Sat 01/03/25

[Rugby Badger]

Back to 3pm Kick Offs this week and the end of winter is in sight! 

Heath v Huddersfield - MOTD
This one will be a cracker. Both teams will be wanting to win here to sill give themselves an outside chance of promotion. 2 big packs going at it but feel Heath might just sneak this one as they have been on good form lately with some impressive wins.

Ilkley v Cleckheaton
Ilkley such an up and down team it is hard to predict what they are going to do. Since Christmas had good wins against Sandal & York but have also lost to Selby & Blaydon.
Cleckheaton having a good season sat in 5th place and had a good win last week against Alnwick although it looks like their star 13 is out for the rest of the season.
Going for Cleckheaton to win in a close one but wouldn't be surprised if it was other way around.

Sandal v York
Sandal started the season with so much promise but since Christmas their form has been shocking, it's like they have just given up for the season.
York also have struggled a bit since Christmas but expect them to win here comfortably to consolidate themselves in the top 4.

Scunthorpe v Selby
Scunthorpe will be wanting to win here to edge them ever closer to that promotion to Nat2 but feel this game is a bit of a banana skin.
Selby will want to at least try and pick up a bonus point or 2 here especially as their relegation rivals PP & Blaydon are due to play each other.
Going for a Scunthorpe win but Selby to manage to pick up a bonus point.

Driffield v Alnwick
Driffield not having the best season this year by their standards and will be wanting to win here to give their fans something to cheer about.
Alnwick have been on good form since Christmas but had a setback last week at Cleckheaton so will be wanting to bounce back.
Going to be brave and predict a draw for this game!

Percy Park v Blaydon
Vital game this in the battle to avoid relegation.
PP will be buoyed from last weeks victory putting 50 points on Sandal.
Blaydon will also be confident having beating Ilkley and having brought in several new players from Darlington MP in trying to help them avoid relegation.
Going for Blaydon in a close one as I feel the new recruits might help to make a difference! 

[Differ Lid]

Now everyone has played the catch-up matches, and the league table has taken its shape we have a couple of brilliant fixtures. In week that is probably going to lack much input lets try and add a bit of reading for those who have managed to get back to the forum.

MOTD (For Promotion)– Heath vs Huddersfield
With both these sides waiting in the wings, hoping for a slip up from Scunthorpe, a win here will decide which one is maintaining the pressure. Huddersfield had a solid defence against Driffield and worked hard at the end to hold onto the win, they struggled heavily at lineout time, which by all accounts hasn't been the first time this season. Think the referee will have a tough task in the scrum with 2 sides who enjoy the dark arts of the front rows.
I think Heath will be the more confident going into this game with home advantage and a few great results.
Heath Win

MOTD 2  (For Survival) – Percy Park Vs Blaydon
Blaydon arguably have the best chance of survival even if they do sit bottom and 6 points adrift. But in a position to beat both of there closest rivals over the last 4 games. With the new signings they will be spurred on, and full of belief.
A must win game for both teams will make this a cracking fixture, but think with the new signings Blaydon will have to much for Percy Park
Blaydon Win

MOTD 3 (For Promotion & Relegation) - Scunthorpe Vs Selby
I think I would be happy going to watch any of these games, all have something to play for, all fighting for something. They will be brilliant games and imagine well supported by all.
A win for Scunthorpe and they surely can start thinking about ordering those 2024/25 Regional 1 NE promotion T-shirts and putting the champaign on ice. However, they can't take Selby and current league position for granted.
Selby the well known "community club" as publicised in this weeks Eggchasers podcast, they have clearly got survival in sight and believe they have the local players to pull it off. The "Local" centre who obviously returned home after his time with Moortown and Yarm to save the day. The North Yorkshire Born and bread 7 who arrived midseason to help his community, it is truly a survival push built on the local lads.
Scunthorpe Win

Ilkley Vs Cleckheaton
With Cleckheaton losing one of the most influential players in their back division last week, and Ilkley being a side driven by the strength of their backs this could be anyone's game. I imagine Cleckheaton will be driven by a top 4 finish and getting ahead of the big spending, Nat 2 chasing York. Whilst Ilkley will be having one eye looking over their shoulders knowing another 5 points should keep them out of a potential relegation battle in the coming weeks.
Home advantage and a Win for Ilkley

Sandal Vs York
A dead rubber if I have ever seen one. Sandal appear to have fallen apart following the injury to their captain against Driffield, not picking up a single win in the last 6 games.
York out of contention for promotion and focused on the Yorkshire Cup final (congratulations on the tight victory away at Middlesborough). Only 2 wins in the last 5 games for York gives them an edge
York Win in a scrappy game. But think they could put a healthy score against Sandal.

