BAFA Adult Contact Week 8 Preview

Photo: Tony Small

As the Adult Contact season heats up, this weekend promises thrilling matchups across Division 1 and Division 2. From the tightly contested battles in the NFC 1 – Scottish division, where the Inverclyde Goliaths aim to extend their unbeaten streak against the resilient Clyde Valley Blackhawks, to the critical clashes in the SFC 2 – East, featuring playoff hopefuls Ouse Valley Eagles and Essex Tridents, fans are in for a treat. Whether it's the historical encounters or the fresh rivalries, the stakes are high, and the excitement is palpable. Let's dive into the key fixtures and what to watch for in this action-packed BAFA Adult Contact Week 8.

All games kick off at 2 pm unless stated.

Division 1

NFC 1 – Scottish

Clyde Valley Blackhawks (1-3) vs Inverclyde Goliaths (3-0)

Glasgow Tigers (1-1) vs Highland Stags (1-2)

This will be the reverse fixture of the 10-0 victory Inverclyde secured two weeks ago. Since 2019 these two have faced each other 5 times and Clyde Valley hold the lead with 3 victories, will that all change this weekend? A victory this weekend will see Inverclyde go clear at the top of the division, but the Blackhawks have shown this season, and in previous seasons, they are no pushovers at home.

Glasgow and Highland have met twice in recent history where the Stags are undefeated with one win and a draw from last season. Highland have surprisingly underperformed this season but managed to start the bounce back last time out with a 23-0 victory over Clyde Valley. We haven’t seen the Tigers since Week 4 where they also beat the Blackhawks, but they have had 4 weeks to prepare for this game which will be crucial in keeping up with the Goliaths. All things point towards a coin-flip when picking a winner in this game.

NFC 1 – North

Chester Romans (2-2) vs Scunthorpe Alphas (2-1)

Sheffield Giants (3-2) vs Yorkshire Rams (1-1)

The Romans and Alphas haven’t met, at least in recent history, potentially ever. Both teams have had an up and down season so far without being able to find a good run of form. Scunthorpe will take confidence into this game after a bounce back win against the Rams. Chester on the other hand will be disappointed following their close loss to Sheffield Giants last week. Both has played the Giants and only the Alphas have beaten them, so is that something to separate the two going into this week? Its intriguing nonetheless as the Romans have a good defence against a potent Alphas offence.

If you take away the COVID season in 2021, the Rams and Giants haven’t met since 2015 when Sheffield (then known as the Predators) came out victorious 37-7. But a lot has changed since then. We’ve only seen Yorkshire twice this year and they’ve only played Scunthorpe and Sheffield have been on fine form now with a 3-game win streak. They host the Rams this week and with and win find themselves top of the division if Chester beat Scunthorpe.

NFC 1 – Midlands

Birmingham Bulls (1-3) vs Northants Knights (2-2)

Leicester Panthers (0-3) vs Shropshire Revolution (3-2)

We saw Northants beat the Bulls 21-0 earlier in the year and the Knights have won 2 of the last 3 meetings between the two. However, since then the Bulls have secured their first win of the season and the Knights are on a two-game losing streak. Last season this fixture ended in a 27-25 victory for Birmingham. No doubt Northants are looking to recover their early season form where they looked to be competing with Nottingham for a playoff space.

Shropshire will be delighted with their victory over Northants last week which will give them precious confidence for the rest of the season. The victory was not enough to claim the head-to-head over Northants who win the series by 7 points. Leicester now on a three-game losing streak conceding 44 points per game have work to do to turn their season around in the fight for Division 1 survival.

SFC 1 – East

Norwich Devils (0-5) vs Kent Exiles (1-2)

Norwich and Kent meet again having met in Week 2 where Kent finished victorious 30-0. Good news for Norwich is that last time out they managed to get on the scoreboard against London Blitz B. Either side of the previous Norwich game Kent faced the division top 2 in London Olympians and East Kent Mavericks. If Kent claim victory they all but secure their place in Division 1 next season by resigning Norwich to an 0-6 record and holding the head-to-head. Norwich on the other hand need to win by 31 to be within a chance.

SFC 1 – Central

Oxford Saints (0-2) vs Wembley Stallions (2-1)

Portsmouth Dreadnoughts (2-2) vs Rushmoor Knights (5-0)

Oxford and Wembley last met in the COVID-19 season in 2021 but otherwise haven’t met in regular season competition. They’ve had contrasting starts to the season where Oxford are hoping to avoid their third loss in a row and Wembley will be looking to continue their winning streak to three wins. It's an intriguing matchup with Oxford looking to get off the bottom of the table and Wembley looking to keep up with division leaders Rushmoor Knights.

Recent form and recent meetings between Portsmouth and Rushmoor all point to a Knights victory. Rushmoor have won three of the last three meetings and beat Portsmouth at home in Week 1 33-14. But for Portsmouth, this is their first home game of the season and they will be determined to return to winning ways after their defeat to Wembley last week.

SFC 1 – West

Hereford Stampede (0-4) vs South Wales Warriors (3-2)

These two teams have never met before outside of the COVID-19 2021 season. The outlook doesn’t look great for Hereford who have now lost to all of the teams near them at the bottom of the division, but they came very close against Bournemouth last week and they’ll be looking to take the next step in their search for that elusive victory. South Wales Warriors will have the playoffs in mind looking to move away from the pack and solidifying themselves in second in the division.

Division 2

NFC 2 – East

Darlington Steam (3-0) vs Doncaster Mustangs (1-2-1)

Lincolnshire Bombers (0-3) vs Wakefield District Raiders (0-2-1)

A first! Darlington vs Doncaster has never happened before. Darlington is on a roll to start the season with an impressive victory against Gateshead last time out and will be sky-high with confidence and they’re taking on a Doncaster team who won for the first time this season last week against Wakefield.

The last time the Bombers and Raiders met was in 2018 when the Bombers came out 50-26 victors. Both sides will be looking to secure their first victory this season and take themselves off the bottom of the division.

SFC 2 – East

Ouse Valley Eagles (3-1) vs Essex Tridents (2-1)

An important matchup in the playoff stakes in this first-ever meeting. Both sides are coming off victories last week where Ouse Valley beat Cornwall Monarch and Essex beat Ipswich. This is the coin flip of all coin flips – Ouse Valley scoring an average of 20 points per game and Essex conceding an average of 7 points per game.

SFC 2 – West

Berkshire Renegades (2-1) vs Sussex Thunder (2-2)

We saw this matchup in Week 4 where Sussex beat Berkshire at home 17-7. Sussex has also won 3 of the last 3 meetings between these two teams. In a three-horse race for playoff positions that both teams are part of this is a crucial game to decide who may book a place in the post-season. Berkshire will be looking to win by 11 points to win the head-to-head.

SFC 2 – Inter-Divisional

Colchester Gladiators (4-0) vs Swindon Storm (2-2)

Colchester and Swindon met in Week 1 in an interdivisional matchup where Colchester won 17-9 away from home. Since then Colchester have since gone on a four-game win streak that has put them alone at the top of the SFC 2 – East division. Swindon are part of a three-team battle for playoff spots in the SFC 2 – West and will be looking to regain their form following a defeat to Berkshire last time out.