There is plenty to get stuck into across the National League Rugby weekend from teams scrapping for their first victories to clubs renewing rivalries. (Photo Credit: BUCS Super Rugby)

National One

It shouldn’t feel like a big weekend already, should it?

But with Darlington Mowden Park’s (14th) Director of Rugby Garry Law describing Saturday’s meeting with Esher (13th) as ‘very important’, you get the sense that even though we are only at Round Six, there will be a fair bit at stake when the division’s bottom two clubs clash at Molesley Road.

The beginning of the term for both clubs has been anything but benign. DMP haven’t been helped by injuries but five defeats from five and just nine tries scored has left them anchored to the foot of the division.

Last time out though, there were positives for the North-East outfit. The first half an hour away at sixth-placed Blackheath was certainly encouraging before DMP eventually slipped to a 40-5 defeat so Law’s troops will be craving a full 80-minute performance.

Whether that comes this weekend remains to be seen with hosts Esher still searching for their first success since an immediate return to this level. A try bonus point and a better second-half showing in their 44-26 Round Five defeat to Rosslyn Park will be something to take into their latest encounter as both sides look to open their respective accounts.

Obviously, it is a different story at the top where league leaders Rams RFC have a sixth successive bonus-point victory on their radar. They travel to Bishop’s Stortford (9th) while second-placed Richmond – who are the only other team with five wins from five to their name – will be aiming to continue their best start to a season since 2019/20 when they visit Dings Crusaders (10th).

Rotherham Titans (3rd) go to Leicester Lions (12th) while Birmingham Moseley (4th) will be eager to bounce back after their first loss of the campaign last time out when they welcome Sedgley Park (11th) to Billesey Common.

Meanwhile, Sale FC (7th) entertain Rosslyn Park (8th) at Heywood Road while fifth meets sixth with an in-form Plymouth Albion hosting Blackheath.

National Two North

The starting gun for Round Six will be officially fired in National Two North with early frontrunners Leeds Tykes (2nd) welcoming fourth-placed Wharfedale to The Sycamores on Friday evening.

Fixtures such as this are always well attended (a Yorkshire derby only adds to that) but right now, watching Leeds Tykes must be extremely enjoyable. After the anguish of missing out on promotion last season – following that remarkable title race with Rotherham Titans – Pete Seabourne’s side have ‘gone again’.

Maximum points to begin the term backs up that notion and in fact, the Tykes have now lost just two of their last 31 games in National League Rugby.

So that is the task for Wharfedale, who head into this weekend off the back of two straight defeats. Last Saturday’s 34-24 home loss to Hull (11th) would have been disappointing for the Green Machine but they can take solace from their performances against Leeds in 2023/24.

While the Tykes were brushing their opponents aside, Dale were able to make life difficult for their Yorkshire counterparts. Almost exactly a year ago, they lost 20-8 in this corresponding fixture but Wharfedale became the first team to deprive the promotion candidates of a try-scoring bonus point. With Leeds seemingly on the march again, can Simon Verbickas’ men do something similar or – from their perspective – go one better?

By the time they hit the road to face Tynedale (12th), current league leaders Lymm may have been knocked off top spot. Of course, it is still very early days in the season but on last week’s National League Rugby Preview Show, you got the feeling that the North-West outfit don’t want their blistering form to stop any time soon.

Like Leeds, Lymm have a perfect record to date and have scored more points than any other team (224) in National League Rugby. Adam Fletcher and Andy Davies’ side are becoming an increasingly difficult team to overcome but Tynedale – while still winless – will come into Round Six in better spirits after a late 31-31 draw against Preston Grasshoppers last time out.

Sheffield (3rd) are the final team to have recorded five consecutive wins in National Two North and this weekend, Anthony Posa’s charges visit Hull.

By contrast, the bottom two of Sheffield Tigers (14th) and Harrogate (13th) are still looking to register their first victories of the campaign. Tigers host Fylde (5th) – with the visitors aiming for a third success on the spin – while Harrogate entertain 10th-placed Chester.

Elsewhere, Preston Grasshoppers (6th) make their way to Cross Green to face Otley (9th) and Hull Ionians (7th) take on Billingham (8th).

