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Monday 27th December
Bedford Blues v Nottingham
Sixth placed Bedford Blues entertain 10th placed Nottingham at Goldington Road with the visitors looking to make it five out of six wins.
Bedford Blues have not been beaten at home this season with four wins and a draw from their fiver matches with Orrell sharing the points with the Blues.
Bedford need to improve of late with just two wins in their last four matches they could drop three places in the table if they were to lose this match.
Nottingham have managed just one win on the road this season from five matches with their only victory coming against Pertemps Bees and last time on their travel were involved in a high scoring match at Old Deer Park where they went down narrowly 34-30 to London Welsh.
Nottingham have climbed out of the relegation area with an excellent recent run and are just seven points behind Bedford Blues now.
Prediction: Blues by eight points.
Coventry v Pertemps bees
Ninth placed Coventry go into this match against eighth placed Pertemps Bees knowing a win would see them probably move above the Bees in the National One League table.
Coventry have lost their last three matches and will see this match against a Bees side that has lost it’s early season form dramatically in recent weeks to tumble down the league table.
At the Butts Arena this season Coventry done well with five wins out of six matches with only Sedgley Park leaving with an away win.
The Bees go into the match on the back of five successive league defeats and a heavy Powergen Cup defeat at Headingley last time out. They have played seven matches away in the league this season and picked up three wins although the last of these was back in September at Orrell when they were 34-30 winners since then they have lost all four road trips.
Prediction: Coventry to win by seven points.
Otley v Rotherham
Fifth placed Rotherham travel to Yorkshire rivals Otley looking to pick up just their second away win of the season.
Otley have done well at Cross Green this season with four wins and just one defeat this season with only Bedford Blues leaving with a win.
In recent weeks they have managed just one win in their last four matches
On the road this season Rotherham have once just once when they were winners at London Welsh back in September.
In recent weeks they have lost form with just one win in their last four matches which has seen them drop to fifth place in the league table.
Prediction: Home win by less than seven points.
Penzance & Newlyn v Plymouth Albion
This South West derby sees third placed Plymouth Albion travel down to fourth placed Penzance & Newlyn with the home side able to catch the Devon side if they can pick up all five points on offer.
The Pirates have been in great form recently and have won their last five matches to climb the National One League table in the last few weeks.
At home this season the Pirates have won four and drawn one and are the only league leaders Bristol leaving with a victory.
Their last defeat was at Otley back at the end of October.
Albion are also unbeaten in their last five matches with four wins and a draw
On the road this season, Plymouth have won four of their six matches coming unstuck at Rotherham and Pertemps Bees.
Prediction: Pirates to win by less than eight points.
Sedgley Park v Orrell
11th placed Sedgley Park entertain bottom of the table Orrell looking to keep pulling clear of the relegation zone whilst Orrell will see this as a chance to make up some ground on the sides above them in the table and climb off the bottom of the table.
Park have put together back to back wins with excellent victories, away at Coventry and at home to Pertemps Bees to climb the table.
Orrell are bottom of the table with just one win and have lost their last three matches and away from home have picked up two points for a draw at Goldington Road against Bedford Blues.
Prediction: Park to win by 10 points.
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