Post by Jamie Crawford on Oct 3, 2017 16:05:56 GMT
Our second consecutive away game sees the Knights travel to a team new to the Championship - Hartpury College. On paper we should win comfortably because we are third in the Championship and Hartpury were in National One last season.
However Hartpury ended last season as the most comprehensive winners of National One ever (I believe). They were obviously unbeaten but they also scored 581 more points than second-placed Plymouth Albion (over 19/game). The ‘students’ scored 212 tries over the 30 games played (average over seven/game). They are certainly not struggling in the Championship, they are seventh with one win, one draw and three losses. They have already scored five bonus points, only the Cornish Pirates have scored more with six. In other words we can’t expect a comfortable win but will have a battle on our hands, fortunately we’re Knights and prepared for battle.
As mentioned, Hartpury College are new to the Championship and Wikipedia says that their player movements in preparation were to bring in thirteen players and lose just three. Six of the new recruits are from the Premiership:
Elias Caven, BJ Edwards and Nick Carpenter from Bristol; Dan Murphy and Jonas Mikalcus from Harlequins and Mike Daniels from Worcester Warriors
Somebody is ‘flashing the cash at Hartpury to enable them to buy in six players from last season’s Premiership. A Wing, a Lock and a Centre from Bristol, a Prop and a Wing from Harlequins and a Prop from Worcester. Hartpury College have also paid £634,000 for a 3G Rugby Pitch as used by Gloucester RFC.
Luke Eves (son of ex-Knight player/DoR Derek Eves) plays Centre for Hartpury. Luke started his career at Bristol, he then went to Newcastle Falcons before returning to Bristol. Luke moved to Hartpury before the 2015/16 season. His achievements include being England U20’s Captain.
“Mixing youth with experience, the RFC also has excellent links with Aviva Premiership side Gloucester Rugby, whose training base is located adjacent to the first-team pitch at Hartpury. The close relationship between the two has seen a number of dual-registered players, all of who are current or recently departed Hartpury students, pulling on the red and black Hartpury jersey as well as the Cherry and Whites strip” (Hartpury College website)
Hartpury’s initial season in English rugby’s second tier was a baptism of fire as their first bruising encounter was against the just relegated Bristol. Results thus far have been:
- Bristol Rugby v Hartpury College L 26-15 - hardly the resounding victory expected
- Hartpury College v Jersey Reds L 19-20 – just one point against a team of comparable standard to us
- Rotherham Titans v Hartpury College W 21-32 – Titans are having a nightmare start
- Hartpury College v Leeds Carnegie D 29-29 – a draw, need I say more!
- Nottingham Rugby v Hartpury College L 31-28 – just two points difference away at The Bay
Carnegie beat us 15-9, so a warning sign that they won’t be a push-over by any stretch of the imagination.
To date Hartpury have scored fifteen fewer points than the Knights but they have scored one more try. They have conceded 12 tries, equal with Carnegie and we struggled to breach their defence. Hartpury Front Row and Wingers have both scored four tries apiece but only their Full Back hasn’t scored a try yet. Our Front Row and Second Row have yet to cross the whitewash yet our Half-Backs have score tries than any other Half-Back in the Championship.
Four tries have been conceded to Wingers but other positions have only let one or two slip away. They have only conceded one try to a Back Row but the Knights have been tight-knit along the line, except conceding four to the Back Row.
Hartpury intend to stay in the Championship and they’ve had a great start for a new entrant. What they need now is to take a big scalp to make other clubs stand up and take notice. It’s our job to remind Hartpury that were in the division below last season and not bow our heads to offer our scalp.
Other games of interest to us:
Bristol (1st, 4 points above) lie in wait of eleventh-placed unsuspecting London Scottish.
Ealing Trailfinders (2nd, equal points) welcome eighth-placed Jersey Reds to their plastic pitch
Carnegie (4th, 4 point below) travel to play eleventh-placed Richmond
Nottingham (5th, 5 points below) go to Penzance to face tenth-placed Cornish Pirates
Bedford Blues (6th, 5 points below) eagerly wait for basement club Rotherham Titans to grace their Goldington Road home
In their turn Hartpury could theoretically rise to fourth with a bonus point win or they could drop to tenth if they didn’t get any league points but these are highly unlikely scenarios that rely on other results.
