Photo: Estelle Mai
As we move into BUCS Week 6 we see the weather coming into play with snow and storms all expected this weekend. Hopefully, we get a full slate of games! As we said on the Inside Britball Podcast we wondered whether the Prem could be a group of blowouts and we are still wondering what the South Eastern 2A division is.
Premier National
Leeds Beckett vs Durham
Beckett needs a win to have any hope of staying in the Division but they host a Durham side who are coming off a defeat to the UWE Bullets. When the Saints travel to West Yorkshire they will see Leeds Beckett as a side they can beat and do that convincingly after Beckett has conceded 218 points in three games. Beckett, however, is coming off a bye week and a week's rest will allow injured players to come back and try to compete against their old Prem North rival.
Loughborough vs Nottingham Gold
Loughborough sits one spot above Beckett in fourth after beating Beckett and losing to Durham. Nottingham Gold sit at the top of the table, starting the season with three wins in a row. Loughborough will see this as a real challenge, but as Nottingham makes the short journey, they will know that a win against Loughborough means they will have beaten every side in the division before the Christmas break and will give them the best standing for the rest of the year.
Premier North
Nottingham Trent vs Liverpool
NTU host Liverpool this week and after the Renegades victory over the Leeds Gryphons they look to carry on their form as the 0-3 Raptors make their way down to Nottingham. The Renegades kept the game close against the Gryphons winning 26-20 at home and a win like that can give a boost to last season's Division One North Champions. These teams have already played this season, with Nottingham winning 24-6 in Liverpool. This will be used as fuel for the side who currently sit bottom of the table to get their first win of the year.
Premier South
SGS vs Birmingham
SGS enter this matchup with a potent offence and a strong defence. Birmingham on the other hand is 1-2. Losing to the newly promoted Exeter Demons last week hurt their chances last week of making this season one to remember with promotion if they can find a way to defeat the Pride who have only conceded 17 points so far this season. If Pride win again it's safe to say it will be hard to catch them.
Tier 1
Scottish
Edinburgh vs Stirling
The Mavericks sit 1-2 whilst Stirling are 1-1. Both sides have been disappointing so far this season, the Mavericks, however, look the better on paper, yes they have a worse record than the Clansmen but have a net point differential of –2 over three games whilst Stirling has –20 conceding 42 points in over the two games, safe to say this could be an entertaining game.
Heriot-Watt vs Edinburgh Napier
Heriot-Watt have been the surprise of the season so far with wins over Aberdeen and Edinburgh they are sitting third with a 2-1 record whilst the Knights are 3-0 and look to make it 4-0 this weekend. The loss to Glasgow last weekend showed the Wolverines what they need to work on to carry on their start of the season whereas Napier can sit clear at the top with a win in sets up to be a great game in Edinburgh.
Northern
Manchester vs Manchester Met
Two 1-2 sides face off this week as the battle for Manchester comes around again. The Eagles sit just above the Tyrants in the table on point differential, with the Eagles having –66 and the Tyrants –77, both sides however have faced the Northumbria Mustangs and the UCLan Rams this season.
Northumbria vs UCLan
The game of the week/year/ever, two high-scoring and defensively solid sides face off, it's hard to imagine that these sides were both in division two last season and after an undefeated season, they now face off in the Tier One North. The sides have a combined 217 points over 5 games and have conceded a combined 20 points so far this season. Whoever wins this matchup will sit top of the table whilst the loser will be looking at their next match-up to seek revenge. It is set up to be one of, if not the most entertaining games of the year.
Midlands
Leicester vs Coventry
The Jets picked up an important win against Hull last week to give them a confidence boost going into this week's match-up against the Longhorns who sit second in the division after wins against Sheffield and the Jets earlier in the season. The Longhorns have been involved in close games this season, with a 12-0 win over Hallam and a 15-12 win against the Jets but Coventry showed last week that they're not here to make up numbers.
