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NATIONAL ONE
Saturday 8th January
Coventry v Orrell
Coventry start their home campaign in 2005 with the easiest tie of the day, the visit of bottom of the table Orrell to the Butts Arena.
They beat Nottingham on Monday by two points thanks to an 83rd minute penalty goal by Jared Barker to move seven points clear of the green and whites and remain ninth in the league. This was only their second away win this season, the first coming against Saturday’s opposition Orrell in September. They do have an excellent home record though and have only been beaten once, by Sedgley Park, from six starts on their new ground.
Orrell lost both their holiday fixtures, away at Sedgley Park and home to Otley and are now going to have a difficult task to avoid relegation as they sit bottom of the league with only one win to their credit this season. The best they have managed from eight away fixtures is a 14-14 draw at Bedford.
Coventry only beat Orrell by seven points at Edge Hall Road in September. That was their first win against their old rivals in the last five matches played, and they should follow this up to record a league double for this season.
Prediction: Coventry to win by 12 points
Saturday 8th Janu
Exeter Chiefs v Plymouth Albion
One of the matches of the season in National One should see a near capacity crowd descend on the County Ground on Saturday to witness the Devon derby, with both teams still in the hunt for promotion.
Exeter did not play over the holiday period and have not had a league fixture since they beat Rotherham at home on 11th December. This win maintained their seasonal unbeaten home record and also the amazing run of claiming a bonus point in every match they have played this season.
Plymouth Albion took advantage of Bristol and Exeter not playing by recording an excellent win at Penzance and Newlyn and a home win against Sedgley Park to leapfrog the top two and lead the table by one point. They were pushed all the way by both sides and only got their noses in front with tries in the 77th and 79th minutes respectively. Very difficult to beat on home soil, they have won five of their seven away games and only lost at Pertemps Bees and Rotherham.
These sides contested a fantastic early season game at Brickfields when Plymouth emerged as 17-16 victors. They also fought out two very close matches last season with a 7-7 draw at Plymouth and the away side winning 19-17 at Exeter. This is likely to be another close encounter and home advantage may see Exeter through.
Prediction: Exeter to win by 5 points
Saturday 8th January
Henley Hawks v Bedford Blues
Henley find themselves in a similar situation to last year as we move into the second half of the season. They have another relegation battle on their hands, and they will be looking for a repeat of last season’s performance against Bedford when they beat them in the last game of the season to retain their National One status.
Henley put up a good performance in their 30-22 defeat at Pertemps Bees on Sunday and just won the critical Christmas fixture, beating fellow strugglers London Welsh 18-14 at Dry Leas thanks to a 78th minute try from left winger Matthew Robinson. They are now next to bottom of the league, four points in front of Orrell and one behind the Welsh. Their other win this season was also at home, against Sedgley Park.
Bedford have put a nice little run together and won their last three league matches against Coventry and Nottingham at home and Rotherham away. This winning sequence has seen them move up to fifth place in the league table. They have played seven matches away from home to date and this is only the second game they have played against a team in the bottom half of the table. They have won three, and lost to the four teams above them.
Bedford beat Henley 49-23 at Goldington Road earlier in the season. The win Henley recorded to stay up last season was their only one against Bedford in the last five matches and they will probably be beaten again this weekend.
Prediction: Bedford to win by 6 points
Saturday 8th January
London Welsh v Bristol Shoguns
How fortunes change in such a short time. At the end of last season, London Welsh finished in eighth position in National One, one place above Bristol. Eight months later, the Shoguns are setting the pace in the division having won more matches this season at the half way stage than they won during the whole of last season. Conversely, the Welsh are sitting in 12th place in the league battling against relegation to National Two.
London Welsh only played one game over Christmas and went down in a closely fought contest at Henley. This defeat leaves them only one point off a dreaded relegation spot. They have played seven times at Old Deer Park this season and have only beaten Nottingham.
Bristol have not played since they ran London Wasps ever so close in the Powergen Cup the week before Christmas. They have now been overtaken at the top of the league by Plymouth Albion but have two games in hand. They have played five away matches this season and won them all.
London Welsh did reasonably well to only go down 25-12 at the Memorial Stadium early in the season. They completed a league double over Bristol last season, but the pendulum has swung back in Bristol’s favour and they should win easily on Saturday.
Prediction: Bristol to win by 18 points
Saturday 8th January
Otley v Nottingham
Otley are having another good season and are in the pack of four just off the pace of the top three. They should secure another four points on Saturday when they entertain newly promoted Nottingham, who will also be pleased with their half term report.
Otley had a successful Christmas period beating fellow Yorkshiremen Rotherham at Cross Green before going to Edge Hall Road to record a victory against Orrell. They are now sixth in the league, level on points with Penzance and Bedford. They have played six matches at home this season and won five of them, their only defeat coming against Bedford.
Nottingham lost both of their holiday games, by 20 points after winning at half time at Bedford and to an injury time penalty goal at home to Coventry. They sit in 10th position in the league, but have an 11 point cushion over next to bottom Henley. They have played six games away from home this season and only managed one victory, a somewhat surprising win at Pertemps Bees.
Otley beat Nottingham 38-25 when they met at Ireland Avenue in September. They completed a league double the last time they met in league rugby in 1999/2000 and should complete another one here.
Prediction: Otley to win by 10 points
Saturday 8th January
Sedgley Park v Rotherham Titans
Improving Sedgley Park, look for another big scalp on Saturday as they take on seventh placed Rotherham at Park Lane.
Park had a comfortable win against Orrell over Christmas and played very well to run leaders Plymouth Albion to five points at Brickfields on Monday, losing to a last minute converted try. They have grown in confidence as the season has progressed and are now 11 points off a relegation place. They have only won three of seven home matches, but their defeats have been to top sides Plymouth, Bristol, Exeter and Otley.
Rotherham have only won one of their last six matches and have lost their last three at Exeter and Otley and at home to Bedford. Realistically, the best they could now hope for this season would be to finish fourth. They have only played 5 of their 13 games away from home and have only one win, at London Welsh, to their credit.
Rotherham beat Sedgley Park 42-22 at Clifton Lane in the first ever game between the sides in September. Sedgley may just get their revenge on Saturday.
Prediction: Sedgley Park to win by 4 points
Sunday 9th January
Penzance & Newlyn v Pertemps Bees
Fourth placed Penzance & Newlyn, who at the half way stage of this season have secured almost as many points as in the whole of last season, welcome a Pertemps Bees side to the Mennaye Field, looking to start 2005 in a far better way than they finished 2004.
Penzance only played the one game over the holiday period, going down to a very late try by Plymouth in front of a record crowd of 4662 at the Mennaye. They stay in fourth place in the league, but both Bedford and Otley have joined them on 39 points. They have played seven matches at home this season and only been beaten by top two Plymouth and Bristol.
Pertemps Bees beat Henley on Monday to end a run of five successive league defeats that saw them drop to eighth position in the league. They are though only five points behind fourth placed Penzance. They have played seven matches away from home this season recording wins at the three bottom clubs Orrell, Henley and London Welsh.
When the teams met earlier in the season Pertemps Bees ran out comfortable 33-12 winners. They have only met three times in league rugby and the Bees have won them all. Penzance are tipped to beat them for the first time on Sunday
Prediction: Penzance & Newlyn to win by 10 points
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