Birmingham Moseley 0 v 5 Rams : This is going to be one way traffic I think. For all the noise coming out of Moseley pre season I really thought they would be in and around the top 6. Johnson has not done as much as I thought at this level when I for one thought he may bully sides running off the back row. As for Rams, well, cracking game last week. Few questions asked about last minute loan players, horses for courses etc, be interesting to see on what team sheet that name appears next! As long as they don’t suffer another “after the lord mayors show” as they did post beating Park, this should be pretty straight forward.
Blackheath 1 v 5 Bishop's Stortford : Lets be honest, Club got totally taken apart last week at Park, there is no hiding from that fact, in probably one of their biggest league defeats, they are having a dreadful season. Two weeks ago after the Leeds loss they had a sports psychologist in to talk to the side before training on the Tuesday night. This week they have had the AA in to put the wheels back on!
Stortford on the other hand, with their all court game are on the up, you have to remember but for a kicker they would have won another 3, Park, Rams and possible DMP and Cindy only pulled away in the last 10, 3 of those were on the road as well. I think they run Club ragged with their all court game, which if it happens will leave many questions to be answered at Well Hall, because something is very clearly going wrong and they will have Rams next up!
Caldy 4 v 2 Rosslyn Park : Park outstanding last week and I doff my cap to them. For all my micky-taking, that result sent Club, back to South East London totally put back in their box. Ellis was a welcome return at 7. Caldy, I said would win at Taunton, but not in that manner I thought, that’s some guts to come from so far back. Looking at the weather this is going to be who adapts and Caldy at home, where its wet and windy in July, will do this better. Its not going to be Ben Howard v Nicky Royal in a try fest. For Park I also think like Rams, it will be very much after the lord mayors show.They have had 2 big games in Cindy and Blackheath which they have won, they are now stuck in a wooden shack on top of a hill with the wind and rain bearing down, not an ideal Cityslicker afternoon when they could be tucking into some Bud's and Burgers as part of Thanksgiving along Fulham Road. It will be interesting to see what Park side gets sent North as Ive a feeling some of the Ranger dirt trackers will be getting a run as the big guns won’t fancy this, using that key word “rotate” by the coaching staff, I’d know where I’d like to be rotated in on, Friday night under lights at home or Caldy away with a force 9 and driving rain, let me think about it!
Cambridge 5 v 0 Leeds Tykes : Big spenders Cambridge are starting to click. They have put a good squad together at a financial cost yes, but they are very obviously going for it.
The issue is, to get in the top 4, to do that you have to beat a top 4 side, which they have not done, 0 from 3 this year with Park to come, however you can be a flat track bully against weaker sides, which they have started to become, they took a poor TJ’s side apart 2 weeks ago, and this I think will be very much the case with this match
Everybody has talked about Browlie at hooker and the driving maul, 16 tells its own story and is outstanding for a hooker to clock up that many meat pies in November,Fray Bentos will do well to keep up with that output, but last week they had to put plan B into action when Albi stood up to that driving maul, and Henna gave the very powerful winger Asiedu a sniff of the line and he took it, twice, to take his tally to 7. In Lloyd (if fit) Henna and Asiedu, they have a 12,13,14 of note and will bully lesser sides. Leeds, well, flatter to deceive, great against Club, off the pace v Chinnor, think the might be a long afternoon and a longer trip home. Leeds will fight another day!
Chinnor 1 v 5 Taunton : Chinnor decent result at Leeds, I got that totally wrong as I though the were the” hour boys”. Taunton blew a decent lead at home, however, Prem cup is done for a few weeks, meaning there should be some traffic going both north and south on the M5, from Exeter up and Bristol down this week!
I can see a Titans win, however with Worrall fit again and back in Chinnors ranks they have the one player that on his day can win a game on his own. Close, yes, high scoring, yes , Titans I take it will be fully loaded, so they gets my vote.
Cinderford 5 v 1 Sale FC : I think Sale might be on a backlash here. Cindy are not still top without reason. Look, against Rams and DMP Johnson totally controlled the game and Sale won both. I think with this one, Cindy are so
disappointed not only with the performance last week but the manner of the loss, at home they are going to right a few wrongs. Sale will play, but Johnson will not get the lead he requires to slow the game down and manage it as he did at Rams and DMP, which went to walking pace at times but was a masterclass by the Sale 10.They also have the major of issue of having to win enough ball, I’d say Paul Morris would have shoved a rocket so far up some of his forwards backsides after that performance last week, when he needed them most, they could still be going off on New Years eve!
Tonbridge Juddians 1 v 5 Plymouth Albion : Plymouth to take the spoils in the battle of the basement. I said last week about TJ’s huff and puff and that they cannot blow the house down, well last weeks game proved that, they scored like most weeks, a try at the death to make the score look closer than it really was. I also had a chuckle to myself reading their skippers quote this week on the TJ’s web site, he must have been taking social media lessons from Williams at Cambridge.
“When we get going we’ve got a class attacking unit and we want to play with ball in hand”
Correct me if I’m wrong, but a) you are the second lowest point scorers in the league with 208 according to NCA only 5 points above last place (Plymouth on 203) and b) you have kicked over a third of these and c) last week being 24-30 down with the final play of the game, the TJs 10 kicks the ball from the field, sorry but 1 point gained and coming away with 2, or a gamble of getting all 5 points ( they already had the try bonus) when you are 3 points adrift at the bottom, was very strange decision, backed up by that quote, am I missing something?
Albi will have their loans back in, big Sheriff will have a battle royal with ex team mate Freeman but the Albi mid field of Raumakite and To’a will be much, too direct and have too much power for TJ’s with Eastgate and Ducker enjoying the open spaces on the back of this.
As always, normal disclaimer as all said in jest, so please don't get stressed!
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