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Darth Raider 
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Joined: 12 Mar 2010 Location: Sussex Status: Offline Points: 1775 |
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 Posted: 16 Mar 2023 at 11:15 |
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Although they will probably make light of it, I think that Club have the toughest run-in.....and as I remarked earlier on in this thread, it is a shame that collectively, the chasing pack could not have stayed closer on points. It could have been very exciting.
Barnes will do well to finish second.....though of course, there is no longer a prize for that achievement. That might......strangely.....be for the best at the moment, as I am not sure that any of the chasing pack are good enough to survive at level 3. Indeed, I am not sure that Club are either. I suspect that the overall standard will pick up next year. We will likely swap Club for Taunton or Esher, and definitely welcome Wimbledon and Westcombe Park. Best of luck either way Injun. The Barnes pack have certainly been a handful this season, though I think that the seeds of this were sown last year. I had thought the most impactful lad was Seabright ? your captain ? He seems to have gone missing of late ? Might have got the name wrong.
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honestinjun
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Posted: 16 Mar 2023 at 23:47 |
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Yes, Ryan Seabright, very busy at work for Dulux all this season after a promotion, exceptionally bright and delightful man, never got injured, a quiet but granite hard Captain, also had a phd in how paint dries, I kid you not!
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HonestInjun
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RedPete
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Posted: 17 Mar 2023 at 09:07 |
Might Taunton end up in National 2 East? I wasn't expecting that!
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Compassion for the conned, contempt for the conmen.
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Thatbloke
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Posted: 17 Mar 2023 at 09:40 |
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I think you mean NAT2 West. There's a whole ruck of Bristol clubs for starters who would go east before Taunton do!!
Edited by Thatbloke - 17 Mar 2023 at 09:41 |
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Darth Raider
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Posted: 17 Mar 2023 at 10:07 |
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We will have to wait for the outcome of course, but if Taunton are relegated they will assuredly go West, which would leave that league properly balanced and the East a team short. I am assuming for now that in that instance, we would see a team level transferred from the North to the East.
I would further assume that if that were to be the case, they would need to get some serious travel subsidy. If this all happens....the team that transfers East is going to feel properly persecuted I imagine ? That is a lot of lengthy away trips. In addition (he wondered) what would happen if the level transferred team are subsequently relegated ? Where would they play the following year ? Also, that could leave the Eastern league with one team too many and a level 5 league one short ? I'll stop there.....my brain is starting to hurt.
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Thatbloke
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Posted: 17 Mar 2023 at 10:15 |
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Don't stress Darth Raider it's all been simplified - RFU draws the geographic lines (even though they might not make any geographic sense?) and you go where you're sent
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Camquin
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Posted: 17 Mar 2023 at 10:53 |
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What he said - there are no level transfers, they redraw all the leagues each season. Which essentially means the same thing. But the geography of the leagues at lower levels could well change completely. We know that with 15 clubs North of them, Chester are worried again - they were saved last season by Leeds getting 14 points in April and May to relegate Blackheath. |
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Sweeney Delenda Est
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Darth Raider
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Posted: 17 Mar 2023 at 12:10 |
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Looking at the remaining fixtures, the Leeds great escape is very unlikely to be repeated this year and subsequently, the imbalance at level 3 will be exaggerated again I think. There is still a small chance that Birmingham Moseley could get relegated, which would throw a whole herd of cats amongst the pigeons if three northern sides went down. Even if as seems likely, BM stay up, the only northern representatives in Nat 1 next year would be Sale, DMP, BM and likely, Sedgley Park. A troubling trend as level 3 continues to become an increasingly south-centric league.
As Chester are currently 5th in Nat2N, one would imagine that they would survive OK if they went East ? But I see that they have only 7 TBP's ? That sort of scoring capability if used in isolation.....which it clearly would not, would place them in 12th position in Nat2E. One of my rugby mates told me last week that splitting Nat1 into two divisions, North and South, was also under consideration. Don't know where he got that from but it seems passing unlikely to me, for any number of reasons.......including the one noted above.
