Another sublime weekend of rugby saw Richmond move closer to winning the National One title while the picture in the promotion battles and relegation fights across National Two changed again. (Photo Credit: Jonathan Knight)

National One

Rams (4th) returned to winning ways with aplomb, beating Rotherham Titans (2nd) 30-19 to dent the visitors’ title ambitions.

Rams’ fast start produced three tries as Zach Clow, Max Hayman and Oliver Hodgson all touched down with Travis Gordon getting Rotherham on the board.

A further try from former Titan Sam Boxhall and a penalty from Fraser Honey kept Rams in the ascendancy and despite scores from Curran Maguire and Ronnie du Rant – either side of another three points from Honey – Rotherham failed to register any league points from their trip to Old Bath Road.

And leaders Richmond took full advantage as for the second week running, they racked up a half-century as they defeated Sedgley Park (10th) 50-26 away from home.

 

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The result leaves Richmond 10 points clear with three games remaining, and the table-toppers also play again before Rotherham do with Rob Powell’s side hosting Rams on April 4th while the Titans travel to fifth-placed Blackheath a day later.

The top two also meet in Round 25 but this felt like a sizable step towards a return to the Championship for Richmond.

Rosslyn Park (3rd) still have to be considered in the title conversation as they made it 10 victories from their last 11 matches as they came from 17-5 down at half-time to beat Plymouth Albion (6th) 30-24 at Brickfields. Kieran Power’s side know that Richmond will have to slip up if they are to have a major say in this battle for top spot but Park are certainly ending the season strongly.

However, Richmond can be crowned champions in Round 24 if they better the results of Rotherham and Rosslyn Park.

Round 24 Fixtures

Richmond (1st) v Rams (4th)

Blackheath (5th) v Rotherham (2nd)

Rosslyn Park (3rd) v Sedgley Park (10th)

Down at the other end, three tries in the final quarter from Leicester Lions (13th) secured them two key bonus points from their 37-31 home loss to Sale FC (7th).

Jamel Hamilton and Ben Almond both went over but when Alfie Longstaff touched down seven minutes from time, the Lions were heading towards a ‘pointless’ afternoon but ex-Sale FC man Jordan Tebbatt scored with the last play of the game to seal the two bonuses.

The result leaves Gareth Collins’ troops three points off 12th-placed Esher, who could only record a try bonus point from their 52-28 away defeat at Bishop’s Stortford (9th). The EEEs have now lost their last six games and host Birmingham Moseley (8th) in Round 24 while Leicester Lions go to 11th-placed Dings Crusaders.

Elsewhere in Round 23, Blackheath are up to fifth as a 43-26 win away at Dings Crusaders made it three victories in a row while Birmingham Moseley ran in 11 tries to defeat already relegated Darlington Mowden Park 69-14.

National Two North

Harrogate (13th) once again bolstered their survival hopes as three tries in six minutes just before half-time helped them to a valuable 24-17 victory away at local rivals Otley (10th).

After opening the scoring through Steve Maycock, The Aces trailed 14-5 following tries from Jacob Holmes and Sam Taylor but Harrogate then flicked the switch.

Amrit Sharma, Maycock and Kristan Dobson all went over in quick succession to hand the visitors a 24-14 advantage at the break, and it was a lead they didn’t relinquish as Otley could only add a Joe Rowntree penalty in the second period.

The result leaves Martyn Wood and Dan Scarbrough’s men still in the bottom two but they are just a single point behind Preston Grasshoppers (12th) who lost 40-18 away at promotion candidates Sheffield (2nd).

Five defeats in a row have sucked the Hoppers into this absorbing relegation scrap while Hull (14th) have fallen to the foot of the division after losing 29-21 at home to Sheffield Tigers (9th). It was yet another fixture where Mike Umaga’s side failed to collect any points  – despite leading 15-3 after half an hour – meaning Round 24’s trip to Harrogate will be critical for the Humberside outfit.

And while Preston and Hull are sliding, Billingham (11th) are rising as they secured a third straight win by beating Chester 29-23 at Greenwood Road. The North-East side were never ahead in the game until Joe Ross’ try seven minutes from time sealed the victory.

Perhaps frustratingly for Billingham, because of the upturn in fortunes of Harrogate, they still remain just one point above the bottom two but all they can do is concentrate on themselves.

Round 24 Fixtures – Relegation Fight

Fylde (4th) v Billingham (11th)

Hull Ionians (8th) v Preston Grasshoppers (12th)

Harrogate (13th) v Hull (14th)

In terms of the title race, leaders Leeds Tykes took another step towards promotion as a powerful home display eventually saw off Fylde 35-15.

Pete Seabourne and Pete Lucock’s side have now won 14 matches in a row and remain nine points clear at the summit. The Tykes can win the league in Round 24 if they pick up two more league points than Sheffield.

