Who will be top of the tree in National Two South?

The final round of fixtures before Christmas is upon us in National Two South, but one of three teams could be at the summit of this division heading into the New Year.

As things stand, Chinnor will be Christmas number one as they lead the way, but only on points difference ahead of a Bishop’s Stortford side in rampant form. Outside the top two are the Old Elthamians who are just a point behind second place so it really is all to play for in Round 16.

Down at the wrong end of the table, Barnes and Worthing Raiders battle it out to try and gain a positive result to end 2016 while elsewhere in the division, Taunton Titans will be looking to keep pace with the front-runners and Canterbury have hopes of an eighth straight win.

Chinnor v Henley Hawks

Chinnor have had a remarkable season thus far and have surprised some followers of National Two South by sitting on top of this division just before the Christmas break.

The league leaders were rampant in the opening 10 rounds of action as they recorded 10 straight wins which quite rightly meant that Matt Williams’ side were the team to catch. However, since then the Black and Whites have suffered a bit of wobble which has seen their lead at the top cut down.

Two wins from their last five games means they are now only top on points difference and the pressure from the teams below has certainly been cranked up. They welcome Henley Hawks to Kingsey Road this weekend looking for their ninth straight home victory and if they achieve that, then there is a high chance they will be at the summit of this division heading into next year.

Henley Hawks may have harboured ambitions of being in the positon Chinnor currently find themselves in, but a number of injuries and other factors have meant life in National Two South hasn’t been the most enjoyable for Henley following relegation from National One in May.

The 2014/15 champions currently sit 11^th in the table having accumulated just five victories in the first-half of this season. However, two of those triumphs have been achieved by Henley over the last four weeks which highlights that they might have turned a corner. If so, they must continue their recent positive displays if they are to claim just their second away win of the season and upset the odds this weekend.

Bury St Edmunds v Bishop’s Stortford

Second placed Bishop’s Stortford travel to Suffolk this weekend to take on Bury St Edmunds and the visitors know that a victory tomorrow could move them to the top of National Two South. It wouldn’t be against the run of play either as Stortford have been scintillating over the last couple of months and they fully deserve to be in the thick of a title race.

Nine wins from their last 10 games has seen Stortford move into second place in this division and on the cusp of top spot. Their last defeat was on the road against Redruth in November, but other than that, they have looked unstoppable. Andy Long’s men have won six of their eight games away from home so far and another successful away day could be the best yet for Stortford.

Their victory is certainly not a given against a Bury St Edmunds side that has been pretty strong at home this term. The Wolfpack have won five of their eight games on home turf, but head into this clash with Stortford on the back of three straight defeats.

Those losses have seen Bury slip away from the top half and they will be wary to avoid a repeat of what happened earlier in the season when they suffered four straight defeats. It hasn’t been a jolly festive period up to now for Gavin Hogg’s side, but a victory in this fixture against the in-form side in the division would certainly bring some pre-Christmas cheer to Bury.

Old Elthamians v Canterbury

Despite the Old Elthamians securing their fourth win in a row last weekend against Cinderford, Gavin Lach’s side dropped out of the top two to make way for Bishop’s Stortford. The OEs will not be too disheartened by this as their 13^th victory of the season leaves them just a point behind the top two heading into Round 16.

It has been a brilliant season for the side that finished eighth in the last campaign and they are well and truly in the hunt for promotion and the league title. Their next test is Canterbury at College Meadows this weekend where the OEs have won on six occasions this term.

They narrowly beat Cinderford six days ago and the OEs will have to be at their very best once again this weekend as Canterbury have been in red hot form since the winter months began. Seven straight wins for the City Men has lifted them from 12^th in the table up to sixth with a top five spot now a realistic goal.

The Kent-based side have been screaming out for consistency especially over the last 16 months and finally it has arrived for them at a great point in the season. Canterbury head to Eltham having won four away games this season and a fifth is a distinct possibility with confidence oozing amongst the squad.

Exmouth v Taunton Titans

Taunton Titans take the trip to Devon this weekend as they face bottom of the table Exmouth with the visitors keen to keep pace with the title chasing pack. Their last two results against Redruth and Chinnor have certainly kept them in with a shout of breaking into the top two after a couple of failed attempts in recent years.

A victory against Redruth and a draw against the league leaders leaves Taunton eight points off second spot as things stand and they are actually on a four game unbeaten run which is their best spell of form since the beginning of the season. The Titans now have to maintain their excellent recent results and they will be confident of adding their seventh away win to that record this Saturday.

There could well be trouble head for Taunton’s hosts Exmouth. The newly-promoted side have found life difficult in National Two South this season and as a result, Jon Hill’s side sit rock bottom of the division heading into 2017.