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Thatbloke
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Posted: 17 Mar 2023 at 12:20 |
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Darth - Chester ain't going East! If East need an extra team it's more likely to be one of the Sheffield teams. And yes splitting Nat1 into North & South is on the cards along with the 2 sets of 10 for levels 1 and 2 but that's for 2024/25
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Halliford
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Posted: 17 Mar 2023 at 13:17 |
This has already been discussed by Nat 1 Clubs in a National League Rugby Zoom call. The Clubs accepted the split in principle, subject to the structure enabling 13 meaningful home matches per Club, i.e. League games plus play-offs and no Cup!! It is no more than a discussion point so far.
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tigerburnie
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Posted: 17 Mar 2023 at 13:43 |
We are doing our best to level it up a bit, with a following wind and all that....................................
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Darth Raider
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Posted: 17 Mar 2023 at 14:30 |
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Not a great sample size I concede, but AA route planner shows that Chester are closer to Bristol than Sheffield, though I have not used actual ground location and it is very close in terms of both time and distance. Sheffield are I suppose.....further East.
Sorry Tiger, I forgot Lions......so there could be 5 northern sides in Nat1.....better.
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WEvans
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Posted: 17 Mar 2023 at 14:49 |
Which if the RFU are involved will probably be Scotland.
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Darth Raider
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Posted: 18 Mar 2023 at 19:28 |
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Stunning effort from North Walsham at Dry Leas today.......late to the party but now apparently, arriving in some style. They lead 0-19 and scored 4 tries in the first half hour. They will be gutted that they succombed to an Hawks fightback, conceding three tries in the last 12mins. 2pts away from home may yet help to get them over the line though. I am assuming that this was another example of Matt Hodgson marshalling his troops very well, but perhaps we can get an eyewitness account of that 42-40 Hawks win ? Rochford also seem to have fronted up well against an under strength Dorks team and gained a TBP. That leaves Oaks the overall losers on the day, as they failed to get any points from what seems to have been another very competent performance by Barnes on the road......a big strength of theirs this season. They remain 4pts clear of their fellow protagonists and probably, remain favourites to stay up. While they shipped another 83pts, Westcliff will take some satisfaction from just their second point of the season from their 5 tries at Woolams. Looks like another very efficient performance from Club at BSE and there is now a very strong likelihood that they only need 4pts to clinch the title.....well deserved. |
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tigerburnie
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Posted: 18 Mar 2023 at 21:15 |
Lions might be North to you, but they are definitely in the Middle although you are all Southerners to me in NE Scotland.................
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islander
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Posted: 18 Mar 2023 at 21:29 |
Given they are at Westcliff, I expect Club might be trying to get 5pts to seal the deal there & then...
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Rabbie Burns
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Posted: 18 Mar 2023 at 22:15 |
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Brilliant defensive effort at BSE which won the game and taking points on offer, butchered a couple of scoring chances but came away with the win which was the goal at the outset of the day.
How I see it now at the end of next week we should be on 104 points Barnes need to get a BP win at BSE to prevent it going to the next week when Barnes would need to prevent Club getting 1 BP and also get 5 point’s themselves
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So many Christians not enough Lions
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Darth Raider
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Posted: 18 Mar 2023 at 22:43 |
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while i understand your caution Rabbie......you are over complicating matters. A 5pt win at Westcliff.....utterly nailed on....means that no matter what occurs afterwards, the combination of the number of games won and points difference, means that Barnes cannot catch you.
A little premature, but congratulations
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Wigwam
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Posted: 19 Mar 2023 at 16:54 |
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Alright Darth and co….
Imo Blackheath were nailed on for the title from day one. The only surprise to me is that they have lost a couple along the way.
Please don’t take this the wrong way Blackheath folk but with the present league set up it will be good to wave you goodbye as having one team so dominant and second place being worth bragging rights only isn’t good for Nat 2 East. Hopefully who ever comes down or is level transferred will not be so dominant and allows us all to dream of titles a bit further into the next season than this year did. |
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Pace Power Perfection
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PM009
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Joined: 07 Jan 2019 Location: Kent Status: Offline Points: 70 |
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Posted: 19 Mar 2023 at 18:15 |
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The gap between Nat 1 and 2 will have only increased with diluting the standard of Nat 2 this year. Anyone coming down conditioned to Nat 1 rugby will likely blow their respective Nat 2 league out, as Blackheath have done this year.
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Darth Raider wrote: