POOL B
Doncaster Knights v Exeter Chiefs
The 3pm Kick off at Castle Park on Saturday has Exeter Chiefs visiting the home of the Knights, topping the table but only on points difference.
So far every home team has managed a win at home in the two previous rounds but perennial promotion candidates Exeter Chiefs will prove the sternest test of that record this weekend.
The Chiefs finished second only to Bristol Rugby in stage 1 of the RFU Championship, scoring a massive 699 points over the 22 games. This was a full 69 points more than the table topping Bristol managed in the competition.
"In all seriousness, the game plan is to go out and score more than they do" a buoyant Brett Davey was quoted as saying during training, "sometimes a game can boil down to as simple a plan as that".
Doncaster's prized defensive record, which aided them in their stunning win over Nottingham Rugby, will be tested by the attacking prowess of the Devon side. Disconcertingly for the Knights Exeter have a meaner defence, conceding 28 points less than the South Yorkshire side leaked during what was defence wise a successful campaign
Lynn Howells on the run up to the game also gave a heartfelt opinion, "Saturday will require one of those performances that true players can pull of the bag when it matters" The Welsh Director of Rugby continued "with the challenge of the playoffs, every single game you come across is one of those games".
With few new injury problems the majority of the side which faced Nottingham will be available, on a high after a game many said was one of the best performances at Castle Park this season. The crowd reaction to the performance drove the Knights on to an eventual win, and the players will look to the stands for more of the same support this weekend.
London Welsh v Nottingham
Tom Youngs insists Nottingham Rugby must rid themselves of their 'Jekyll and Hyde' tag if they are going to have a fighting chance of winning a place in the Guinness Premiership
The dynamic hooker believes Saturday's trip to London Welsh is the perfect opportunity to discover some much-needed consistency.
Although their form at Meadow Lane has been excellent, the Green and Whites have managed just one victory in their last nine away games and Youngs, who is dual-registered with Leicester Tigers, knows that has to change if their mission is to be accomplished
He said: "Both our League fixtures against London Welsh were close games and it more or less fits with the rest of our season that we beat them 23-16 at home but then lost at their place.
For some reason we've really struggled on the road and it's a bit of a mystery why that should be. How can we go from such a phenomenal performance against Exeter to losing at Doncaster a week later?
"It's really difficult to explain but the bottom line is that unless we find an answer, this Jekyll and Hyde form is going to severely damage our chances of making the play-off semi-finals."
Youngs, 23, has been an outstanding success for Nottingham since he converted from centre to hooker and he has so far notched nine tries this season
Two of those tries came in the home win over London Welsh - and Nottingham are desperate for more of the same at Old Deer Park on Saturday
"It really is a vital game," added Youngs. "None of us needs reminding of that and we have to go there and play to the same standards that we do on a regular basis at home.
We are hurting after the performance at Doncaster and we must turn that into a positive tonic against London Welsh."
London Welsh have announced that their fixture against Exeter Chiefs on April 17th will now be played at Esher RFC. Both Old Deer Park and Sunbury, the home of London Irish Amateurs where the game had been scheduled to take place, are now unavailable.
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Championship Index 09/10