RFU
9 Richmond
10 Pirates
11 Scottish
Statbunker
9 Pirates
10 Scottish
11 Richmond
Ceefax
9 Richmond
10 Pirates
11 Scottish
COYK
DONNY, DONNY, DONNY…
However Hartpury ended last season as the most comprehensive winners of National One ever (I believe). They were obviously unbeaten but they also scored 581 more points than second-placed Plymouth Albion (over 19/game). The ‘students’ scored 212 tries over the 30 games played (average over seven/game). They are certainly not struggling in the Championship, they are seventh with one win, one draw and three losses. They have already scored five bonus points, only the Cornish Pirates have scored more with six. In other words we can’t expect a comfortable win but will have a battle on our hands, fortunately we’re Knights and prepared for battle.
As mentioned, Hartpury College are new to the Championship and Wikipedia says that their player movements in preparation were to bring in thirteen players and lose just three. Six of the new recruits are from the Premiership:
Elias Caven, BJ Edwards and Nick Carpenter from Bristol; Dan Murphy and Jonas Mikalcus from Harlequins and Mike Daniels from Worcester Warriors
Somebody is ‘flashing the cash at Hartpury to enable them to buy in six players from last season’s Premiership. A Wing, a Lock and a Centre from Bristol, a Prop and a Wing from Harlequins and a Prop from Worcester. Hartpury College have also paid £634,000 for a 3G Rugby Pitch as used by Gloucester RFC.
Luke Eves (son of ex-Knight player/DoR Derek Eves) plays Centre for Hartpury. Luke started his career at Bristol, he then went to Newcastle Falcons before returning to Bristol. Luke moved to Hartpury before the 2015/16 season. His achievements include being England U20’s Captain.
“Mixing youth with experience, the RFC also has excellent links with Aviva Premiership side Gloucester Rugby, whose training base is located adjacent to the first-team pitch at Hartpury. The close relationship between the two has seen a number of dual-registered players, all of who are current or recently departed Hartpury students, pulling on the red and black Hartpury jersey as well as the Cherry and Whites strip” (Hartpury College website)
Hartpury’s initial season in English rugby’s second tier was a baptism of fire as their first bruising encounter was against the just relegated Bristol. Results thus far have been:
- Bristol Rugby v Hartpury College L 26-15 - hardly the resounding victory expected
- Hartpury College v Jersey Reds L 19-20 – just one point against a team of comparable standard to us
- Rotherham Titans v Hartpury College W 21-32 – Titans are having a nightmare start
- Hartpury College v Leeds Carnegie D 29-29 – a draw, need I say more!
- Nottingham Rugby v Hartpury College L 31-28 – just two points difference away at The Bay
Carnegie beat us 15-9, so a warning sign that they won’t be a push-over by any stretch of the imagination.
To date Hartpury have scored fifteen fewer points than the Knights but they have scored one more try. They have conceded 12 tries, equal with Carnegie and we struggled to breach their defence. Hartpury Front Row and Wingers have both scored four tries apiece but only their Full Back hasn’t scored a try yet. Our Front Row and Second Row have yet to cross the whitewash yet our Half-Backs have score tries than any other Half-Back in the Championship.
Four tries have been conceded to Wingers but other positions have only let one or two slip away. They have only conceded one try to a Back Row but the Knights have been tight-knit along the line, except conceding four to the Back Row.
Hartpury intend to stay in the Championship and they’ve had a great start for a new entrant. What they need now is to take a big scalp to make other clubs stand up and take notice. It’s our job to remind Hartpury that were in the division below last season and not bow our heads to offer our scalp.
Other games of interest to us:
Bristol (1st, 4 points above) lie in wait of eleventh-placed unsuspecting London Scottish.
Ealing Trailfinders (2nd, equal points) welcome eighth-placed Jersey Reds to their plastic pitch
Carnegie (4th, 4 point below) travel to play eleventh-placed Richmond
Nottingham (5th, 5 points below) go to Penzance to face tenth-placed Cornish Pirates
Bedford Blues (6th, 5 points below) eagerly wait for basement club Rotherham Titans to grace their Goldington Road home
In their turn Hartpury could theoretically rise to fourth with a bonus point win or they could drop to tenth if they didn’t get any league points but these are highly unlikely scenarios that rely on other results.
RFU
9 Richmond
10 Pirates
11 Scottish
Statbunker
9 Pirates
10 Scottish
11 Richmond
Ceefax
9 Richmond
10 Pirates
11 Scottish
COYK
DONNY, DONNY, DONNY…
