National League Previews
The first reserve weekend for fixtures that have been postponed is upon us and with 12 games in all taking place this Saturday, there are a number of talking points ahead of the action.
In National One, Blackheath will be looking to get their title challenge back on track, but it will be tough as they take on an in-form Darlington Mowden Park while Blaydon and Henley Hawks go head-to-head in the north-east in a vital relegation battle.
Over to National Two North where the title race picture will start to become clearer as will the fight for survival as teams involved at both ends of the table will be looking for crucial results this weekend.
And in National Two South, leaders Cambridge have the chance to pull further clear at the top while Dorking, Canterbury and Southend Saxons will all be looking for wins away from home to give their survival chances a much needed boost.
National One
Darlington Mowden Park v Blackheath
Darlington Mowden Park are heading into this fixture with Blackheath off the back of their first defeat since November. Last weekend, they were beaten by league leaders Richmond which ended a 12 game winning run for the north-east side as they prepare to take on another title chasing team on Saturday.
DMP have won eight of their 10 games at home this season and with that record of one defeat in the last four months, this won’t be straight forward for Blackheath this weekend.
In terms of Blackheath, their loss to Hartpury College six days ago was a dent in their promotion challenge as they now sit 13 points behind table toppers Richmond in third place.
This game in hand is something Blackheath can use to their advantage as a win would put them back above Hartpury College into second place and they would once again be the nearest challengers to the title. Club have won seven of their 11 away fixtures this season, but they must improve on just one win from their last three games if they are to keep their promotion dream alive.
Fylde v Ampthill and District
Fylde welcome Ampthill and District to Woodlands this weekend as they look to build on their narrow win over Blaydon last Saturday. Fylde’s recent form reads three wins and two defeats which sums up how inconsistent they have been this term.
Paul Arnold’s men have performed better on their travels than at home this campaign having won just five of their 11 matches in front of their own supporters. A win for Fylde would further cement their ninth spot in the table as they look to end the season strongly.
As for Ampthill, it has certainly been a successful season for them. Promotion via the play-off from National Two North last term has been followed by a strong campaign in National One. The A’s currently occupy sixth place in the table having won 14 of their 22 games this season.
Ampthill have been in the top half for the majority of this campaign and travel to Lancashire on Saturday looking for their seventh away triumph this term. They also head into this encounter on the back of three straight wins so confidence will be high.
Blaydon v Henley Hawks
This fixture is all about the relegation battle and at this stage of the season, a win is a must for either side giving the position they are both in.
Blaydon sit 14th in the table having won six of their 21 matches this season. They have won only one of their last five games and that win came in their last home fixture against another side fighting for survival; Hull Ionians.
Based on this, it is clear Blaydon can get the results against teams around them and if they were to pick up the their sixth home win of the season Saturday, they would be out of the bottom three and they would still have a game in hand.
Losing is just not an option for Henley Hawks. After romping to the National Two South title last year, they have struggled to adapt to life in the third tier of English rugby and currently find themselves a place below Blaydon and nine points from safety.
The Hawks have won five games this season and like Blaydon, have won only one of their last five matches. Henley have won just twice away from home this campaign and if they were to add to that total on the weekend, it would give them a fighting chance of staying in this division.
National Two North
Macclesfield v Broadstreet
The most important thing Macclesfield have done since this fixture was postponed at the start of 2016 has been maintaining their focus and picking up victories.
The league leaders have been pretty faultless since the start of the year and come into this fixture with Broadstreet with four straight wins under their belts. Macc lead the way by 15 points having won 17 games this term and know full well that this title is now theirs too lose.
Their opponents Broadstreet are having contrasting fortunes. ‘Street have had a tough season after finishing in the top half last year as they currently sit 14th in the table having played 22 of their matches. Having said this, they travel to Cheshire full of confidence ahead of their only game in hand.
A victory over Tynedale last weekend leaves Broadstreet four points from safety so they know they could be out of the bottom three heading into March if they were to inflict just a second home defeat on Macclesfield this weekend.
Sedgley Park v Caldy
Sedgley Park are one of the teams that still has four games in hand and their quest to get back up to speed begins at Park Lane against Caldy this weekend. Sedge come into the game second in the table and 15 points behind leaders Macclesfield as they look to gain ground on the Blues by winning their games in hand.
Sedge head into this clash with Caldy having won their last four matches and they have won seven of their nine games at home this season. A win for Sedge would put them outright second in the table, but more importantly, could edge them closer to Macclesfield.
A few weeks ago, we could have been talking about this fixture as a real promotion crunch match with both sides going for a shot at National One. However, February has been a miserable month for Caldy and any ambitions of moving up a tier have been dashed by three straight defeats.
Currently, the Wirral side occupy fifth in the table and are 10 points behind Sedgley Park. They have won half of their games this season and they could go level on points with fourth place Leicester Lions with a 12th victory of the season in Manchester on Saturday.
Preston Grasshoppers v Leicester Lions
It has been a solid season for Preston Grasshoppers this term. After staying up on the final day of last term, Garth Dew’s men have recently been on a seven game unbeaten run. That was ended last weekend by Otley so the Hoppers will be hoping to bounce back with their first of three games in hand.
They take on Leicester Lions at Lightfoot Green having won six of their home games this season and currently they occupy eighth spot in the table. A victory this weekend for Preston could see them move up a position in the table.
If Preston are having a good season, then Leicester Lions are bettering that. Like the Hoppers, Leicester stayed up on the last day of the season and haven’t looked back since then. They have been sensational this term and to see them sit fourth in the table is certainly a surprise.
The reason for this is mainly due to their near impeccable home record. They have won 11 of their 12 games at Westleigh Park this season and are unbeaten there, but if they harbour any promotion ambitions, they must improve on their three away wins thus far. The Lions sit five points behind Sedgley Park having won five of their last six games and they will be hoping to keep up their purple patch of form this weekend.
