hands. That vision and skill level has been amply apparent in recent fine wins against Doncaster, Loughborough Students and, on Saturday, Esher.

However, Fylde have been thwarted on numerous occasions away from the Woodlands by big, obdurate packs who have rather beaten them up. They will need to achieve some kind of parity up front with Park if they are to be able to release their so dangerous backline. In particular, Fylde's scrummaging will have to be more convincing than at certain times this season if they are not to be pushed all over Roehampton.

Rosslyn Park was a regular and popular part of Fylde's fixture list up to a decade ago. The famous Surrey club was established in 1879 and has been part of the very fabric of English rugby history since then. The host of blue chip sponsors featuring on their website hints at the prestige of the Club and the resources it commands. They have produced  many international players, two of the most famous being winger Prince Alexander Obolensky & iconic no 8 Andy Ripley, a hero on and off the pitch in so many respects, not least in his fight against prostate cancer before his sad and premature death in 2010.

Like Fylde, their fortunes have varied in the past decade as they have moved between levels 3 and 4 in the league system. Before the November 2011 match at the Woodlands, the clubs last met in the 2001/2 season when Fylde earned the bragging rights with two narrow wins, 26-22 at the Woodlands and 24-18 at Park's Roehampton ground. The previous season on that ground hadn't been so successful with Fylde suffering a humiliating 0-59 defeat. In the past two seasons in National One honours have been shared, with Park winning at the Woodlands 16-10 in Nov 2011 & at home by 52-29 in Nov 2012; Fylde won by 44-24 at Park in March 2012 & 35-10 at the Woodlands in March 2013.

Park were in National Two (South) at level 4 between 2005 and 2009, in parallel with Fylde in National Two (North). They were pretty much an amateur set-up until a few years ago but now this has changed as they vie with a host of other London-based National League clubs in the hothouse of player recruitment. They were runners up at the end of the 2009/10 season and had an outstanding play-off win at Loughborough Students to earn promotion to National One. In their first season back in that division in 2010/11 they finished in a highly meritorious 7th position, 5th in 2011/12 & 4th last season. So their trajectory & ambition is clear.

Perhaps the most obvious manifestation of this intent has been the appointment of highly rated coach Alex Codling during the summer. The former England international lock had notable coaching spells at Ebbw Vale, London Welsh, London Scottish & Barking before a short spell in charge at Rotherham.

The Park forwards appear to have responded to Codling's methods and are shoving opposing packs off the park. Fylde will have to work very hard to earn sufficient possession so that they can use their dynamic off-loading, running game to maintain their average of 30 points per game against by far the meanest defence in the division. To illustrate the difference between the clubs, whilst they have scored roughly the same number of points (Park 647, Fylde 635), Park have conceded just 291 points against Fylde's 511.

Park have a rather easier run in to the end of the season than leaders Doncaster Knights who have to visit Roehampton in what might prove the crucial game of the season on 29th March.

The foundation of the Park pack is former Premiership front row trio, the much travelled South African prop Lorne Ward (London Welsh, Bath & Harlequins), Aaron Liffchak (Saracens, London Welsh & London Scottish), Laurence Ovens (Bath, Newcastle Falcons & Bedford) together with Alex Mackenzie (DMP, Blaydon, Barking & London Scottish).

Back five forwards include former Newcastle Falcons/Tynedale & England Counties lock Richard Boyle, fellow lock James Inglis (ex-Cambridge, Esher & Cornish Pirates) & an outstanding roster of backrowers including Will Bowley (Worcester Warriors & Toyota Shokki), Darryl Ball (ex-London Welsh & London Scottish), newcomers ex-Ealing Trailfinders pair Sam Shires & Lee Starling, & former Caldy star Harry Broadbent.

But the stand-out backrower is no 8 Hugo Ellis, the quite outstanding former Wasps Premiership, London Welsh & England U'20s player who joined from Newport Gwent Dragons in the summer of 2012. He was 2nd in the N1 try scoring league last season with an amazing 26, an extraordinary feat for a forward. He again leads Park's list of try scorers this season with 9, including 3 last Saturday at Worthing Raiders, followed closely by David Vincent with 8.

The Park backline is also dangerous and includes some very experienced players such as free scoring wingers Dominic Shabbo (ex-London Welsh, Esher & London Irish), fullback Ed Lewis Pratt, scrum-half Jack Gash & winger/centre Charlie Broughton(both ex-Barking) and the free scoring winger David Vincent (Bedford Blues). Shabbo injured his shoulder at the Woodlands in November and hasn't played since.

A clutch of high quality newcomers arrived this season including the much admired England Counties full-back Peter Hodgkinson (ex-Ealing Trailfinders), centres Will Simpson (Doncaster Knights),  Henry Staff (Bedford Blues) & winger Peter Coles (ex-Tynedale). The playmaking fly-half & goal kicking duties are principally undertaken by Scott Sneddon who has 173 points to date compared with Fylde's Chris Johnson who has 215.

Fylde will check on injuries to forwards Sam Beaumont & Gareth Gore who were replaced during the Esher game. Skipper Evan Stewart is on the mend but won't be ready for Saturday's trip. Prop Simon Griffiths is ruled out too after the Club has suspended him for a week as a result of him picking up three yellow cards for foul play. He'll also be subject to a RFU Disciplinary Panel.