Check out our weekly previews and predictions ahead of the weekends matches.
Blaydon v Waterloo
Waterloo travel to Blaydon looking for a 15th consecutive win in the league this season as they continue their march towards the National Three League title.
Blaydon had put together a three match winning run before coming unstuck at Dudley Kingswinford last weekend with a disappointing display.
At home Blaydon have done well with six wins in eight matches with only Halifax and Tynedale leaving with the points.
When the sides met at Blundellsands earlier in the season Waterloo were winners 35-22.
Team news:
Prediction: Waterloo by 20 points.
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Darlington Mowden Park v Halifax
Halifax will be give a real test with the trip to Darlington Mowden Park who were on a great winning run till coming unstuck at Waterloo last weekend and will be keen to get back on another winning run.
They will fancy their chances of upsetting top of the table Halifax and have excellent home form with seven wins from nine matches. The only two sides to leave with the points have been Blaydon, on the opening day of the season, and Championship favourites Waterloo.
Halifax on the road this season have won seven out of eight with their only defeat coming at Waterloo.
When these two sides met earlier in the season Halifax came out on top 25-14.
Team news:
Prediction: Tough call will go home win by less than seven points.
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Fylde v Longton
Fylde need a win after suffering three straight defeats in recent weeks and dropping back down the league table and are just two points off a relegation place in 11th.
Longton will see this as an opportunity to get just their second win of the season and their first away from home.
Fylde at home have a 50/50 record with four wins and four defeats whilst Longton have lost all eight of their road trips this season.
Longton actually have a better defensive record than Fylde having conceded 361 points which is 31 fewer than the Lancashire side.
(Courtesy of Allan Foster (Fylde).
Fylde welcome Longton for their first ever visit to the Woodlands on
Saturday (ko 14.15). This is an extremely important game for Fylde as
they attempt to halt a run of three successive National Three (North)
defeats and gain revenge for losing in Staffordshire by 9-15, Longton's
only league win this season. Longton have proven to be a game and hard
working side whose performances have been better than their league
position suggests.
The Stoke-on-Trent based club was promoted from Midlands One last season
and to date has struggled to come to terms with their first ever season
at this higher level.
But with a few exceptions, they have made their opponents battle hard
for their victories. One of their best performances was at New Brighton
two weeks ago when they lost by 8-10. They have suffered a number of
similarly narrow defeats. Head coach, ex-Moseley and England A scrum
half Simon Robson said of the New Brighton game: "The result was even
closer than the score suggested and there's no doubt that we were the
better side. It just about sums up the season. Its a little bit
disheartening when you are not getting what you deserve. But the
atmosphere at the Club is still good, and the lads have approached
training well." Fylde would do well to note his final comment; "Teams
can underestimate us at their peril."
Longton have a powerful pack with a mixture of experienced old hands
such as the big No 8 (and former captain) Neil Smith and highly
promising youngsters such as lock Gareth Rawlings. In a squad containing
a number of brothers, Gareth is sometimes joined in the side by younger
sibling Scott.
Scrum-half James Gabriel crowned his first season with Longton in 2002/3
by being voted player of the year and was selected along with No 10 Tony
Wheat for Staffordshire in May's County Championship. Tony is the main
goal kicker with 83 points to date, with a success rate of 54%, and his
brother Rob sometimes plays at fullback. An influential three quarter is
classy centre Paul Green who has an important partnership with fellow
centre Simon Price.
A number of new players have been signed to strengthen the squad
including lock Nick Hunt (Newbury), winger Andy Whalley (ex-Doncaster)
and utility back Lee Grey (ex-Crewe and Chester).
Fylde's starting line-up sees four changes from that which faced league
leaders Halifax last Saturday. Injury has ruled out from amongst the
forwards the three Jons - Kay, Taylor & Webster. Ex-Irish international
Dylan O'Grady returns to the backrow after suspension, Greg Johnson has
recovered from a shoulder injury at lock and prop Matt Filipo replaces
hamstring victim Webster. Fellow prop Neil Hilton, who has missed most
of the season due to NHS work commitments, is amongst the pack
replacements as is hooker Craig McIntyre, missing since December 27th
with rib damage. In the backs, star centre Karl Long is welcomed back
after three matches out following minor knee surgery. The same back line
that so impressively put Macclesfield to the sword on Jan 3rd is back
together again.