Harrogate v South Leicester
Harrogate come into this fixture against South Leicester in the best form they have been in all season. Three straight wins is the most consistency they have had all term as they prepare to welcome South Leicester to Ruddling Lane for their first game in hand.
‘Gate sit seventh in the table having won 11 of their 20 matches so far this campaign. They have won five of those games on home soil and with a comfortable victory on Saturday, could go ahead of Otley into sixth place.
In terms of South Leicester, any sort of positive form is absent for them at the moment. The side promoted from National Three Midlands last season find themselves currently four points clear of the relegation zone and occupying the final safety spot in the division.
South have won just one of their last five games and head to Yorkshire having won three away games all campaign. One of those victories came against Sedgley Park so it is clear they are capable of producing and they need to start performing again soon otherwise they could drop into the bottom three.
Tynedale v Luctonians
Two other sides embroiled in this relegation battle are Tynedale and the Luctonians who face-off at Kingston Park this weekend.
Tyne have had a tough season on and off the pitch since their first relegation in the clubs history. They have been relocated to the home of the Newcastle Falcons after the floods at the end of last year ruined their clubhouse and pitches, but things haven’t been aided by results on the field for the north-east side.
Scott Lawson’s men currently sit 11th in the table and they are seven points clear of the relegation zone having won eight of their 21 games this term. Five wins and five defeats in their last 10 games hasn’t been good enough for them to move fully away from the bottom three, but a win here against a rival could be the platform they need for survival.
As for the Luctonians, they are in cracking form at the moment as they continue to try and escape the drop zone. As things stand, the Lucts are 15th in the league, but do have four games in hand still to play.
They head to the north-east on Saturday having won six of their last nine games, but they have only tasted victory twice on the road this season. A win this weekend could lift the Luctonians out of the bottom three if other results went their way, but all the Herefordshire side will be focused on is maintaining their excellent recent form.
National Two South
Taunton Titans v Cambridge
Taunton Titans are preparing to welcome league leaders Cambridge to Hyde Park this weekend as they look to try and get their play-off ambitions back on track. The Titians lost their first home game of the season against Chinnor last weekend and know how huge the task is ahead of them this Saturday.
Taunton are fourth in the table having won four of their last five games. They do have two games in hand over third placed Bishops Stortford and can go ahead of them if they pick up just two points from this game. However, a BP win for Taunton would leave them five points behind the Old Albanian who occupy that final promotion spot, so it is really time for Taunton to take advantage.
As for Cambridge, they currently top the division by seven points and can extend their lead further this weekend. The Old Albanian are not in action on Saturday so it really is Cambridge’s chance to cement their place at the top of National Two South.
Nineteen wins from 22 matches so far is a superb record for the side that finished seventh last season and with Taunton still reeling from their first home defeat of the campaign, Cambridge will be looking to punish them even further on the weekend.
Redruth v Dorking
One of the most solid performers in National Two South this season are Redruth and they host a struggling Dorking side at the Recreation Ground this weekend. Redruth have been fifth for the majority of this season having won 15 of their 21 games this term and look on course for a top five finish.
They have won six of their last seven league matches and have lost only once at home all season -that coming against Cambridge at the end of September – so they will be confident of getting the job done on Saturday.
This fixture was supposed to be played three weeks ago, but due to the bad weather it was postponed. In that time, things haven’t got any better for Dorking who sit one place above the bottom three and level on points with Canterbury; who sit in the first relegation place.
Dorking have won just one of their last four games in a season where they have been victorious on just eight occasions which is stark contrast to what they achieved last term. They take the 265 mile trip to Cornwall this weekend searching for their fourth away triumph of the campaign as they look to distance themselves away from the danger zone.
Clifton v Southend Saxons
Both Clifton and Southend are desperately short of form at the moment so something has got to give when the sides meet in Gloucestershire on the weekend. The home side have won just two of their last 11 games after starting the season so positively and now they have slipped down to ninth in the table.
Eight wins from 11 home matches has been a major positive for Clifton this campaign after they finished 12th last year, but they need start returning to winning ways soon otherwise they may find themselves in a relegation dogfight considering they are only eight points clear of the bottom three.
Southend Saxons are a team currently in the drop zone. They sit 15th in the table and are now five points from safety after defeat to Barnes last weekend. The Saxons survived in National Two South on ‘Games Won’ last year and will need to start picking up wins fast if they are to avoid another close shave.
Southend have won just one of their last nine matches and travel to Clifton having triumphed three times on their travels this season. A BP win for the Saxons won’t be enough to take them out of the relegation zone on Saturday, but it could be spark which they need to start a revival.
Launceston v Canterbury
It is all but over for Launceston in National Two South. The divisions bottom club sit 34 points from safety with nine games remaining and they are still yet to record a win this season. In fact, they have gone 23 games without a league win - with just one draw in that time - and their 10th place finish of last year is now a distant memory.
Having done my calculations, Launceston will not be relegated this weekend if they lose to Canterbury but it would take a miracle for them to stay in this division. Even though they have another game in hand after this one, it won’t affect their situation much. The only goal they really have now is getting a maiden win for this season and they’ll be hoping that it is this weekend.
In terms of Canterbury, they seem to be splitting their season up into sections. Three wins to begin the season was followed by a series of defeats before they started 2016 with four straight victories. However, they are now once again on another run of losses and head into this clash with Launceston on the back of four games without a win.
This run of form has seen the ‘City Men’ fall into the bottom three, but they are level with Dorking who are in the final safety spot in the division. A ninth win of the season looks likely for Canterbury and it could see them move up to as high as 11th in the table if they were to achieve that.