The Devonshire side have won on just one occasion this term and they find themselves 12 points adrift of safety at the beginning of the second-half of this campaign. Things are looking bleak for Exmouth and on paper, the visit to an in-form Taunton side isn’t the best fixture for Hill’s men to have just before the two week break. Will there be a Christmas miracle in Devon or more festive cheer for Taunton?

Barnstaple v Redruth

Barnstaple are once again at home this weekend as they welcome Redruth to Pottingham Road and the hosts are currently relishing playing in front of their own supporters. Barum head into this fixture having won their last four home games which has certainly put a different spin on their first ever season at this level.

Steve Perry’s side do remain in the bottom three, but are only in the drop zone on points difference. It has been quite the turnaround for Barnstaple considering they won just one of their first nine matches and now they have a good chance of moving out of danger by securing a five successive home victory this weekend which would round-off a positive year of rugby for the Devonshire side.

The last two weeks have not gone according to plan for Redruth. Having been right in the mix for a top two place, back to back defeats against Taunton and London Irish Wild Geese has seen the Reds fall away from the promotion race.

Marek Churcher’s men have only dropped to fifth place, but they are now 13 points off second spot and are looking over their shoulder rather than ahead of them. Sixth place Canterbury are level on points with the Cornwall-based side so a much needed victory from this game with Barnstaple would keep Redruth in the top five and boost morale heading into the New Year.

Redingensians v London Irish Wild Geese

The Redingensians have had a mixed season so far, but they will not be complaining as we enter the Christmas break. The Rams currently occupy seventh place and consolidated their position in the top half of the table after a tight victory over Worthing Raiders last weekend.

Last season, the men from Old Bath Road finished seventh after promotion in 2015 and they are in line to achieve that once again. Of course, there is still a lot of rugby to be played and considering the inconsistency of the Redingensians; that could all change. The Rams arrested a run of three straight defeats last week and prior to that, they were unbeaten in six matches which highlights their patchy form. Their aim now is to recapture some positive consistency which they can then build upon in the New Year.

The Redingensians haven’t had too much joy at home this season having secured just three wins from eight matches so the London Irish Wild Geese might fancy their chances of claiming back to back victories for the first time this season. The newly-promoted side provided the biggest shock of Round 15 by beating Redruth and now the men from Hazelwood will be keen to add to that win.

The victory last weekend for the Wild Geese saw them stay a point clear of the relegation zone only because Barnstaple also picked up a win. It was a much needed triumph for Irish who had lost six on the bounce prior to last Saturday and now they travel to Old Bath Road having won just one game on the road all season which is something they want to start putting right this weekend.

Cinderford v Clifton

Cinderford may feel that despite their narrow loss to the Old Elthamians last Saturday, there are still a lot of positives to take from the last few weeks. The side relegated from National One in May suffered a very inconsistent start to life at this level which saw them yo-yo between the top and the bottom half of the division, but over the past five rounds, they look as if they are slowly getting back to their best.

The Gloucestershire head into this derby clash with Clifton having lost just one of their last five games which leaves them in ninth place as things stand. Their record at Dockham Road isn’t too shabby either with Cinderford picking up five wins from their first eight home games of the term and another victory tomorrow would see them jump above their city rivals and into the top-half of the table.

Clifton, like Cinderford, are another side who started the season slowly but they too look as though everything has started to click for them. The Lavender and Blacks travel to Dockham Road on Saturday having won seven of their last nine matches which is stark contrast to how they begun this campaign.

One win from their first six matches suggested that the South Gloucestershire outfit might be in for another season fending off relegation, but Clifton have done very well to turn around a torrid run of form which stretched back to around this time last year. The future is looking bright for them and a fourth victory in a row this weekend would wrap up a very successful couple of months for Clifton.

Barnes v Worthing Raiders

Barnes’ 2015/16 season was a successful one promotion into National Two South. The South-West London club ended the campaign 11 points clear of the relegation zone, but they have certainly struggled to build on that this time around as they currently sit in the bottom three.

Barnes actually failed to win any of their last seven matches at the end of last season and if you include 15 games played so far in this season, Barnes have won just two of their last 22 games. As a result, they sit 15^th in the current league standings and their recent defeat against Clifton means they are now six points from safety. Both of Barnes’ victories this season have come at home so can they take a huge step towards climbing out of the bottom three before the year is out?

Worthing Raiders may well be desperate to end 2016 with a victory under their belt as the Sussex-based side are currently going through a tough spell in National Two South.  The Raiders find themselves teetering on the edge of relegation and are level on points with 14^th place Barnstaple following a run of just one win from their last nine matches.

Worthing had begun the campaign with four wins from their first six games and it seemed as though they were back to their best, but injuries and other factors have perhaps been the reason for them slipping back down the table. Worthing are on their travels this weekend and they have won just one of their eight games on the road this term so they’ll be hoping they can put a stop to that and halt their slide down the division in this fixture against Barnes.