Mistakes could prove costly in National Two South
Barnes take on league leaders Cambridge this weekend
©Roy Carlisle
We are now the final stretch of this entertaining National Two South season and with six games left, there is still so much to be decided across the division so there is no room for error at this stage.
At the top, Cambridge are still out in front and have a six point cushion to take into this weekend. Whatever happens on Saturday, they’ll be top heading into April.
Their challenges are the Old Albanian who are firmly in control of a play-off place at the very least, but they do have a tough task awaiting them this weekend when they travel to Taunton as they bid for the title continues.
Down at the bottom, Southend Saxons, Dorking and Canterbury are in need of victories while Chinnor, Bury St Edmunds and the Redingensians will be looking to maintain their excellent recent form and move away from danger.
Barnes v Cambridge
Barnes have had a solid season in National Two South and look certain not to be relegated back down to National Three. Despite being promoted via the play-off last term, Barnes currently sit seventh in the table and 27 points clear of the bottom three. They know a win on Saturday would confirm their National Two status for another year.
Barnes come into this fixture against Cambridge having lost just two of their last nine games and they haven’t been beaten at home since defeat against Bury St Edmunds in the middle of November. Barnes can be proud of the way they have performed this season and if they were to topple the league leaders this weekend, it would just add to a fantastic season for side from South-West London.
Cambridge’s season has been nothing short of brilliant. Having finished seventh last year, the ‘Blood and Sand’ have continued to build and now find themselves on the verge of promotion back to National One as they top the table by six points with six games left to play.
Rowland Winter’s men sit 21 points clear of third place Bishops Stortford and know that two more wins would, at the very least, guarantee a play-off place for Cambridge. Having come from behind to beat the Old Elthamians last time out, they showed a real resilience to match their quality. A 22nd win of the season on Saturday would be another step towards the title for the men from Volac Park.
Taunton Titans v Old Albanian
Taunton Titans currently sit fourth in the National Two South table and it is looking increasing likely that they will fall short of a promotion place for the second year running. Having finished third last season, the Titans had set their sights on the third tier of English rugby, but their recent run of form has significantly hampered the chances of that happening.
A four game unbeaten run came to an end with a 15-26 defeat at home to Chinnor a few weeks ago - which also was their first loss at Hyde Park for 18 months. That result was followed by defeats to Cambridge and Redruth which all means that Taunton are now 14 points off the play-off place. The Titans responded emphatically last week as they thrashed bottom club Launceston and with second place the Old Albanian to come this Saturday, this fixture is a must win for the hosts if they still harbour any hopes of reaching the play-off.
The Old Albanian have done what most people expected them to do – challenge for an immediate return to National One. The OA’s are currently second and despite falling to three straight defeats at the end of January and the start of February, they have responded with three consecutive wins which leaves them six points off the top.
Those victories have also meant they are now 13 points clear of their promotion rivals and it looks like the OA’s will be in the top two come the end of April. This will be a tough test for the Old Albanian, but with Taunton’s home fragilities on show in recent weeks, the OA’s will fancy their chances this weekend as they continue to keep fighting for the National Two South crown.
Old Elthamians v Bishops Stortford
The Old Elthamians’ season has been a consistently inconsistent one. Their heart-breaking defeat to Cambridge two weeks ago (which was brilliantly named a ‘Kick in the Volacs’ by the OE’s website) leaves them sixth in the table; where they have been for most of this campaign.
The OE’s have won 12, drawn 2 and lost 10 of their fixtures this season which highlights their patchy form with bursts of wins followed by a series of defeats. They are currently going through a series of defeats with just one win in their last four games so they will be keen to turn that around this Saturday when they welcome Bishops Stortford to Queen’s Elizabeth.
Bishops Stortford are enjoying another strong National Two South campaign. Stortford currently sit third in the table with 86 points to their name. The men from Silver Leys sit 13 points behind a play-off place – which they achieved last year – and the chances of them repeating that feat looks unlikely.
Stortford are going through a tough spell at the minute after suffering two defeats in their last five games which has damaged their promotion hopes, but there is no doubt that they will continue to fight for a shot at National One until it is no longer possible.
Worthing Raiders v Redruth
Like the Old Elthamians, Worthing Raiders’ season has been characterised by their inconsistency. With some poor form to begin the season which saw them in and around the relegation zone, the Raiders have fared slightly better as the campaign has progressed, but they have never looked like hitting the heights of last term.
A 38-8 defeat at the hands of Chinnor two weeks ago leaves Worthing sitting in 10th place, just nine points clear of the bottom three. It looks as though they won’t be in danger of the drop with six games remaining and they will be hoping to gather momentum for next term, starting with a win here against Redruth.