Round 24 Fixtures – Title Race

Sheffield Tigers (9th) v Leeds Tykes (1st)

Lymm (3rd) v Sheffield (2nd)

Meanwhile, Wharfedale (5th) continued their recent good form as they made it four wins from their last five games with a 44-27 success over Lymm while a Lewis Minikin-inspired Hull Ionians (8th) scored 23 points as he guided his side to a 33-28 away triumph at Tynedale (6th).

National Two East

Tonbridge Juddians (1st) bounced back in the National Two East title race as they responded to successive defeats by securing an entertaining 41-34 victory over Bury St Edmunds (9th).

Nine first-half tries lit the fuse on this contest, with Bury leading 29-28 at the interval following scores from Samir Kharbouch, Will Affleck (2) and Will Metcalfe (2) while TJs stayed in touch via Curtis Barnes (2), Howard Packman and Connor Lloyd.

The visitors – who had beaten TJs in the reverse fixture back in November – extended their advantage thanks to a second from Kharbouch but a try and penalty from replacement Josh Tusler nudged the league leaders 36-34 in front.

And TJs made sure of this welcome victory when Barnes completed his hat-trick two minutes from time.

Seb Sherwood and Jordan Turner-Hall’s troops are now three points clear at the summit ahead of their game in hand at Guernsey Raiders (8th) this coming Saturday, but their nearest challengers are now Dorking (2nd) as their 31-29 success away at the aforementioned Guernsey – combined with Barnes’ (3rd) 26-24 home defeat against Old Albanian (5th) – lifted them into second spot.

A full house of wins and points for Dorking in March has brought them back into the title conversation while consecutive losses for Barnes leaves them five points off the top.

As for the relegation situation, Havant (12th) took a gigantic step towards confirming their safety in National Two following their 25-19 triumph over Oxford Harlequins (10th).

After eight successive defeats, Rob Matthews and Will Knight’s side recorded a timely first win of 2025 and it leaves them 12 points clear of the bottom two with 15 points left to play for. As for Oxford Harlequins, despite this defeat, the fully amateur club did secure their safety with three matches remaining.

Elsewhere, the battle of the bottom two went the way of Worthing (14th) who picked up a key 32-24 win over table rivals Colchester (13th). The Raiders had led 29-12 on 52 minutes only for Colchester to reduce the arrears to 29-24 following tries from Brett Cutbush and Louis Martin, but young full-back Ed Hartley landed a late penalty to seal the victory.

With Havant’s win, Worthing are now 14 points from possible safety but with two of their last three games being at Roundstone Lane, their fight is not over. The same applies to Colchester – who despite suffering setbacks over the last couple of weeks – will not throw in the towel just yet.

Round 24 Fixtures – Relegation Fight

Dorking (2nd) v Havant (12th)

Colchester (13th) v Guernsey (8th)

Sevenoaks (11th) v Worthing (14th)

Also across National Two East in Round 23, Canterbury (4th) edged seventh-placed Henley 31-28 while Westcombe Park (6th) took the spoils in the last Kent derby of the season as they beat Sevenoaks 41-28 away from home.

National Two West

Camborne (1st) and Clifton (2nd) could be set for a title decider on April 5th as the leading pair both secured hard-fought bonus-point victories in Round 23.

Leaders Camborne responded to Round 22’s loss at Luctonians with a 26-14 home success over fourth-placed Cinderford while two tries in the final eight minutes ensured Clifton came away from Hornets (6th) with a 36-24 victory.

 

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Tries from Jay Evans and Marcus Nel sealed the deal for the Lavender and Blacks, who remain one point behind Camborne ahead of their mouth-watering meeting in Round 24.

Ultimately, nothing will be decided at Station Road in two weeks time but a Camborne victory would be a significant step towards a second promotion in three seasons for the Cherry and Whites while this clash could be labelled as Clifton’s biggest home game in many a year.

Remaining Fixtures – Title Race

Camborne (1st) 98pts: Clifton (2nd – A), Devonport Services (14th – H), Macclesfield (12th – A)

Clifton (2nd) 97pts: Camborne (1st – H), Bournville (13th – A), Exeter University (11th – H)

In terms of the relegation picture, bottom two sides Devonport Services (14th) and Bournville (13th) failed to drastically improve their situations.

Devonport Services picked up two bonus points in a highly entertaining 49-45 loss at Loughborough Students (5th) but boss Ben Russell was resigned to the fact that his side were probably down with three games to go. The Rectory Field outfit are 15 points from safety while Bournville are 11 points behind 12th-placed Macclesfield following a 38-27 home defeat against Luctonians (7th). 

Speaking of Macc, they scored four tries in the final half an hour in a 38-33 defeat at Taunton (3rd) to secure two vital bonus points which all but confirms their safety in the fourth tier for next season.

Elsewhere, the mid-table battle became even more congested as Hinckley (9th) made it four wins on the trot after beating Redruth (8th) 17-8 away from home while Old Redcliffians (10th) sealed back-to-back wins after seeing off Exeter University (11th) 32-24.

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