Round 15 Team News
Catch up on the latest team news ahead of Round 15.
Round 15 kicks off tonight at Lady Bay with what promises to be a high-octane encounter between two of the most entertaining sides in the league; Nottingham and Hartpury. On Saturday, the action gets underway with an early kick off at The RAG where London Scottish face Doncaster Knights, before Coventry host Ealing Trailfinders in a blockbuster clash at Butts Park Arena, and Bedford Blues make the short journey down the road to face Cambridge. Cornish Pirates and Ampthill bring the curtain down on the weekend's action on Sunday at The Mennaye, where the hosts will have their sights set on holding second place heading into the final quarter of the season.
Hartpury head to Lady Bay off the back of a thumping win against Cambridge in Round 14, but won't have forgotten how their previous encounter against Nottingham played out on 24 November, when The Archers ran in five tries in a bonus-point, 20-32 win at The Alpas Arena. The two sides' recent run of form heading into this fixture could scarcely be more different: with Nottingham having won one of their last five, compared to Hartpury's four.
London Scottish pushed Doncaster Knights all the way at Castle Park earlier this season, and while the last three meetings in The Championship have all gone the Knights' way, they have been tight affairs with scorelines of 29-24, 22-24, and 24-33. Both sides will be looking to bounce back from defeats in Round 14, and while Doncaster may be sitting seven places higher in the table, it would take a brave punter to write The Exiles off taking another scalp at The RAG.
The headline fixture this weekend sees third-place Coventry host top-of-the-table Ealing Trailfinders in front of what will no doubt be a bumper crowd at The BPA. The Trailfinders may have won 15 of their 19 fixtures against Coventry, but the hosts will take inspiration from an impressive recent run of form, as well as last season's 19-22 victory over Ealing at The Trailfinders Sports Club. Keep your eyes peeled for this one, and what could be a pivotal result in terms of defining how the end of season title race plays out.
Bedford Blues head into Round 14 following a bye week, while Cambridge will still be licking their wounds from a tough evening at The Alpas Arena which saw them lose 61-10 against Hartpury. The Blues posted a similar scoreline against Cambridge when the two sides last met on 25 November, but could last week's heavy defeat spark a late season resurgence from The Blood & Sand? We will find out on Saturday at Ellgia Fields.
Cornish Pirates and Ampthill meet on Sunday with both sides heading into Round 15 off the back of victories last weekend. The hosts have an impressive record against The Mob with eight wins from their 10 encounters, and will be determined to extend a fine run of form that has seen the Pirates climb to second in the table, albeit 13 points behind Ealing Trailfinders...but then again, a 10-point swing between results in Coventry and Penzance this weekend could throw the title race wide open. Watch this space.
Here's a reminder of the current state of play in The Championship:
And here's a look at how the teams line up this weekend:
