Post by Jamie Crawford on Apr 4, 2016 16:04:06 GMT
Our last home game of the 2015/16 season and only one more league game after this before we enter the Championship Promotion Play-Offs. After last Saturday when the Knights, Carnegie, Bedford and Jersey all recorded five-point wins, the table positions remain as they were from first to fifth. Bristol can’t be caught at the top of the table but second, third, fourth (and fifth) are yet to be confirmed although the Knights and Carnegie are guaranteed to be in the Play-Offs. Essentially Bristol will finish first, the Knights can finish second or third, Carnegie can finish second, third or fourth and Bedford can finish third, fourth or fifth and out of the Play-Offs. There’s only Jersey in fifth that could replace the Blues in the Play-Offs as the Welsh exiles in sixth are thirteen points below the Blues with a potential ten points up for grabs. (I reckon; does anyone disagree?)
As mentioned the Knights are second and Bedford Blues are fourth, the Knights have won two and drawn two games that the Blues have lost. The Knights have scored an average of 27.6 whilst conceding 21.5 points per game. The Blues have scored an average of 29.8 and conceded 26.7 points per game. Very similar scoring and defensive figures that give points difference per game figures of 6.1 for the Knights and 3.1 for the Blues. Doncaster and Bedford have both only lost at home twice but Bedford have lost four games away this season. Bedford’s two home losses were to Jersey (by four points) and to the Knights in the middle of a three-game run of losses in all competitions. Bedford must play Bristol away next week and so they will focus on winning this fixture to definitely stay in the Promotion Play-Offs.
The Blues’ Fly Half Jake Sharp is the fourth highest points-scorer in the Championship. Wing Dean Adamson is the fifth-equal try-scorer with both Full Back Piers O’Connor and Wing/Full Back George Perkins only three tries behind Adamson.
According to Statbunker only Philip Boulton and Justin Blanchet have received red cards in the Championship this season and they both play for the Blues (Prop and Back Row respectively).
Again - we are guaranteed a top three finish because fourth-placed Bedford Blues are eleven points behind with two games of Part One of the season to play. Third-placed Carnegie are seven points behind, so a win on Saturday would guarantee us second place no matter how Carnegie fare against seventh-placed Nottingham on Sunday. Bedford Blues are only eight points above fifth-placed Jersey and so have yet to nail-down their promotion play-off spot.
Only four points separate the bottom two but tenth-placed Rotherham Titans are safe, sitting thirteen points above the bottom with a possible ten points up for grabs.
Elsewhere around England this weekend:
Friday
Top-placed Bristol welcome basement club Moseley to Ashton Gate.
Saturday
Ealing Trailfinders (11) host Jersey (5)
Rotherham Titans (10) play London Scottish (9) with just three points between them.
Sunday
Cornish pirates (8) welcome London Welsh (6)
(Yorkshire) Carnegie (4) v Nottingham (7)
Last week we played Moseley, a team fighting for Championship survival; this week we play Bedford Blues who are fighting to keep in the Promotion Play-Offs. Two dangerous opponents for different reasons. We did the double over Moseley, it’s now time to do the double over the Blues and do Jersey a favour by beating Bedford with a 5 points to O win.
COYK
DONNY, DONNY, DONNY…
As mentioned the Knights are second and Bedford Blues are fourth, the Knights have won two and drawn two games that the Blues have lost. The Knights have scored an average of 27.6 whilst conceding 21.5 points per game. The Blues have scored an average of 29.8 and conceded 26.7 points per game. Very similar scoring and defensive figures that give points difference per game figures of 6.1 for the Knights and 3.1 for the Blues. Doncaster and Bedford have both only lost at home twice but Bedford have lost four games away this season. Bedford’s two home losses were to Jersey (by four points) and to the Knights in the middle of a three-game run of losses in all competitions. Bedford must play Bristol away next week and so they will focus on winning this fixture to definitely stay in the Promotion Play-Offs.
The Blues’ Fly Half Jake Sharp is the fourth highest points-scorer in the Championship. Wing Dean Adamson is the fifth-equal try-scorer with both Full Back Piers O’Connor and Wing/Full Back George Perkins only three tries behind Adamson.
According to Statbunker only Philip Boulton and Justin Blanchet have received red cards in the Championship this season and they both play for the Blues (Prop and Back Row respectively).
Again - we are guaranteed a top three finish because fourth-placed Bedford Blues are eleven points behind with two games of Part One of the season to play. Third-placed Carnegie are seven points behind, so a win on Saturday would guarantee us second place no matter how Carnegie fare against seventh-placed Nottingham on Sunday. Bedford Blues are only eight points above fifth-placed Jersey and so have yet to nail-down their promotion play-off spot.
Only four points separate the bottom two but tenth-placed Rotherham Titans are safe, sitting thirteen points above the bottom with a possible ten points up for grabs.
Elsewhere around England this weekend:
Friday
Top-placed Bristol welcome basement club Moseley to Ashton Gate.
Saturday
Ealing Trailfinders (11) host Jersey (5)
Rotherham Titans (10) play London Scottish (9) with just three points between them.
Sunday
Cornish pirates (8) welcome London Welsh (6)
(Yorkshire) Carnegie (4) v Nottingham (7)
Last week we played Moseley, a team fighting for Championship survival; this week we play Bedford Blues who are fighting to keep in the Promotion Play-Offs. Two dangerous opponents for different reasons. We did the double over Moseley, it’s now time to do the double over the Blues and do Jersey a favour by beating Bedford with a 5 points to O win.
COYK
DONNY, DONNY, DONNY…
