Catch up with all the latest news and views ahaed of the weekends games.
Barking v Dings Crusaders
Barking will be looking to maintain their excellent start to the season and keep their 100% record going against a Dings side at the wrong end of the table but who have the 7th best defensive despite their 13th place in the league table.
Barking have won both their home matches in the league this season as well as a couple of Powergen Cup ties with their only defeat coming at the hands of National One side Bedford Blues.
Things are looking really positive for Barking with wins already under their belt again both Blackheath and Launceston who are seen as rivals for a top two spot.
Dings have played a game less as they were forced to sit out last week as Launceston had progressed to the 4th round of the Powergen Cup.
They have lost both their away matches but put up a spirited performance going down 32-20 at Redruth but were disappointed with their 26-5 loss at Basingstoke.
Their only point this season came in an 18 all draw at home to Westcombe Park.
First ever league meeting between the two sides.
Team news:
Prediction: Barking to maintain 100% start to the season.
What do you think: click on the link below.
http://www.rfu.com/index.cfm/fuseaction/for.allcategorythreads/categoryid/17.cfm
Basingstoke v Old Colfeians
Both these sides are looking to improve on their one win from four matches so far this season.
Old Colfeians have played well in two of the three matches they have lost and feel they can turn the run of defeats round. Basingstoke have played just once at home this season and were winners over Dings Crusaders but away from home have suffered three defeats and two of them were big defeats.
Old Colfeians will go into the game in the knowledge that last season they managed to do the double over Basingstoke with a narrow away win but at home they thumped them 41-22.
Team news:
Prediction: Tough to call but will go with home win, narrowly by less than seven points.
What do you think: click on the link below.
http://www.rfu.com/index.cfm/fuseaction/for.allcategorythreads/categoryid/17.cfm
Launceston v Southend
These two have already met in the Powergen Cup this season down at Launceston with the home side running out winners. Last weekend saw Launceston go out of the Powergen Cup with a narrow home defeat against the free running National Three North favourites Waterloo.
Southend were busy running up a big score against Basingstoke at home for their first home win of the league campaign. They were 33-0 ahead is as many minutes and ended the match passing the 50 point mark to record a win after two successive defeats. So they will go to Launceston with some confidence that they can turn the Cup result around.
Launceston have suffered back to back defeats now and will certainly look to halt this run with a return to winning ways at Polson Bridge on Saturday and get their league campaign on the rails again after the defeat at Barking a couple of weeks ago.
Team news:
Prediction: Launceston to return to winning ways in the league but not by many.
What do you think: click on the link below.
http://www.rfu.com/index.cfm/fuseaction/for.allcategorythreads/categoryid/17.cfm
North Walsham v Haywards Heath
North Walsham are going for a third straight home win in the league this season against struggling Haywards Heath. The visitors have yet to register a success this season and have suffered four straight league defeats.
North Walsham lost their 100% start to the season on Saturday away at Blackheath so will be looking to get straight back to winning ways this Saturday. Haywards Heath have played just once away from home this season when they were 22-10 losses at Weston super Mare. They need to turn their season round somewhere and quickly but this is not the place to start. They will though be looking to put in a good performance and start trying to play some good rugby, which was the way they played last season on the way to promotion to the National Leagues.
Team news:
Prediction: North Walsham by 15 points.
What do you think: click on the link below.
http://www.rfu.com/index.cfm/fuseaction/for.allcategorythreads/categoryid/17.cfm
Old Patesians v Blackheath
Although they were winners at Weston super Mare last week Old Patesians will do well to come out of this match with a positive result. Blackheath had an excellent win last week against North Walsham to get the loss to Barking out of their system and keep the promotion
Old Pats win at Weston was their first of the season and they would have looked a slight easier game this week to try and make it two out of two and get some momentum going after three consecutive losses.
They will be hoping to get the same result they got last season in this fixture when they ran out 36-32 winners in a high scoring match having lost at Blackheath earlier in the season 27-15.
Team news:
Prediction: Away win for Blackheath by 10 points.
What do you think: click on the link below.
http://www.rfu.com/index.cfm/fuseaction/for.allcategorythreads/categoryid/17.cfm
Redruth v Weston super Mare
Both these sides suffered defeats last weekend. Redruth were well beaten at Tabard to suffer their first league defeat of the season whilst Weston were beaten at home by Old Patesians who were recording their first win of the season and give the home side their first defeat at the Recreation ground this season.
Redruth will be looking to return to winning ways to keep in touch with the tops sides in the division. Redruth will be looking for a more convincing win than their last home match when they were given a run for their money by Old Colfeians before going on to win 15-8.
Weston have had a tough start away from home this season with defeats at both Blackheath and North Walsham, not the easiest of places to go and get a result.
Last season this fixture was split with each side winning its home match.
Team news: Weston
15 Martin Lambourne, 14 John Edwards, 13 T.J. Madamombe, 12 Sean Bennett, 11 Andy Maldoon, 10 James Reid, 9 Matthew Britton, 1 Dave Swann, 2 Dave Bird (c), 3 Merv Down
4 Andy Richards, 5 Andy Glen, 6 Nigel Smith, 7 Ashley Russell, 8 George Sparks
Replacements: Quentin Webster, Kevin Hobbs, David Cook, Jamie Walters
Four changes in the backs with John Edwards, Sean Bennett and Andy Muldoon coming into the side and James Reid switching to fly half, out go Alex Hughes, Dan Ridley and Matthew Britton. In the forwards both Nigel Smith and George Sparks return to the side.
Prediction: Redruth to get back to winning ways but by less than 10 points.
What do you think: click on the link below.
http://www.rfu.com/index.cfm/fuseaction/for.allcategorythreads/categoryid/17.cfm
Westcombe Park v Tabard
Interesting match this one with both sides in good form going into the match. Fifth placed Tabard have had three wins and just one defeat whilst Park have two wins and a draw to go with their opening day loss against Launceston at Goddington Dene.
Since then they had taken a point away at Dings and beaten both Southend, home, and Old Colfeians, away to move up the table.
Tabard are the surprise team so far this season with six points from their four matches after their excellent win over Redruth last Saturday. They have lost just the once with North Walsham leaving Cobden Hill with the points this season.
Park are the form side in this fixture with five successive wins doing the double over Tabard in the last tow seasons. The only Tabard victory in this fixture goes back to October 200 when Tabard won at Westcombe Park 23-21.
Team news:
Prediction: Tabard win with their current form.
What do you think: click on the link below.
http://www.rfu.com/index.cfm/fuseaction/for.allcategorythreads/categoryid/17.cfm
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