Redruth have had a very strong season this campaign. The Reds finished ninth last season after being in the top half for most of the term, but this year, they have been in the top five for the majority of the season and are on course to finish there at the end of April.
Redruth’s great recent run of form suffered a blip last weekend at home to the Old Albanian, but they still remain three points off third place with the play-off looking just a bit too far out of reach for them. Six wins from their last eight games is certainly a positive sequence of results and if they continue in this manner, then fifth place will be the minimum that Redruth will be aiming for in these remaining six games of the campaign.
Clifton v Chinnor
Clifton’s season has gone from being very positive to a campaign which seems to have dragged on for the men from South Gloucestershire. After such a bright start to the 15/16 season, Clifton have found victories hard to come by since the back end of last year and have occupied a mid-table spot for a fair few months now.
Since the start of November, Clifton have won just four of their last 16 matches after picking up six victories in the first eight games of this term. The poor run of form, which they are currently on, explains why they are in a lull but despite the lack of victories, they remain 12 points clear of the relegation zone. They now need to produce much stronger performances in their remaining six games if they are to end the season on a high.
At the beginning of the season, roles seemed to have been reversed between Clifton and Chinnor. Chinnor finished in the top six last year while Clifton ended the campaign 12th, but it has been Chinnor that have been floundering down near the relegation places for a huge chunk of this term.
However, five wins in their last six games has led Chinnor to 12th in the table as their remarkable turnaround in fortunes continues. Wins against the Old Albanian and Taunton have been highlights in this brilliant spell for Chinnor - who sit eight points clear of the drop - and they will now focus on this fixture with Clifton as they look to distance themselves further from the danger zone.
Redingensians v Southend Saxons
It has been an impressive last few weeks for the Redingensians. Having won promotion last season, the Rams have been in the bottom half for the majority of this campaign, but a great run of recent form has seen the Redingensians move away from the danger zone and they look like they will avoid the drop back into National Three.
The Rams were unsurprisingly tipped for relegation this term as they were one of the newcomers to the league and after four straight defeats to begin 2016; it looked like the Redingensians would be in for a fight. However, five straight wins as seen them shoot up to ninth in the table and more importantly, nine points clear of the relegation zone. A sixth win in a row is certainly on their radar.
Southend Saxons are in need of a victory at Old Bath Road this weekend. In their last fixture, they beat the already relegated Launceston which leaves the Saxons second bottom of National Two South and five points adrift of safety as they are embroiled in yet another fight for survival.
Southend stayed up on the final day of last season on ‘Games Won’, but they are not in a desperate position just yet. They can at least take heart from the fact that they have won two of their last five games, and if they were to clinch another win on Saturday, it would be the perfect start on their road to safety.
Launceston v Bury St Edmunds
Launceston’s season has been bitterly disappointing. Relegation was confirmed two weeks ago when they were beaten by Southend Saxons and their campaign has gone from bad, to worse, to even worse as the season as worn on.
With six games left of this term, the division’s bottom club remain winless having lost 23 of their 24 matches with their only plus point being a draw against Southend earlier in the season. They come into this fixture with Bury St Edmunds off the back of a 76-5 mauling from the Taunton Titians so if confidence was low before then, it has now hit rock bottom after that result. A home victory here is unlikely, but Launceston will be determined to claim a first win of the season in their remaining games of the campaign.
Bury St Edmunds’s recent form has been very solid. Despite just one win in their first six games of 2016, Bury head to Polson Bridge on the back of three league wins and are looking good to stay in National Two South for next season.
Bury were promoted into this division last term and will be satisfied with their progress heading into the final few weeks of the campaign. Those recent victories against Clifton, Old Elthamians and Barnes leaves Bury 11th in the table and nine points clear of the relegation zone. They should be able to stretch their winning streak to four matches this weekend.
Canterbury v Dorking
When it looks as though Canterbury are moving away from the relegation zone, all of a sudden, they get dragged back into the mix. That has been the story of their season so far and for the second year running, they are looking over their shoulders at this stage of a campaign.
The ‘City Men’ currently occupy the final safety spot in National Two South and are four points clear of their opponents Dorking heading into this crunch relegation battle. Canterbury have won just one of their last five games and so they will be looking to take a huge stride towards safety on the weekend as they go in search of a 10th win of the campaign.
This game is a must win for Dorking. If they were to lose this, it would be a long way back for a side that finished fourth last season, but have struggled this term. They have been towards the bottom end of the league for the majority of the campaign and they now find themselves in the drop zone with six games to go.
They travel to Canterbury looking to arrest a three game losing run and pick up only their ninth win of the season and if they were to achieve a bonus-point victory, then Dorking would leapfrog Canterbury and move out of the relegation zone. A huge game expected at the Marine Travel Ground.
