The Greene King IPA Championship resumes this weekend after a
month-long break for the first phase of the British & Irish Cup
and last Sunday's thrilling Championship XV game against Canada at
Sixways, where the cream of the league came up trumps to win
28-23.
Heading into round 6, Bristol top the Championship table by three
points from Worcester and London Scottish, who both have 20 points,
while last season's National One champions Doncaster currently
occupy the fourth play-off spot on 14 points, by virtue of having a
better points difference than south Yorkshire rivals
Rotherham.
Bristol welcome Doncaster to Ashton Gate and Worcester re-enact
their 2011 Championship semi-final clash with a home game against
Bedford. Yorkshire Carnegie take on Rotherham at Headingley in the
third Friday evening fixture.
At the foot of the table, Plymouth Albion and Moseley will be
looking to put the record straight after failing to win any of
their first five league fixtures. Albion travel to Jersey while
Moseley are at home to London Scottish. Both matches take place on
Saturday.
Sunday's solitary fixture sees Cornish Pirates up against
Nottingham at the Mennaye Field.
With both Bristol and Worcester and the well-supported Cornish
Pirates and Jersey all at home in round 6 and a mouth-watering
derby in prospect at Headingley, an aggregate attendance of over
20,000 should be on the cards this weekend.
This was last achieved in the regular season when a combined total
of 22,085 spectators turned up to watch six matches over the 2012
festive period.
Bristol v Doncaster, Friday November 7, KO
19:45
Championship leaders Bristol are on a six-game winning run against
the in-form Knights, who have only lost twice in eight games in
league and cup since their return to this level. Both sides
produced a clean sweep of wins in the first three rounds of the
British & Irish Cup. Doncaster's last win in Bristol was a
26-12 victory at the Memorial Stadium, on 12 September 2010.
Worcester v Bedford, Friday November 7, KO
19:45
Bedford return to Sixways for the first time since they came within
a whisker of killing off Worcester's promotion hopes in April 2011.
The Blues pushed the Warriors all the way that day and could have
been celebrating a famous victory had Myles Dorrian's last-gasp
drop goal attempt not gone wide. Instead Worcester escaped with a
nail-biting 23-22 victory to keep their Premiership dream
alive.
Yorkshire Carnegie v Rotherham, Friday November 7, KO
20:00
Rotherham haven't beaten Carnegie in a regular season fixture at
Headingley since they spoiled Premiership-bound Leeds' promotion
party with a 32-29 win over their county rivals in April 2007. The
Titans did win a promotion play-off game there, 20-3 in March 2013,
and have already beaten Carnegie 'on the road' this season with a
20-3 win in the British & Irish Cup in a tie played at the home
of Scarborough RUFC. Carnegie have the better overall record in all
competitions in recent years with seven wins to Rotherham's
three.
Moseley v London Scottish, Saturday November 8, KO
12:00
London Scottish go into Saturday's game as joint top try scorers in
the Championship with 27, while all 11 of Moseley's league tries
this season - at home and away - have come in the second half of
matches. Scottish have won on each of their three previous trips to
Billesley Common, last season's fixture ending in a 23-20 victory
for the Exiles.
Jersey v Plymouth Albion, Saturday November 8, KO
15:00
With 114 points conceded Jersey have the fourth meanest defence in
the Championship, Plymouth, meanwhile, are the league's lowest
points scorers with 86 including just five tries. Sixty-six of
those points have come from the Championship's leading kicker,
Lawrence Rayner. Jersey came out on top 22-16 when the sides met at
Brickfields in the 3rd round of this season's British & Irish
Cup. The corresponding league fixture in October 2013 ended in a
23-18 win for Albion.
Cornish Pirates v Nottingham, Sunday November 9, KO
15:00
Nottingham have only won one of the last 12 meetings with the
Pirates, going down to a 17-11 defeat on their last visit to the
Duchy on 23 March, 2014. The Green & Whites have still to pass
the century mark for points scored this season, crossing the
opposition line just eight times. Pirates have scored 14 tries this
season - 11 of them by their backs.
