Weekend rugby preview: Championship, B&I Cup, JRA,
Women's Nat Ch'ship, and all that jazz...
JRA Rugby
More than a week of dry weather - and just a few snow flurries
expected on Saturday - means local players can look forward
confidently to some rugby action on the lawns of St Peter.
It's the Plate section of the Doug Tranter competition this
weekend, and Wanderers will play Banks
Vets in one semi-final (pitch 2), while HMP
Panthers take on Beeches in the other
half of the draw (pitch 4). Both games kick-off at 12noon on
Saturday.
Women's National Championship South-East, South Division
One
The double-header above is actually a treble-header, as
Jersey United Banks Ladies, currently sixth of the
eight teams in SES1 have a league match against fourth-placed
Bracknell at Grainville, also at 12noon on
Saturday.
RBS 6 Nations
The early starts for local players will enable all interested
parties to warm up in the JRFC clubhouse with a couple of pints and
post-match meal of fish 'n' chips. It'll soon be time to focus on
the big screens for:
Italy v Wales (2.30pm). One side started the
tournament with a bang and tailed off; the other had a terrible
start and has actually performed half-decently for the last 1.5
games. The bookees have Wales as favourites with handicaps of eight
or nine points to the hosts on most books.
England v France (5pm). The top-of-the-table
English will be wary of a French side for whom the only way is up
following a horrible start to the 6N.
All are welcome at the clubhouse to watch the games, and if you'd
like to partake of fish 'n' chips, just turn up between 2 and 3pm
with a modest amount of cash (exact price TBA) and a good
appetite.
[The 6N also has a Sunday game this weekend, with Scotland
v Ireland at Murrayfield, KO at 2pm.]
RFU Championship/ British & Irish Cup
No action for Jersey this weekend, but there are four games on the
radar:
Friday, 7.45pm - Bristol v Cardiff (B&I Pool 1)
Bristol need a win to secure top-spot in the pool, ensuring a home
quarter-final against an Irish side (identity tbc). Should the home
side fail to take at least two points in the final game before Andy
Robinson takes up his post as DoR, Ulster 'A' will have the chance
to qualify in their final game against Bridgend in March.
Saturday, 2.30pm - Rotherham v Aberavon (B&I Pool
7)
The Titans had high hopes of qualifying after battling to a 9-9
draw against Munster 'A' in December, but the Irish side recovered
to seal top-spot and render this tie in dead rubber, albeit one
that the home side wanted to honour. With three wins and that draw
from five games, Roth might hope to run up a high score against
their Welsh visitors who have just three losing BPs from their five
outings.
Saturday, 7pm - Newcastle v Cornish Pirates (RFU
Championship)
High-flying Newcastle have been fretting about the promotion
play-offs all season, realising that there was a potential
booby-trap to a campaign in which they have defeated all-comers and
racked up a massive lead in the regular season rankings. This
rearranged match offers the home side the chance to mathematically
guarantee their play-off spot, even if in reality this has been
assured for some time. Pirates know the Falcons have had a few
wobbles in the past two months, and will travel in hope that they
could be the ones to finally derail, temporarily at least, the
Richards revolution at the 16th time of asking.
Sunday, 2.15pm - Nottingham v Llandovery (B&I Pool
8)
Notts lost their first two games in this years B&I, but have
recovered to give themselves a realistic chance of qualifying
against the team from the far reaches of south-west Wales. True,
the Drovers are five points ahead, but their points difference is
only slightly superior, so if the home team can score four tries,
deny their visitors a BP and win by 10 points or more, they will
sneak pool 8 and earn themselves a trip to Newcastle in the
Q-Fs.
Outstanding B&I games - update
While the organising committee have said that it is not essential
that dead rubbers are played, the practical advice seems to be that
clubs are being encouraged that it is, at least, good form to
fulfil one's obligations. As a result, Rotherham
are playing Aberavon (see above), while
Jersey have confirmed a trip to Sardis Road to
play Pontypridd on Friday April 5th in a 'better
late than never' production.
Of the other games, Bridgend v Ulster in Pool 1
looks likely to be staged only if the Irish retain their chance of
qualifying, while Connacht 'A' v Newport in Pool 4
has been, officially, cancelled due to lack of interest.
And Finally...
Nearly forgot the Gales Hampshire Cup: good luck to LQ
Lydian Lions from Jersey as they prepare to travel to the
neutral turf of Trojans RFC on Sunday for a semi-final tie against
Portsmouth (k-o 2.15pm). No Jersey side has ever won the Hants Cup,
so if that doesn't spur 'em on...
