Check out latest previews and predictions as the promotion and relegation issues hot up.
NATIONAL THREE SOUTH
Barking v Lydney
Leaders Barking entertain 4th placed Lydney full of confidence after last weekends important win at North Walsham.
Barking are now five points clear at the top of the National Three South league table and have the best points difference. This is a must win game for them with two difficult away fixtures at Redruth and Havant coming up in the next few weeks.
Barking are one of two unbeaten sides at home in the division with nine wins and a draw in their 10 matches to date at Gorsebrook this season.
Lydney have got back to some sort of form recently with three wins, a draw and just one loss in their last five matches but are now 14 points behind the form side Redruth in third place. They do though have a good run in with their most difficult match coming on the last day of the season after today with a visit to Reading.
Lydney are not the same team away form home with four wins and a draw to go with four defeats and a negative point’s difference.
Barking were early season winners at Regentsholme with a narrow 11-9 victory over Lydney.
Prediction: Barking to win by 10 points.
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Havant v Reading
5th placed Havant will be looking to maintain 5th spot with a home win over 8th placed Reading at Hooks Lane.
Havant have climbed to the lofty heights of fifth on the back on an excellent recent run which sees them 4th in the Form Guide with four wins, a draw and just one loss in their last six matches and that was a defeat at Lydney.
Havant at home this season have an excellent record with seven wins form their nine matches and have the fifth best record in the division.
After a good run Reading have slipped to three successive defeats to drop down to 8th place in the table, although those defeats were at the hands of the top three sides in the league table.
Reading have a poor record on the road with just two wins in 10 matches which is the 11th best in the division.
Reading were winners at home to Havant earlier in the season 31-19.
Prediction: Home win by eight points.
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Hertford v Weston super Mare
7th placed Hertford are at home to 12th placed Weston super Mare looking to keep their three match unbeaten run going.
Hertford were 61-8 winners away at Haywards Heath last week recording their biggest win since coming into the National Leagues. They have won four, drawn one and lost one of their last six matches and a win here could see them open up a 10 point gap on Reading who are 8th in the league table.
Hertford’s home form has been good this season as they look to adjust to their first ever season of National League rugby and have won six of their 10 matches so far.
Relegation threatened Weston picked up an important win last Saturday at home to Southend to keep in touch with the side above them in the table Old Patesians who they now trail by three points. That was their first win in seven since beating Tabard 33-7 in mid December.
Weston have the second worst away record in National Three South this season with just one win on the road.
Weston were 24-15 winner at home to Hertford when the sides met earlier this season.
Prediction: Home win by nine points.
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Old Patesians v Haywards Heath
11th placed Old Patesians are at home this Saturday to bottom of the table Haywards Heath looking for a win after four matches without one.
Old Pats have a good chance to pull clear of Weston again if they can win this one with Weston having a tough match against an In Form Hertford side. This would set it up for next week when they travel down to Weston.
Only Tabard and Haywards Heath have a worse home record than Old Patesians this season with four wins and a draw from their 10 matches at Everest Road.
Haywards Heath will be hoping to get last weeks bad loss at home to Hertford out of their system with an improved performance in this away fixture as they stare at a fourth successive defeat since beating Westcombe Park on February 5th.
Haywards Heath have managed just one win in nine on the road and have the third worst away record in the division picking up four bonus points along the way as well.
When the two met earlier in the season at Whiteman’s Green it could have gone either way but the home side took the victory with a narrow 14-12 win.
Prediction: Home win by 12 points.
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Redruth v North Walsham
Form side Redruth, 3rd just two points behind North Walsham just keep marching on and this week a win over second placed North Walsham would see them move above them in the table.
Four of Redruth’s last six matches are at home in the run in which must give them an advantage in the fight for a top two finish. They have now won 14 in a row since losing at Dings Crusaders at the end of October. A win here would see them move above North Walsham and set up an exciting clash next time out at home to leaders Barking.
Redruth have the only 100% home record in the division with nine successive wins and five four try bonus points picked up along the way. They have conceded just 57 points in those matches an amazing record way better than anyone else in the division.
North Walsham will be looking to bounce back after a home loss last Saturday against top of the table Barking who have done the double over them this season. This is a huge match for them if they can come through this with a win they have a kind run in and could well get that top two finish.
North Walsham have the third best road record in the division with eight wins from 10 matches making 37 points including five bonus points.
Redruth thought they were unlucky not to come away from Scottow with the win earlier this season going down narrowly 15-14.
Prediction: Game of the day to go to Redruth by eight points.
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Southend v Tabard
10th placed Southend are at home this week with a fixture against second bottom Tabard looking to get back to winning ways after a defeat away at Weston super Mare.
Southend will see this as a good opportunity to get a win to take them a few more points away form the relegation zone as they have a tough run in after this match with four of their five games against top six sides.
Southend have the 10th best home record in the division with five win form their 10 matches so far this season and need to win their last three at Warners Bridge if they are to match last season’s eight home wins.
Tabard are in serious trouble now with just six matches left, and are on an awful run losing their last 10 matches in the league. They are 10 points off safety and more like 11 with the point’s difference. They have though only got one top six side left to play in their run in, Lydney at home.
Tabard have the worst away record in the division with just the one win and two bonus points picked up for a six point return from 10 matches.
Tabard were home winners in this fixture earlier in the season in a closely fought match 22-16.
Prediction: Home win by 10 points.
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Westcombe Park v Dings Crusaders
9th placed Westcombe Park play host to 6th placed Dings Crusaders at Goddington Dene looking to maintain their improved recent form.
They have now won three in a row and opened up a 10 point gap between themselves and Weston who occupy the third relegation spot. A win here should see them safe and with four of their last five matches against top five sides they will be glad of a win on Saturday.
Combe have a reasonable home record this season with five wins and a draw from their 10 matches which gives them the ninth best home record in the division.
Dings are going through a bad spell at present and the heavy home defeat at the hands of Havant last week was their fifth successive loss and Havant moved above them in the league table in the process.
Dings have the fifth best away record in the division with four wins form their 10 matches on the road.
Dings were home winners when these two sides met earlier in the season t25-17.
Prediction: Combe to win seight points.
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