National League Rugby Preview: 'Rest' weekend full of importance as final two months of regular season begins
Bishop's Stortford and Leeds Tykes will want to edge closer to National One safety this weekend
©Vikki Lince Photography
Even with only five games scheduled for this weekend, each fixture carries significance across National One and National Two.
National One
Before the start of Round 18, Leeds Tykes (9th) were seven points adrift of safety.
Ahead of them was a block of fixtures in which they had the chance to take control of their own destiny.
Matches against Clifton (12th), Sedgley Park (10th) and bottom-of-the-table Leicester Lions presented Pete Seabourne and Pete Lucock’s side with the perfect opportunity to plot their route away from danger.
And that's exactly what they've done.
Maximum points from those three fixtures - all away from home - have catapulted Leeds out of the bottom three and into mid-table. That run of form was then built upon last weekend with an excellent 45-38 victory over Rosslyn Park.
It should be stressed that Leeds are not home and dry just yet, and internally they will know that too.
The Tykes are only eight points clear of the danger zone, while for this Saturday’s visitors, Bishop’s Stortford (8th), guaranteed safety appears to be within touching distance.
Three successive victories - two of which have come against top-six opposition - have moved Tom Coleman’s side 14 points clear of the bottom three.
A scathing post-match interview following their Round 17 defeat to Sedgley Park appears to have produced the reaction Coleman was seeking and, with five games remaining after this weekend, Stortford seem to be in a strong position.
Right now, it probably feels good to be either one of these sides, and whoever comes out on top in West Yorkshire on Saturday will move one step closer to rubber-stamping their National One status.
Arguably, perhaps a victory for Leeds would carry slightly more weight.
They currently sit seven points clear of the ‘relegation play-off spot’, so if Birmingham Moseley (11th) - who occupy that position - were to claim a crucial win against Rosslyn Park (5th), there might yet be a few more nervous glances over the shoulder from the Tykes.
February saw Moseley face three of the main title contenders, and their run of fixtures against top-half opposition continues at Billesley Common on Saturday.
Adam Balding and Ollie Thomas’ side lost all three games against Blackheath (3rd), Rotherham (1st), and Plymouth Albion (2nd), but they showed plenty of fight and quality, particularly against the latter in a 27-20 defeat in their last home outing.
Looking ahead, four of Moseley’s final six games come against bottom-half sides - including a potential crunch match with table rivals Sedgley Park next week.
But for now, a win on Saturday would move them out of the relegation play-off spot and ease some of the pressure.
This fixture against Park has already been postponed twice due to the weather, so both teams will be hoping the spring-like conditions we have experienced this week can hold into Saturday.
Rosslyn Park’s hopes of a top-three finish could still blossom - especially with the sides above them set to play each other between now and the end of April - but if they are to climb the table, Steve Neville and Kieran Power’s side will need to bounce back from last week’s loss to Leeds.
National Two North
What transpired last weekend has enhanced the fight for survival in National Two North.
Following promotion last term, this season has been tough for Rossendale (14th), but there was nothing subpar about their 29-22 victory over eighth-placed Sheffield Tigers in Round 21.
Scrum-half Finlay Rogers spearheaded the stirring performance at Marl Pits, contributing 19 points, and The Stags’ fourth win of the campaign means just three points now separate the bottom three sides.
The relegation battle promises to be gripping between now and the end of next month, and with Rossendale holding a game in hand, they will look to make the most of it - even if it is against unbeaten league leaders, Sheffield (1st).
In the reverse fixture back in Round Three, Rossendale were only 19-10 down at half-time before being brushed aside by the table-toppers, who are now chasing a remarkable 19th successive victory of the season.
Anthony Posa’s side have still only dropped a single point all campaign and, with three games in hand, could extend their lead at the summit to eight points this weekend.
Second-from-bottom Scunthorpe (13th) will have one eye on proceedings in Lancashire when they travel to Sheffield Tigers (8th).
After standout wins against Fylde (6th) and Hull (12th) boosted their own survival bid, the Greens were halted by top-two chasing Macclesfield (3rd) last time out in a 50-19 defeat.
Tony Wilkinson’s side are currently level on points with 12th-placed Hull, who occupy the relegation play-off spot, but with three games in hand, any points from their trip to Dore Moor could lift Scunthorpe out of the drop zone.
That is easier said than done, though. Even though Sheffield Tigers were second best at Rossendale last Saturday, at home, they have won their last six matches and have conceded just five tries in the process.
With eyes on a top-half finish, Stephen Roberts' troops will hope to continue that run.
National Two West
With no rescheduled games in National Two East, attention turns to National Two West and the developing race for the play-off position.
To understand why the fight for a top-two finish might be back on, you only need to look at February.
The current occupants of second place, Luctonians, have been Camborne’s (1st) closest challengers for much of the season.
For the most part, Lucs have also had clear blue water between themselves and the chasing pack, but over the last three weeks, those calm waters have become a little choppy.
Luctonians won just one of their three February fixtures, picking up only five points overall, while a resurgent Hinckley (3rd) have breathed new life into the play-off chase.
A maximum haul of 15 points from 15 - including a statement 36-0 victory over Luctonians last weekend - means Emyr Lewis’s side enter this Saturday’s game in hand against Taunton (4th) just 10 points behind Luctonians.
A sixth consecutive bonus-point win would leave Hinckley right on the heels of Lucs heading into the final five matches, and with confidence high at Leicester Road, they will fancy their chances of doing exactly that.
Fourth-placed Taunton, however, will arrive in the Midlands full of belief.
After winning just five of their first 13 games, the Titans have climbed the table in the second half of the season, with six victories from their last seven outings.
Tony Yapp’s side have found the consistency they were chasing at the start of the campaign and now sit five points behind Hinckley.
While a charge at the play-off place might seem ambitious at this stage, becoming the first side to beat Hinckley at Leicester Road since September would give the Titans optimism about what they might still be able to achieve in the closing two months of the season.
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