Post by Jamie Crawford on Dec 18, 2017 18:04:00 GMT
Round 12, Clifton Lane, Rotherham Sat 23rd Dec, 2017 - 02:00pm KO
We start the second half of the Championship season in eighth place with the Titans last and desperate for a win. I had feedback that my last Championship preview was a bit too pessimistic and bulling up Bristol. I merely tried to say it how it was. I will have to be careful not to paint a picture that’s too rosy against the Titans who have yet to be successful this season.
That said, they are eagerly probing for a win and beating their local, eighth-placed rivals would certainly be a feather in their cap. It will tell the other teams in the Championship that they are a different team in the second half of the season and to not dismiss them. They must start winning to avoid relegation as London Scottish in eleventh are 17 points above them courtesy of their three wins and five extra bonus points.
Sedgley Park used to rise like a phoenix from the league ashes when we were a few divisions below. Seemingly they wouldn’t win a game until Christmas, then come back a different team in the New Year and start winning many of their games.
The Knights have had a couple of B & I Cup comfortable wins to restore their mojo, the Titans have had a couple of B & I Cup heavy defeats against Ealing Trailfinders; home 10-45 and away 35-19.
The Knights resume Championship action in a better mental state than they left it almost three weeks ago although the injury list is still a concern. I think we still have about four, possibly five players injured but it has been much worse.
The Knights have scored 273 points and conceded 304 points; the Titans have scored 191 and conceded 452 points. This obviously leaves both teams with a negative point’s difference mid-way through their Championship campaigns. The Titan’s is 230 points worse than the Knights’ -31.
Despite their twelfth position, Titan Scrum Half Rhodri Davies the equal-ninth top try-scorer. Davies has scored one more try than the Knight’s leading try-scorer Tom James. Davies is also one of only a dozen players that have scored a hat-trick this season and five of the others play for Bristol. (Quigs and Tyson have both scored three tries in the Championship so far this season.)
The Titan’s 23 tries have been scored in a 2/3 : 1/3 split Backs: Forwards (plus two penalty tries.) Half Backs, Wings then Front Row lead Titan try-scoring by position.
Only the Titans and London Scottish have given away three penalty tries. The Titans have conceded the most tries in the league with 60, London Scottish haver conceded 15 fewer with the second worst defence with 45. There are now five teams that have conceded fewer tries than the Knights. Jersey and Ealing have had the strongest defence and they’ve conceded ten fewer tries. Earlier this season we had conceded the fewest tries.
Tries against the Titans have been scored predominantly down the Wings, then by the Front Row. These are followed by the Half Backs then Centres. The opening twenty minutes is when the Titans have conceded the most tries, so the Knights must come out of the blocks at full speed and keep sprinting, aiming for a try-fest. The Titans will be wary and won’t make it easy ‘cos we’re from just up t’road.
COYK
DONNY, DONNY, DONNY…
We start the second half of the Championship season in eighth place with the Titans last and desperate for a win. I had feedback that my last Championship preview was a bit too pessimistic and bulling up Bristol. I merely tried to say it how it was. I will have to be careful not to paint a picture that’s too rosy against the Titans who have yet to be successful this season.
That said, they are eagerly probing for a win and beating their local, eighth-placed rivals would certainly be a feather in their cap. It will tell the other teams in the Championship that they are a different team in the second half of the season and to not dismiss them. They must start winning to avoid relegation as London Scottish in eleventh are 17 points above them courtesy of their three wins and five extra bonus points.
Sedgley Park used to rise like a phoenix from the league ashes when we were a few divisions below. Seemingly they wouldn’t win a game until Christmas, then come back a different team in the New Year and start winning many of their games.
The Knights have had a couple of B & I Cup comfortable wins to restore their mojo, the Titans have had a couple of B & I Cup heavy defeats against Ealing Trailfinders; home 10-45 and away 35-19.
The Knights resume Championship action in a better mental state than they left it almost three weeks ago although the injury list is still a concern. I think we still have about four, possibly five players injured but it has been much worse.
The Knights have scored 273 points and conceded 304 points; the Titans have scored 191 and conceded 452 points. This obviously leaves both teams with a negative point’s difference mid-way through their Championship campaigns. The Titan’s is 230 points worse than the Knights’ -31.
Despite their twelfth position, Titan Scrum Half Rhodri Davies the equal-ninth top try-scorer. Davies has scored one more try than the Knight’s leading try-scorer Tom James. Davies is also one of only a dozen players that have scored a hat-trick this season and five of the others play for Bristol. (Quigs and Tyson have both scored three tries in the Championship so far this season.)
The Titan’s 23 tries have been scored in a 2/3 : 1/3 split Backs: Forwards (plus two penalty tries.) Half Backs, Wings then Front Row lead Titan try-scoring by position.
Only the Titans and London Scottish have given away three penalty tries. The Titans have conceded the most tries in the league with 60, London Scottish haver conceded 15 fewer with the second worst defence with 45. There are now five teams that have conceded fewer tries than the Knights. Jersey and Ealing have had the strongest defence and they’ve conceded ten fewer tries. Earlier this season we had conceded the fewest tries.
Tries against the Titans have been scored predominantly down the Wings, then by the Front Row. These are followed by the Half Backs then Centres. The opening twenty minutes is when the Titans have conceded the most tries, so the Knights must come out of the blocks at full speed and keep sprinting, aiming for a try-fest. The Titans will be wary and won’t make it easy ‘cos we’re from just up t’road.
COYK
DONNY, DONNY, DONNY…
