BAFA Adult Contact Week 10 Preview

As Week 10 of the BAFA Adult Contact season approaches, anticipation is building for a series of crucial matchups across each league tier. Fans can expect thrilling contests that will shape playoff hopes and division standings. This week’s games are set to deliver intense competition and potential upsets, highlighting the skill and determination of all the teams involved.

All games kick off at 2 pm unless otherwise stated.

Premiership

North

Newcastle Vikings (4-2) vs Merseyside Nighthawks (0-6)

Tamworth Phoenix (3-2) vs Manchester Titans (5-0)

The Vikings and Nighthawks meet for the first time. The Vikings took a blow to their playoff hopes last week losing to Tamworth on the road in a close contest. This week they come up against the Nighthawks. The Nighthawks have continued to struggle for points and have a leaky defence so no doubt they’ll be looking to set themselves objectives leading to improvement on both sides of the ball.

For the second time this season, the perennial top-2 meet, the last being way back in Week 1, where the Titans won 38-0. In the last 7 meetings between these two teams, the Titans have won 5 of them. The Phoenix will be buoyed by their victory last week, which may have been a shock to some, but others will understand that Tamworth rarely loses at home – twice since 2019 – the issue is that they’ve both been to this week’s visitors.

South

Bristol Aztecs (3-1) vs London Warriors (5-0)

Cambridgeshire Cats (3-2) vs Hertfordshire Cheetahs (2-3)

London Blitz (1-3) vs Solent Thrashers (0-5) – 4 pm

Famously, Bristol handed the Warriors their first regular season loss in a long time last season in this fixture. This is going to be a fantastic game with two very stout defences and offences that are seemingly well-balanced. Earlier in the season the two teams were separated by 3 points. Both teams have been on a roll after that close encounter, both are scoring on average over 40 points per game and conceding very few points per game. Bristol needs to win by 4 points or more to be on track to the number one seed. Conversely, the Warriors can all but seal the number one spot if they can win or keep a loss within 3 points.

The last time the Cats and Cheetahs met was in the Division 1 playoffs in 2022. Cambridgeshire came out victorious 42-32. Both teams have had mixed fortune this season but have taken care of business against the teams not named Bristol Aztecs or London Warriors. Hertfordshire have had a very promising start to Prem life but have struggled to score so far this season and you would expect the Cats’ experience to shine through in this matchup.

Both the London Blitz and Solent Thrashers will be disappointed with their season so far. They have met once already this season, and the Blitz came out 18-12 victors. In recent history, they have met 5 times and the Blitz have won four of them. Both teams will be looking for some form on offence with both scoring an average of less than 2 touchdowns a game.

Division 1

NFC 1 – Scottish

Inverclyde Goliaths (4-1) vs Highland Stags (1-3) – 1 pm

Glasgow Tigers (2-1) vs Clyde Valley Blackhawks (2-4)

A repeat of an earlier showdown between Inverclyde and Highland where the Goliaths came out 48-27 winners. Both are coming off a loss in their previous games. Inverclyde will be disappointed with their shock defeat to Clyde Valley last week and will be keen to get their season back on track in the pursuit of the playoffs. This is a must-win game for Highland if they have any plans for keeping up with Inverclyde and Glasgow in the division.

Recent history suggests that Glasgow must be favourites for this fixture. Glasgow has won all three of the last three meetings between the two sides most recently in Week 4 of this season finishing 21-17 winners. Since then both teams have accomplished two impressive victories, Clyde Valley’s shock victory last week over Inverclyde and Glasgow’s dominant 52-7 victory over Highland Stags two weeks ago.

NFC 1 – Midlands

Northants Knights (3-3) vs Nottingham Caesars (4-0)

Yes, the Nottingham Caesars are still here! They just had over a month off. Will they be rusty, or will they be well prepared and pick up where they left off? That being a team only conceding an average of two points per game. The last time these two met was in Week 5 where the Caesars ended up 24-0 victors. This is a must-win game for Northants if they wish to make the playoffs. With their head-to-head victory over Shropshire, they must win out.

SFC 1 – East

London Blitz B (2-2) vs Kent Exiles (2-3) – 12 pm

London Olympians (4-1) vs East Kent Mavericks (5-0)

London Blitz B and Kent Exiles meet for the first time in history. Neither team this season has put together any consistent form so far this season and both are coming into this game on the back of losses. With survival in Division 1 secured both teams will now be looking to build momentum to finish the season strong.

