The end of the National League 1 campaign is drawing ever closer, and what a battle it is at the top of the division right now.

Chinnor and Rams are neck and neck in first and second, and as the champions are the only team promoted to the RFU Championship, this is a battle that neither will give up lightly.

It’s fair to say that the race for promotion to the RFU Championship is a two-horse race, with third place Birmingham Moseley trailing a fair distance behind after nineteen games played. Looking at Rugby Union betting odds, and more specifically, the Six Nations, it’s a similar story, so it must be a rugby union thing. But what neither of the two front runners – Chinnor and Rams – can afford to do is slip up. And if they do, let it have a more significant impact.

Take Chinnor, for example. At the time of writing, they’ve just come off somewhat of a shock reverse at the hands of Blackheath, who are way down the table in ninth. Blackheath ran out 22-17 winners. Blackheath hadn’t won at home since November, and Chinnor were on a nine-match winning streak. Did the latter think it would be a walk in the park and another victory to add to their growing collection, allowing them to extend their lead at the top of the pile in National League 1?

If it wasn’t for the bonus losing point they picked up, Chinnor would find themselves in second place and a point behind Rams, who comfortably dispatched Leicester Lions 33-12. This is how it could be as the handful of fixtures remaining in the current campaign come and go. While Chinnor’s slip up against an unfancied Blackheath wasn’t strictly punished as severely as it could have been, it’s undoubtedly a sign that further mistakes could and likely will prove disastrous.

In the grand scheme of things, Chinnor, as the leaders, are the team feeling the pressure, as they must keep getting the results to fend off the challenge from the Rams. And while a nine-game winning run is great, they’ve also proven themselves capable of slipping up here and there, and they will also know that next time this happens, if there is a next time, they could find themselves knocked off their perch at the wrong time of the season.

For Rams, they’re winning, picking up points and turning up the heat on Chinnor. Level on points, they know if Chinnor drop points, they will have the opportunity to pounce. But of course, this will also rely on them doing what they need to do to be in a position to step in if the chance arises. With only a handful of fixtures remaining and that one promotion place up for grabs, if Rams do get the opportunity and make the summit, they, too, will feel the pressure that Chinnor feel now and will know that any slip-up and they could be back in second place in the blink of an eye.