15 Richard Kenyon; 14 David Hanley, 13 Karl Long, 12 Paul Reeves, 11
Mark Evans; 10 Mike Scott, 9 Lawrence Condon; 1 Matt Filipo, 2 Ben
Bullough, 3 Os Van der Walt, 4 Greg Johnson, 5 Grant Ferguson, 6 Dylan
O'Grady, 7 Paul Bamber, 8 Erik Lund.
Replacements: 16 Neil Hilton, 17 Craig McIntyre, 18 Martin Wallwork, 19
Mark Briggs.
Longton, who had an enforced week's rest last Saturday when their pitch
was waterlogged, choose the same side that did so well at New Brighton,
losing unluckily by 8-10.
15 Tony Wheat; 14 Tom Pearson, 13 Paul Green, 12 Simon Price, 11 Wayne
Dicken; 10 McCreaney, 9 James Gabriel; 1 Tim Wareham, 2 Craig Wilson, 3
John Brookes, 4 Nick Hunt, 5 Gareth Rawlings, 6 David Bennion, 7 Paul
Sheldon, 8 Tim Wood.
Replacements 16 Davies, 17 Angelo Maasikou, 18 Gary Turner, 19 Steve
Cartlidge.
Team news:
Prediction: Interesting game to call but will go with home win less than 10 points but would not be surprised if Longton were to sneak it.
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Kendal v Macclesfield
Macclesfield picked up a much needed win last Saturday with a home win over Tynedale to end a five match run without a win. Kendal were away winners last week against struggling Preston and have now won three in a row and are up to sixth place in the table moving above Tynedale.
Kendal have done well at home this season with six wins out of eight matches with only Fylde and Halifax leaving with the points.
Macclesfield on the road this season have managed just two wins in nine matches and will do well to make it three wins at Mint Bridge.
When the sides met earlier in the season Macclesfield won a closely fought match by just two points 15-13.
Team news:
Prediction: Home win less than 10 points.
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Liverpool St Helens v New Brighton
Liverpool St Helens need to start winning matches and all home matches now till the end of the season are important opportunities for them to start picking up wins and climb the table out of the relegation zone.
When the sides met earlier in the season LSH gave New Brighton a really good run for their money before going down 14-12.
At Moss Lane they have won four times this season but have also drawn twice with the visitors leaving with both points on three occasions, Fylde, Halifax and Waterloo were the three sides to achieve this.
New Brighton though have not done well on the road this season with just two wins and a draw form eight road trips.
With the visitors poor away form this would be a good time for LSH to get a win under their belt after four matches without a win.
Team news:
Prediction: Stick my neck out on this one with home win by less than seven points.
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Preston v Darlington
This is a huge match with Preston getting down to must win games and all home matches have got to be viewed like this as they try and claw back a six point gap to safety from the relegation zone. Darlington could do their chances of a second season of National League rugby a world of good and get them their first away win of the season with just one point on their travels in this campaign, a draw at Longton.
Hoppers have lost their last four matches and at Lightfoot Green have managed just three wins in seven matches.
When the sides met earlier in the season Darlington were 23-17 winners.
Team news:
Prediction: Hoppers to get home success by less than 10 points.
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Tynedale v Dudley Kingswinford
Dudley have started to show some form of late and risen up the National Three North table in recent weeks and are currently in 10th place.
They have three wins and a draw in their last five matches and are three points above the relegation zone.
Tynedale have had a bitty season and are now in 7th place in the table and need to find some consistency if they are to stay in the top half of the league table. At home this season they have managed just four wins in seven matches and need to improve that record if they are to climb the league table.
When the sides met at DK earlier in the season it was Tynedale who left with the points with a 32-19 win.
Team news:
Prediction: Tynedale to win less than seven points.
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