CHAMPIONSHIP ROUND-UP 9/11/11

You could throw a blanket over the top five clubs in the Championship, but one team is beginning to put a little daylight between themselves and the chasing pack.

The daylight may be in the shape of a single point, but the Cornish Pirates - who have only lost once (at home to Bedford) - are beginning to look like serious Premiership contenders.

Rotherham - who had only lost twice before Sunday - were made to look very ordinary by the pace and precision of the Pirates who won by 30-13 at the Mennaye Field. In particular, Jonny Bentley - back from injury - gave the Pirates momentum and was instrumental in their first two tries. His pace and game management will give back rows a lot to think about in the coming months. Click here for highlights of the match.

The surprise result of the weekend was at Billesley Common where Bristol suffered their second consecutive defeat on the road, going down 33-27 to Moseley. Both sides managed three tries but Liam Middleton’s men failed to execute the basics and were patchy in defence. The much-vaunted Bristol backs were nullified by the home side, forcing them to turn to the forwards for inspiration. None came.

This was Moseley’s first Championship win in six matches, and delighted Kevin Maggs, the former Irish International and Bristol centre.

Interestingly, Moseley did not make a single substitution - with a bit of luck this may start a new trend.

This result knocks Bristol off the top spot, but more worrying for Middleton must the 71 points they have leaked in the last two weeks.

Bedford remain three points behind the leaders with a comfortable 38-21 win against Plymouth Albion at Brickfields.

The home side trailed 28-7 at the break but managed to stage a mini-comeback when the visitors relaxed in the third period. Tries from Aaron Carpenter and Tyson Lewis reduced the Blues’ lead, but fly-half Jake Sharp settled the visitors’ nerves with a converted try in the 72^nd minute.

In a dour game at Headingly, Leeds beat in-form Nottingham 22-19 to make it five wins in a row. A late drop goal from Joe Ford clinched it for Leeds. For the very few highlights of this game, click here.

Despite conceding a penalty try, 20 penalties, three yellow cards and finishing the game with 13 men, London Welsh even managed to deny Doncaster a losing bonus point at Castle Park.

This dogged away win brought the Welsh to within two points of the leaders and their 15 unanswered second half points owed a lot to determination and Doncaster’s high error count.

Finally, to Richmond where London Scottish beat bottom-placed Esher 32-17 in a bad-tempered affair. Esher, who conceded a penalty try, had no answer to the Exiles’ dominant scrum. That, combined with a ten point yellow card keeps them rooted to the bottom.

This weekend the Championship has a break for cup action, so look out for a profile of one of the top teams and their coach in next week’s Championship spotlight.

For details of the current Championship league table, click here: 

CHAMPIONSHIP ROUND-UP 2/11/11

Another pulsating weekend of Championship rugby leaves only 15 points between the leaders and the 9^th placed team in the division.

In a topsy-turvy round of matches, no clear pattern of rightful succession to the Premiership court is emerging, but any team in the top half could be the heir apparent.

Bristol still top the division despite a 44-6 rout away at Rotherham, who continue to humble league leaders.

ROTHERHAM 44, BRISTOL 6

Rotherham, who have already beaten Bedford and London Welsh, led by 22-6 at the break but pulled away in the second half with tries by Robin Copeland and Shane Monahan (2). Liam Middleton’s team could only muster two Matty James penalties in reply.

Garry Law was prolific with the boot and his 24 points and helped to ensure that the second period was largely one-way traffic.

Middleton, whose Bristol side was impressive against London Welsh last Friday, conceded that their performance was unacceptable.

BEDFORD 28, LEEDS 45

In the surprise result of the weekend, Leeds battled to overcome Bedford in a pulsating match away from home.

Bedford coach Mike Rayer was quoted in The Rugby Paper: “We ended up having our asses kicked on our own patch and that hurts.”

What must have hurt all the more was that Leeds were hardly in the game for the first 20 minutes, had two players yellow-carded and saw Bedford pick up the four try bonus point before them. That they still came away with a win speaks volumes. Leeds’ five tries came from Ford, Steve McColl (2) Iain Thornley – on loan from Sale – and Robbie Shaw.

Coach Diccon Edwards cited good discipline and a strong team ethic in the face of the early Bedford onslaught as the foundation for their success.

PLYMOUTH ALBION 21, MOSELEY 20

Arriving at Brickfields 35 minutes before kick-off didn’t seem to hinder Moseley who started the stronger of these bottom-four placed teams.