The battle for the number one spot in the division takes place in Greenwich. London Olympians come into this game following a defensive battle victory against Kent Exiles last week and East Kent Mavericks we last saw on the field in Week 7 when they beat London Blitz 21-7. The two teams shared a close encounter back in Week 3 where the Mavericks came out 21-20 victors on home turf. This means the Olympians require a two-point victory to take the head-to-head and pole position for first place in the Division, anything more than a loss will likely secure the top spot for the Mavericks.

SFC 1 – Central

Wembley Stallions (3-1) vs London Hornets (0-4)

Rushmoor Knights (6-0) vs Oxford Saints (0-4) – 3 pm

The SFC 1 – Central sees the top 2 versus the bottom 2. Wembley Stallions are up first against the London Hornets where recent history suggests Wembley are favourites. They beat the Hornets away from home in Week 3 beating them 13-8, they’ve also beaten the Hornets 6 of the last 9 meetings. The Hornets have a good defence, but they’ll need to improve on their offensive record of 16 points in four games.

Rushmoor have already secured a spot in the playoffs but is still two victories away from confirming the number one spot but no doubt they’ll have the number 1 seed in mind also. These two met in Week 5 where Rushmoor secured a dominant 56-18 victory. Recent history is against Oxford who have lost the last 5 meetings with Rushmoor but they’re in a relegation battle and will be looking for some positives to take into the fateful meeting with London Hornets next week.

SFC 1 – West

Bristol Apache (5-0) vs Hereford Stampede (0-5) – 12 pm

Another matchup that seems like a lopsided affair. Bristol is chasing a number one seed in the SFC 1, and Hereford is still searching for a turnaround in form to secure their future in Division 1. Hereford finished their season with three away games, their first against the team who beat them 33-7 at their place in Week 2 of the season. We last saw Bristol in Week 6 so they’ll be hoping they haven’t lost any momentum, but they will have had enough time to heal up for the running into the playoffs.

Division 2

NFC 2 – East

Lincolnshire Bombers (0-4) vs Doncaster Mustangs (1-3-1)

These two teams last met in 2022 when Lincolnshire beat Doncaster twice with two impressive victories. Lincolnshire may see this fixture as a possibility to turn their form around following four straight losses, they’ll need to find some form on offence in order to get the victory. Doncaster have improved significantly this season; they’ve secured the head-to-head against Wakefield and will be keen to perform well against the Bombers to secure “the best of the rest” title in the division.

NFC 2 – West

Staffordshire Surge (4-0) vs Leigh Miners (0-4-1)

Lancashire Wolverines (0-2-1) vs Sandwell Steelers (3-1) – 3 pm

A reverse of last week’s fixture sees the Surge host the Miners this week following their 27-12 victory. They’ve been unstoppable in the division so far and will want to continue their decent form to secure the top spot in the division. Leigh continues to search for form on offence so they can take the pressure off their defence. Leigh might find the Surge looking ahead to a crunch matchup with Sandwell in two weeks, but the Surge will still be favourites.

We saw this exact fixture in Week 3, a side effect of the low numbers in Division 2, where Sandwell visited the Wolverines and came out 32-22 victors. Since then, Lancashire tied Leigh and lost badly at home to the Surge, it looks like they’ve acquired several players from Leigh before the transfer deadline, so they’ll be hoping the additions help turn their fortunes around. For Sandwell, this is a must-win game so they can head into the Surge game next time around with a chance to take the top spot.

SFC 2 – West

Cornwall Monarchs (0-5) vs Swindon Storm (2-4)

I wonder if there will be more than 3 points scored in this game. When these two met in Week 2 they could only be separated by a late field goal where Swindon took the 3-0 victory. Since that match, Cornwall has gone on a 5-game losing streak and Swindon find themselves on a 3-game losing streak. Who will turn their season around? Both teams will need to find some form of offence to be in with a chance.

SFC 2 – Inter-divisional

Ipswich Cardinals (1-4) vs Berkshire Renegades (3-2)

Another of the inter-divisional series in the SFC 2 sees Ipswich and Berkshire share a 2-game series over the next two weeks. Berkshire will still be on the hunt for a playoff spot having secured a crucial victory against Swindon last week. Both sides have struggled to score this season, Ipswich scoring an average of 8 points per game and Berkshire an average of 11 points per game, I suspect a low-scoring affair!