National Two East

Round Five saw an instant response from one of the clubs currently in the chasing pack in National Two East. After seeing their unbeaten record come to an end at second-placed Guernsey Raiders, Canterbury (6th) washed their hands of that result and hit back with a hard-fought 36-31 win over Havant.

At times, it wasn’t pretty from Taff Gwilliam and Matt Corker’s side – who had flanker Harvey Furneaux sent off on 51 minutes – but it was a third successive home victory, a record they will most definitely want to extend on Saturday afternoon when Kent rivals Westcombe Park (5th) make the trip down the M2.

“There are [Westcombe Park] coaches who used to coach and play at Canterbury and there are players at Canterbury who used to play at Westcombe Park but both sets of players were actually instrumental in the Kent County Championship side who are National Champions at the moment,” Gwilliam told the National League Rugby Preview Show. On Saturday, they are going to be playing against each other so that gives it an extra edge and it should be a real good day.”

The likes of Canterbury winger Garry Jones – who scored in June’s County Championship final against Yorkshire – and Westcombe Park’s Rafael Dutta (who captained Kent) will be in action at The Marine Travel Ground as both sides look to build on very positive starts.

In terms of the table, Westcombe Park are currently tucked in behind usual suspects Barnes (3rd) and Dorking (4th) with the latter hosting winless Oxford Harlequins (11th) in Round Six while Barnes head over to Guernsey Raiders (2nd) for what should be a brilliant battle at Footes Lane.

Watching on with interest – as well as focusing on their own job – will be table-toppers Tonbridge Juddians. Seb Sherwood and Jordan Turner-Hall’s side are the only unbeaten team in the division and they will be targeting six straight wins for the first since 2019 when they go to Havant (10th).

Elsewhere, Old Albanian (7th) will be on the hunt for a third straight success when they visit Worthing (12th), while Sevenoaks (13th) and Colchester (14th) will be looking to get off the mark when they host Bury St Edmunds (8th) and Henley (9th) respectively.

National Two West

A rivalry that continues to simmer.

For the last two years, Loughborough Students and Exeter University have ruled the roost in BUCS Super Rugby [University Rugby’s top tier] but this weekend, National League Rugby is ready to host the latest clash between the pair.

In 2023, the two institutions played out arguably the greatest university rugby final of recent times – with Exeter pipping Loughborough 48-44 after extra-time – before the African Violet exacted their revenge back in April to lift the BUCS Super Rugby Championship title.

As for National Two West though, Exeter have had the upper hand – winning three of the four meetings between the teams – but Loughborough were victorious in the most recent fixture, winning 38-31 in February of this year.

“It is a really good rivalry,” said Loughborough Head of Rugby Martin Webdale on the National League Rugby Preview Show. “It has probably accelerated with Exeter moving up into the National Leagues [in 2022]. For the last couple of seasons, ourselves and Exeter have finished first and second in BUCS Super Rugby so by its nature, it has probably accelerated that competitive element of it.

“As a group of coaches, we get on really well off the field and a lot of the players know each other too. The respect is there but on the pitch, it is certainly full-blooded.”

In 2023/24, Loughborough may have had the last laugh in university rugby but Exeter finished three places and nine points higher in National Two West.

However, the Students have passed all but one of their tests so far this term.

The Midlands outfit saw their unbeaten start come to an end in Round Five – losing 43-24 to Bournville – but four wins from five means they sit second in the table, with Exeter currently occupying eighth spot ahead Saturday.

Above Loughborough are Luctonians who are the only club to win all of their first five games. Ryan Watkins’ side are once again displaying their possible title credentials but face a tricky task away at Redruth (9th) who ran fourth-placed Old Redcliffians extremely close last time out.

Old Reds’ Kacey Pike scored a last-minute to try to snatch victory away from Redruth but there will be plenty of plus points for Nigel Hambly’s troops to take into this encounter with the league leaders.

In terms of Old Redcliffans, they are away to Taunton Titans (7th) while Camborne (3rd) host Hinckley (13th) and Bournville (5th) go to Hornets (12th).

Meanwhile, a patched-up Devonport Services side (14th) will be searching for their first win when Clifton (10th) visit Second Avenue and Cinderford (6th) are the latest team to take on Macclesfield (11th) at Priory Park.

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