The heat is on in National Two South heading into December

Cambridge and the Old Albanian go into this weekend level on points at the top of National Two South as both sides battle it out to be in the Number One spot come the Christmas break.

Hoping to gate-crash the party will be Taunton who are not far behind while Bishops Stortford, Redruth and the Old Elthamians have sights set on a top four place.

Elsewhere, Clifton and Southend will be looking to end their bad run of results while Bury St Edmunds, Barnes and the Redingensians will be hoping to build on good recent wins.

Worthing Raiders also had England stars past and present visit their club this week so they will be hoping to have learnt a few things off them as they look to move away from danger.

Cambridge v Redingensians

Cambridge are really enjoying themselves in National Two South this season.  After finishing 7^th last season, many may have thought a similar outcome could have been on the cards for this campaign, but that hasn’t been the case so far.

10 wins and 1 defeat from their first 12 games leaves them top of the table as we enter December, with talk of a title win being a very real possibility for Cambridge.

Last time out, Cambridge dislodged the Old Albanian from the summit of the league after an 8-33 win against bottom club Launceston and as result, are top on points difference.

Redingensians are looking more and more comfortable in this division as each week passes by. The Rams are slowly building a side capable of getting results and although they might be 12^th in the table, the men from Old Bath Road are starting to steer themselves away from the bottom three.

The Redingensians were promoted into this division last season, but there has not been a clear gulf in class between themselves and the sides in this league as yet.

The prime example of this is the last two fixtures the Rams have played which has seen them see off the challenges of Bury St. Edmunds and Southend Saxons in a run of three wins in their last four games.  If they were to become the first side to win at Volac Park this season , that will most certainly be their finest result of the campaign.

Old Albanian v Clifton

After relegation from National One, the Old Albanian is a club back on the rise. They may have got off to a slow start to the season, but the OA’s have now found their  groove and are firmly in the hunt for an immediate return to the third tier of English rugby.

Maybe the word ‘firmly’ is doing the OA’s a bit of an injustice. They are actually level on points at the top with Cambridge with both clubs having identical records. The OA’s are only behind on points difference with the gap being a slender six points!

The Old Albanian have won all five of their home matches so far this season and will be hoping to make that six this weekend.

Clifton are also towards the top end of the National Two South table this term. After managing to escape relegation last season, Clifton have shown a vast improvement and look set to be in this division next year as they currently sit 7^th after 12 matches.

The side from South Gloucestershire have won seven games this season, but have only won one of their last five. They have also won just once on their travels so far this season, so they will be hoping to stop the decline this weekend.

Dorking v Taunton Titians

Taunton Titians are just a mere three points behind the top two heading into their clash with Dorking this weekend.

Taunton have enjoyed a campaign which they probably expected so far. They were top of the table for seven weeks and have been in the promotion mix since day one of this season.

The Titans have kicked on from their 3^rd place finish last season and will be looking for their 11^th win of the season and their fourth on the road this Saturday.

Around this time last year, Dorking were in the promotion race alongside Taunton. 12 months on and unfortunately it has been a fall from grace for the side.

It has been a tough season for Dorking so far this term. They find themselves 11^th in National Two South with 25 points to their name.

They have won five games this season and just two of those victories have come at home. Having said that, Dorking have won three of their last five matches and will be hoping this is the start of a revival for the side.

Bishops Stortford v Launceston

Bishops Stortford are enjoying another solid season in National Two South. Having managed to secure a play-off spot last season, Stortford failed to gain promotion to National One, but look capable of challenging for promotion once again this term.

That said, they are only 4^th in the this division and are already 12 points behind the top two having suffered four defeats so far this campaign – three of which have come in the last six weeks.

Stortford have won all five of their home matches and go into this encounter as firm favourites against a Launceston side that are still yet to taste victory this season.

The visitors on Saturday have really struggled this campaign. They seem short of confidence, but they will know a first win of the season will galvanise everyone at the club. No win in 12 games leaves Launceston rock bottom of the division and already 14 points from safety.

Just one draw is the most Launceston have had to shout about this season, but if they were to win at Silver Leys this weekend, this will most certainly be a high point of their otherwise poor campaign.

Redruth v Old Elthamians

This is set to be one of the fixtures of the weekend in National Two South as 5^th place Redruth host 6^th place the Old Elthamians.

Redruth once again find themselves towards the right end of the table at this stage of the season. The Reds have rarely had a tough spell this campaign which is highlighted by their eight wins so far.

With some real talent in the squad, Redruth know that a top four finish is a very reachable goal this season as they look to build the foundations for promotion. They will certainly take a step closer to their aims with a win this weekend against an in-form Old Elthamians side.

The Old Elthamians are another team hoping for a top four finish this season.  The OE’s started the campaign very limply, but have since gone on a run of one defeat in their last seven matches.

They are slowly translating their excellent home form into their away performances this season and a win on Saturday at the Recreation Ground will be a huge statement of intent from the OE’s as they go in search of their third away win of the season.

Bury St Edmunds v Southend Saxons

I think it is fair to say that Bury St Edmunds’ aim for this season is to stay in National Two South. After five wins from their first 12 matches, including three wins at home, Bury remain on course to achieve that goal after winning National Three London & South East last year.

Last season, Bury won 12 of their 13 matches at home and will be looking to that for inspiration this Saturday as they look to build on a run of two wins in their last three matches overall.

Southend are their visitors this weekend for this showdown. Having recovered from staying in this division by the skin of their teeth last season, the Saxons appear to be enjoying a more successful campaign and they could be in the hunt for a top half finish come the end of April.

If they are to achieve this feet, Southend must turn their recent fortunes around having won just once in their last six matches.

Chinnor v Barnes

Chinnor are looking to end a run of just two wins in their last 12 matches this Saturday afternoon when they host Barnes. Chinnor are currently 15^th in the table and have failed to raise their game to the heights of last season where they finished 6^th.

After their only wins against Canterbury and Clifton, Chinnor haven’t produced any more victories and they’ll need to find a spark from somewhere if they are to win their second home match of the season and more importantly move out of the bottom three.

Barnes are looking to win their fifth game of the season. Although they were promoted via the National Three South playoff last campaign, they’ve continued to learn and improve each week in National Two South and they will be hoping to clinch their second victory on the road this Saturday.

Canterbury v Worthing Raiders

Canterbury are lurking dangerously above the relegation zone at this stage of the season. Eight defeats in their last nine matches leaves them 13^th in the table after such a promising start to the season for the City Men.

Canterbury have won four games this campaign – one of which has come at home  - so it’s vitally importance for them that they start winning their matches in front of their own supporters if they are to stay clear of the bottom of three.

Worthing Raiders are just a place and two points behind Canterbury.  They are enduring a difficult campaign so far. A real lack of consistency in the first four months of the season has led to them falling into the relegation zone after such high hopes for this campaign considering they finished 5^th last season.

The Raiders managed a vital win against Chinnor a few weeks ago, but haven’t capitalised on that since then. They may have had their morale boosted in the week as they hosted a ‘Try of the Season’ event which saw England stars Joe Launchbury, George Ford and Jonathan Joseph all attend alongside Harlequins legend Ugo Monye.  That could be the inspiration they need to kick start their season.