A try by Anthony Carter after four minutes, converted by winger Ollie Thomas gave them the perfect start.

Chevvy Pennycook’s try shortly before the break was converted by Thomas to give the visitors a 14-8 interval lead.

Plymouth’s James Love had kept the home side in touch with a penalty and a fine individual try just before the half-time whistle.

Love and Thomas each kicked two penalties before the decisive penalty try was awarded in the 73^rd minute that settled the outcome in Plymouth’s favour.

Moseley coach, the former Irish International centre Kevin Maggs had no complaints about the decision, and was happy with referee Michael Tutty’s game.

Plymouth’s Graham Dawe – never one to get too excited about referees’ decisions – said: “ It was a good call, but I probably wouldn’t have given it myself”. Graham Dawe refereeing – now that would be a thing!

LONDON WELSH 17, CORNISH PIRATES 17

Despite grounds that fall well short of a welcome mat into the Premiership, both these teams have serious aspirations of dining at rugby’s top table.

The critical factor in this encounter was the sin-binning of Pirates’ flanker Chris Morgan, who departed deep into the last quarter for not releasing. (Richie McCaw, please take note!)

However, with the Cornishmen leading 17-8 and very much in control, it was the visitors who were by far the more disappointed at the outcome.

In a pulsating and sometimes error-strewn match, the Pirates build a 14-point lead that should have been the springboard for victory. First half tries by Jonny Bentley and winger Grant Pointer were converted by Rob Cook in reply to an unconverted Rob Lewis try for the Welsh.

Cook stretched the lead with a penalty in the 62^nd minute, but Exiles’ replacement fly half Alex Davies chipped over two kicks to keep the home side in touch and then leveled the match by landing a monster from over forty yards in the 73^rd minute.

Exiles head coach Lyn Jones expressed his relief with his side’s two points and felt pleased that they had managed to restrict the Pirates so effectively. For the Pirates it was two points gone west – or perhaps east.

ESHER 20, DONCASTER 29

Having said how difficult it is to predict the final status of teams in this division, one thing looks pretty clear: on the evidence of this performance, Esher will be scrapping for survival and not promotion, come the play-offs.

A four-try bonus point win for the visitors owed more than a little to Esher’s cat-flap defence, and left director of rugby Mike Schmid with plenty to work on  - an hour’s tackling practice for starters.

Although they were first on the scoreboard through a Doncaster error, punished by Canadian Philip Mackenzie, there was little else for the small home crowd to cheer until Robin Boot crossed in the 75^th minute.

By then, with tries for the Knights from Michael Keating (2), Latu Maka’afi and ex-Esher winger Douglas Flockhart, it was all over bar the shouting

And with only 837 in attendance, that probably didn’t disturb the locals too much.

NOTTINGHAM 33 LONDON SCOTTISH 31

Another belter of a game.

London Scottish, have recently been boosted by the on-loan London Irish pairing of Guy Armitage (brother of Delon and Steffon) and David Sasi, a talented No8, in addition to Elliot Daly, on loan from Wasps.

Despite these classy new inclusions the Green and Whites led 23-6 at the break, but a second half fightback led to a pulsating final quarter.

Pressure from the visitors forced Nottingham into a huge third quarter error count that resulted in a try by Agustin Gosio, converted by James Brown and a debut try from Armitage. This was followed by a penalty by Brown that briefly gave the visitors the lead.

However, No8 Alex Shaw rounded off a 30 metre forward drive with a try that not only gave Nottingham the win but a bonus point.

…AND FINALLY…

HIGHLIGHT OF THE WEEK:                         Leeds away win at Bedford

LOW POINT OF THE WEEK:                                    Leeds 16 penalties and 2 yellow cards                                                                  at Bedford

AVERAGE PENALTIES CONCEDED:             8.5

TOTAL VISITS TO SIN BIN:                       6

AVERAGE ATTENDANCE:                          1816  

TOP TRY SCORER:                                    Ed Jackson (L. Welsh) 8

TOP POINTS SCORER:                              James Love (P. Albion) 145

ONE TO WATCH THIS WEKEND:               

If you’re looking for fireworks, forgot the 5^th November and watch Leeds Carnegie take on Nottingham at Headingly on Sunday

Well that’s all for this week. It’s all bubbling up quite nicely in the Championship.