TRU's NLR Focus: Late drama and big wins close National League Rugby's opening block
The highly-rated Oundle lead National Two East after making the perfect start to the season
©Matt Fleming
The opening block of the National League Rugby season ended with the leading sides still setting the pace, but there was plenty of movement behind them.
A last-gasp try decided a National Two North match, Esher snatched a late win at Guernsey, and Hornets and Loughborough Students shared 96 points in an entertaining National Two West contest.
Five sides finished the block unbeaten. Four have yet to drop a league point.
National One: Leaders maintain their perfect starts
Plymouth Albion (1st) and Tonbridge Juddians (2nd) both secured their seventh consecutive bonus-point wins.
Plymouth beat Dings Crusaders (13th) 59-12 in front of more than 2,300 at Brickfields, with Noah Fenton scoring a hat-trick. TJs overcame Rams (11th) 49-19 after falling behind early on.
Camborne (3rd) remain third after a hard-fought 33-29 win over Sale FC. They are five points behind the top two, while Leeds Tykes (4th) moved into fourth after edging Bishop’s Stortford 36-31.
At the other end, Sheffield (12th) beat Cambridge 33-22 to record an important second win of the campaign. Bury St Edmunds (10th) also had reason to celebrate, with Samir Kharbouch’s late try sealing a 31-26 victory over Birmingham Moseley (9th). London Scottish (8th) completed a strong fortnight by winning 38-26 at near neighbours Rosslyn Park (7th).
National Two North: Tigers keep rolling, Sheffield Tigers snatch it late
Sedgley Park (1st) extended their perfect record with a 40-3 win over Heath (9th), but Darlington Mowden Park (2nd) remain close behind. DMP beat Wharfedale (14th) 61-13 to stay four points off the summit and make it six wins in a row.
The afternoon’s most dramatic finish came at Sheffield Tigers (8th), where Jenson Cliff scored a last-gasp try to give the home side a 29-26 win over Chester (3rd). The Tigers had trailed by 16 points at half-time. The result moved them up to eighth, with only six points separating the division’s bottom half.
Preston Grasshoppers (4th) beat Billingham (12th) 50-15, and Tynedale (6th) made it four successive wins with a 47-26 victory over Harrogate (7th). Huddersfield (10th) also climbed off the foot of the table by beating Fylde 40-24. The postponed Hull Ionians vs Otley fixture leaves both sides with a game in hand.
National Two East: Esher strike late; Oundle stay unbeaten
Esher (2nd) claimed one of the weekend’s standout results, scoring a late try to beat Guernsey Raiders (3rd) 29-24. The win took Esher up to second after Old Albanian (4th) lost 46-27 away to Henley Hawks (8th), where Fin Basil scored a hat-trick.
Oundle (1st) remain top and unbeaten after a 45-0 win at London Welsh (12th). They pulled away in the second half, scoring six tries. Dorking (5th) continued their strong run with a fifth successive victory, beating Jersey 34-12.
There was late drama in two other matches. Barnes (9th) edged Canterbury (6th) 34-32 with a close-range try, while Owen Carroll’s 74th-minute score secured Leicester Lions (11th) a 42-38 win over Colchester (7th). Havant (10th) recovered from a 21-0 deficit to beat Westcombe Park (14th) 58-42 in a high-scoring contest.
National Two West: Redruth lead; Hornets win a 14-try thriller
Redruth (1st) maintained their winning start with a 39-7 victory at Lymm (8th) and now hold a four-point lead at the top. Hinckley (2nd) moved into second by beating fellow promotion chasers Taunton Titans (5th) 24-17.
Luctonians (3rd) responded to their previous defeat against Loughborough Students by beating Bournville (12th) 73-5, while Clifton (4th) scored 75 points in a 75-12 win over Devonport Services (13th). Both remain among the division’s leading sides.
The tightest entertainment came at Hornets (9th), who beat Loughborough Students (10th) 51-45 in a 14-try thriller. It was Hornets’ first win since Round Two.
Elsewhere, Old Redcliffians (6th) beat Barnstaple (11th) 31-24 for a third win on the spin, while Cinderford (7th) overcame Exeter University (14th) 40-32.
The story so far
The pause after seven rounds gives the leading sides time to take stock, but the standings already have clear storylines: Plymouth Albion and Tonbridge Juddians are neck and neck in National One, Sedgley Park have made an immediate statement after relegation, Oundle are setting the standard in the East and Redruth are building a lead in the West.
There is plenty of rugby still to come, but the first block has established the early pace-setters and shown that every division has challengers ready to make them work for it.