Nottingham Green vs Hull
Nottingham Green remain unbeaten, with wins over Leicester, Sheffield Hallam and Coventry. Hull is 0-2 with the worst defensive record in the division with 48 points conceded. Whilst the Green are not big scorers they are tough to break down and having the mental and physical toughness will put them in good standing for the rest of the season.
South Western
Bristol vs Southampton
The Barracudas are 1-2 and need a win to have any chance of a playoff push but if they lose to the Stags, it could put them in a relegation battle whereas the 2-1 Stags could go to 3-1 and put pressure on the Bournemouth Bobcats and look to win the Division.
Swansea vs Bournemouth
Swansea's 2-0 loss to Bath last week now puts them bottom of the division with a 0-2 record and the former Prem side now stares Tier 2 in the face as they host the 3-0 Bobcats who will see the Titans as a sitting suck and just a small hurdle to get to 4-0.
Southern
Oxford vs Brighton
The Lancers took a heavy defeat to the Brunel Burners last week after a victory over Reading. Brighton have only scored 6 points whilst conceding 45, the Lancers will see the Panthers much like Reading and will look to get their season back on track with another large victory at home.
Reading vs Hertfordshire
Reading needs a win, it is that simple. The Knights need to try and score which has been a struggle but also stop people scoring which has also been a struggle. A loss against the Hurricanes will all but confirm relegation into Tier 2 for the Knights. Hurricanes do not have a problem scoring with scoring 57 points so Reading could be in for another long day.
South Eastern
Essex vs UCL
The bottom two go head-to-head again this weekend as the Blades host the Emperors. UCL beat Essex back in week 2 and the aggregate head-to-head could prove crucial in the relegation battle this season.
Kent vs UEA
This game earlier in the season saw Kent come away with a 14-8 win. Since then UEA beat Essex and come into this matchup 1-1, the Pirates will want to put their loss behind them and look to bring the fight to Kent and jump above them in the table.
Tier 2
North Western
Edge Hill vs Keele
The Vikings got the shock win against the Lancaster Bombers, and sit 1-1 whilst Keele are 0-2 and will see the Vikings who sit one spot ahead of them as a place they can go and win have the moral boost of not finishing bottom, but if the victory over Lancaster has taught us anything it is that Edge Hill will fight for a result and look to win and take top spot in the division.
North Eastern
Two 0-1 sides who have both lost to the Sheffield Sabers. Out of the two sides, Sunderland looks the most promising, scoring 13 points whilst YSJ couldn’t manage to score against the Sabers' defence. Whoever loses this game could easily be the one who finishes bottom of the table.
York plays this week....oh wait!
Midlands
De Montfort vs Derby
Bottom host Top in Leicester as De Montfort hosts the Braves. The Braves sit top after wins against Lincoln and Angelia Ruskin, whilst the Lions are just above the bottom after a loss to Cambridge, it could be a comfortable win for the Derby Braves if they can continue their run of form.
Southern
Oxford Brookes vs Chichester
Brookes are undefeated after a win against the Royal Holloway Bears, and they face the Chichester Spitfires, who are 0-1 after a loss to the Sussex. Brookes will look to go 2-0 against the Spitfires who conceded 35 points in their only game.
Sussex vs Royal Holloway
Sussex are tied at the top of the division with Surrey and the rebranded Saxons will look to be the outright number 1 by Sunday night as Surrey do not play this week. The Bears are coming off a loss to Brookes, and they need to beat the Saxons to have any hope of going up this season.
South Eastern
Greenwich vs City St George’s
One winless side against an undefeated side, Greenwich’s loss to top side Kingston, while undefeated Wolfpack had a tie against Imperial after a player injury and a win against the C4 Chargers which was called during the match.
Queen Mary vs Canterbury CC
The Vipers are 1-1 as they face the winless C4 Chargers. The Chargers had the game called early against the Wolfpack and the Vipers lost to Kingston and beat the Chargers 16-6 earlier in the season. They will look to replicate this going into the weekend and put their playoff push to the front.