Driffield Vs Alniwck
This is always a cracking match, and the travelling Alnwick support surprises me every year. Alnwick had a hiccup last weekend but with the names missing from the team sheet on a rest weekend, it wasn't a bad result on the travels to Cleckheaton. They along with Heath are clearly one of the most inform sides in the league and have clicked following a slow start.
Driffield have seen some positive performances, and the results haven't told the full story, although finishing a few more tries wouldn't go a miss.
Just like Ilkley the Woldsmen need another win.
Driffield Win

[Pristine Shorts]

Driffield v Alnwick - Driff a tad uncomfortable in their current position, so they'll be trying very hard to scrape a win here but will they ? Surprising that Alnwick lost at Cleck last week, but I suspect they will bounce back, leaving the Driff supporters dreading their trip to Ilkley !

Heath v Huddersfield - the big guns, though neither invincible. I'm going for a narrow Huddersfield win to keep their promotion hopes alive.

Ilkley v Cleckheaton - the not quite Bradford lads' discipline let them down at Moor End and Ilkley put 40 points past them. That's not likely to be repeated, but with their star centre out, it'll be down to Cleck's pack and their discipline. Home win and the Dalesmen breath easy.

Percy Park v Blaydon - I'd like to see Blaydon put out of their misery and on last week's form, I fancy PP to inflict a very damaging defeat.

Sandal v York - this should be a cruise for York, as Sandal seem to have gone awol. York seem to have cooled off a bit too, so it's down to who wants it most - York I expect.

Scunthorpe v Selby - surely Scunny must take this. They weren't exactly superstars at Ilkley last week, but they are a very competent side and this should be a five pointer.

[Pristine Shorts]

In theory, all the bottom six sides could be relegated. Blaydon and Selby both have to face Scunthorpe away. Percy Park's run in is marginally easier than Blaydon's, so this Saturday is a big one !

Sandal, Driffield and Ilkley need one more win to ease their nerves. This Saturday, a five point win for Ilkley, Selby getting nothing and Blaydon losing to Percy Park would guarantee their safety.   

[Differ Lid]

Well let's start with other results.
Selby 🤯 crossbar challenge to win the game by all accounts. Some result that didn't see coming.

Huddersfield's win became an even a bigger result with Scunthorpes loss, making it just about a 2 horse race.

Blaydon result not a surprise, and certainly think they have the easier run left now. But if Selby are able to fire shots like today then anything is possible.

At Kelleythorpe it was the age old classic of defence wins games. With Driffield losing 7-14 at the break they needed a big second half, they hadn't fired many shots in the first 40.
A couple of early first half scores probably caught Alnwick off guard, but the majority of the second half was Alnwick. Driffield defending the try line brilliantly, knocking back the direct runners time and again.
Managing to breakaway at the end to score the bonus point try with the final play of the game.

Outstanding performance that has been coming for Driffield. Alnwick threw everything at them, kept the ball well, had the edge at scrum and line-out but just couldn't break down a resilient second half defence and being restricted to just the 1 try.

[tommyontherailway]

Watched Heath v Huddersfield yesterday, two very good teams playing for promotion and what a game, a very good contest played with passion by both sides. Disappointingley there was one winner, after 80mins the match was destined for a draw when Huddersfield were awarded a penalty, a good kick by Milner secured Huddersfield a 21-24 win. A typical derby game from two very good West Yorkshire Teams.
Advantage Huddersfield for promotion back to Nat 2.

[Kellythorpe]

The old adage of defence wins matches was true again Drif  v Alnwick. For the last section of the game Driff's defence was outstanding. Alnwick retained the ball and attacked the line constantly. This was helped by Drif giving away many penalties. Perhaps the excellent kicking of Alnwick's 9 should have been used to gain points rather than going for the tries.
However, instead of a likely draw, Drif with the final try made the scoreline sound an easy win. It was not! Pluses were the difficult conversions by Napier and the reappearance of Dinsdale in the 2nd half after last season at Otley and this season out with injury. Good performances all round for a much needed win,