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Greene King IPA Championship Round 19 Preview

19th March 2014
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As the Greene King IPA Championship reaches the business end of the season, London Scottish know victory at Moseley on Saturday, (3pm kick-off) is a must if they are to force their way back into the play-off reckoning.

Saturday's Championship double bill sees James Buckland’s team make the trip north to face a Moseley side which is on a six-game winning run at home, their last defeat at Billesley Common coming against London Welsh on November 23.

London Scottish won 25-20 on their last trip to the west Midlands, while Moseley were undone by a Miles Mantella hat-trick in this season's clash at the Athletic Ground, which ended in a 38-17 win for the Exiles.

Elsewhere on Saturday, Rotherham Titans entertain Plymouth Albion.

The Titans have won four games on the bounce against Plymouth, the most recent coming at Brickfields in Round 10 when they won 28-17.

The outcome of that match could have been different had Albion not missed 16 points from the kicking tee.

Not since New Year's Day, 2011 have Plymouth returned home to Devon from Clifton Lane with the spoils.

Victory over fellow title hopefuls Leeds Carnegie at Headingley on Sunday would go a long way towards securing Bristol Rugby top seed status for the end of season play-offs.

The Championship leaders head north on 71 points with a three-point advantage over London Welsh, who won their game in hand against Cornish Pirates, 20-5, at the Mennaye Field on Sunday to move on to 68 points for the season.

Leeds have not been beaten by Bristol at Headingley since they returned to the second tier of English rugby.

They sit third on the Championship ladder with 65 points. Rotherham are four points further back in fourth, with London Scottish fifth on 53 points.

Leeds beat Bristol at home, 21-17, in the pool stages of this season's British & Irish Cup, before going down to the West Country and winning in the league at the Memorial Stadium for the first time in 11 years.

Leeds won last season's corresponding fixture in convincing fashion, the sides sharing 10 tries between them in a 50-31 victory for the Yorkshire outfit.

There will be no shortage of drama elsewhere in Round 19, which gets underway with a bottom-of-the-table clash between Ealing Trailfinders and Jersey at Vallis Way on Friday night.

Despite trailing for an hour when the sides met at St Peter earlier in the season, two tries from wing Phil Chesters and one from former Jersey full-back Andrew Henderson, plus four conversions from Ben Ward, saw Ealing open their account for the season with a 28-18 win.

 

Jersey's hopes of staying in the Championship received a massive boost last Saturday when 15 points from the boot of Aaron Penberthy helped them to a 30-23 win over Plymouth Albion at Brickfields.

That victory – only their fifth of the season – has given them a 12-point cushion at the foot of the table.

Two games to look forward to on Sunday are London Welsh v Bedford Blues and Cornish Pirates v Nottingham Rugby.

Bedford became the first side to beat London Welsh this season when they won a nail-biting game at Goldington Road back in November, 28-26.

Welsh would have snatched a share of the spoils had Alex Davies been able to convert Kevin Davis' try from the touchline with the last kick of the game.

Nottingham's game with Cornish Pirates at Meadow Lane earlier this season finished honours even, a last minute kick from Matthew Jarvis saving the Green & Whites from defeat

 Of the last 11 meetings between the sides Nottingham have won only one.

Round 19 fixtures

Friday March 21

Ealing Trailfinders v Jersey, KO 19:45

Saturday March 22

Moseley v London Scottish, KO 15:00

Rotherham Titans v Plymouth Albion, KO 15:00

Sunday March 23

Cornish Pirates v Nottingham Rugby, KO 15:00

Leeds Carnegie v Bristol Rugby, KO 15:00

London Welsh v Bedford Blues, KO 14:30.

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