Cornish Pirates

High Tackle`s Take On The Runners And Riders For The Play-Offs.

So far my pre-season predictions are looking pretty well on the mark. The only blip being that I tipped Plymouth Albion for the relegation battle with Coventry staying in the top eight.

But back in mid-August nobody really knew that Coventry would run out of cash before Christmas (or did they?) and Albion left it until last Saturday to make sure that they made the top eight.

My prediction for promotion to the Premiership is still Bristol. My favourite for relegation has always been Birmingham & Solihull – it really is time to end their misery now. But there is plenty of room for surprises between now and the end of May.

POOL A

Cornish Pirates
I’ve said all along that they could make it to the semi-finals with a bit of luck and I stand by that.

Chris Stirling’s young squad are progressing nicely and there is a very real prospect of silverware in the cup. A win against Bristol is due and now that they have thrown off the shackles against Plymouth Albion they should be able to cope with two further meetings against their great Devon rivals.

The key to their success here will be the double-header against Bedford and the trip to Goldington Road on April 10 th.

Bedford Blues
Mike Rayer has done a good job at Goldington Road assembling a team who like to play open and attacking rugby. Bedford as a club is run well and they have a loyal fan base but publicly at least they are happy to stay in Level 2.

They finished the regular season in fourth place and will fancy their chances as the pitches begin to harden up. Full-back James Pritchard is solid with the boot whilst wings Ian Davey and Luke Fielden will always score tries. There are no star names up front but flankers Paul Tupai and Sacha Harding enjoy getting in the faces of opponents.

Where the Blues have a problem is that their pack struggles against bigger more physical opposition. Their set piece can be vulnerable to attack and once that goes they are beatable.

Their double header with the Pirates will decide if they progress.

Bristol Rugby
Have progressed steadily this season without any of the fuss or flourish evident further down the M5 at Sandy Park.

Coach Paul Hull has kept his counsel throughout the campaign and refused to start playing mind games with opponents thus far. Technically they are the best team in this league and capable of scoring tries from anywhere on the field but is this squad good enough to survive a season back in the Premiership without full scale investment from the board? No.

After a surprising defeat at Moseley in their final regular season game there is real pressure on the West Country side to start with a flourish against the Pirates. They should be fine home and away against Plymouth Albion and will beat Bedford at home too. The trip to Goldington Road could be a tight affair and they will not want to come to Cornwall on May 1 st needing to win their last match to progress.

That said I reckon they will make the final.

Plymouth Albion
Did superbly well to make it to the promotion play-offs winning a tense final day set-to at Castle Park against the Knights.

Will be a real nuisance on home soil for everyone in this group but their favoured tactics are well known and the loss of young full-back Mark Lee to injury will be a blow.

Albion are the complete opposite of everyone else in Pool A in terms of style and will struggle to hold the other three if they in turn hit their straps early-on. But if anyone fancies playing Albion at their own game they are liable to come unstuck.

I expect them to fancy their chances against Bedford` pack but can’t see them winning more than two Pool games at best. The season for Plymouth will end here.

POOL B

Exeter Chiefs
The apparent favourites to win the group of death but if they are to do so then the Chiefs will have to play their best rugby of the season and show more tactical invention.

They have a big physical set of forwards and a reliable fly-half in Gareth Steenson but the backs can be a bit hit and miss against better opposition. In Nottingham, London Welsh and Doncaster they will meet sides who will relish the combat up front and if they can unsettle Exeter will all be more than capable of beating them.

The Chiefs love to bully opponents and beat them up at the set piece and at the breakdown but like Martin Johnson’s England they don`t have a Plan B. This group is not about when Exeter qualify but rather if Exeter qualify.

It all starts at Meadow Lane on Sunday and the Chiefs are once again destined to be the bridesmaids.

London Welsh
Fancy a wager on a surprise finalist? There would be a real bitter irony in the team who has survived administration after recruiting a big squad and then frequently claimed not to have a pot to pee into in financial terms going all the way. But why not?

The Welsh have some talented play-makers in Gordon Ross and Aled Thomas whilst Errie Claasens has the pace to scare any defence out on the wing. There are some big lumps in the pack too although Number 8 Tom Brown may have seen his final season at Old Deer Park curtailed by injury against the Pirates last week.

The relocation issue to London Irish’s training facility at Sunbury-on-Thames may be slightly unsettling for the Exiles but their head coach Danny Wilson deserves credit for coping with all the off-field politics thus far.

They will make it to the semi-finals and could go all the way.

Nottingham
The spiritual home of the dual-regger. That said they are another tough outfit who play just the type of rugby which could nullify the strengths of Exeter Chiefs.

The loss of Molenaar and Taylor to Premiership side Gloucester left big boots to fill in the backs but Glen Delaney has kept his squad focused and with the pack under the leadership of Craig Hammond they will cause problems for anyone.

With the 6 Nations ending this weekend there will be several dual registered players at Leicester Tigers looking for game time as squad places at their parent club dry up. Mr Delaney could have quite a selection of talent to choose from as the Pool progresses.

Doncaster Knights
Will win no prizes for attacking and enterprising rugby this season but Lynn Howells and Brett Davey do deserve credit for dragging their squad back from an embarrassingly bad start to the campaign.

Six straight defeats left the Knights very much at the wrong end of the table and just when it seemed as if they had established some momentum, including a 26-22 win at home to Bristol, winter set in allowing them to play only two games in seven weeks.

Nine matches in twenty seven days followed as they desperately played catch-up losing only once, the return fixture against Bristol. But a poor performance last time out in going down at home to Plymouth Albion was perhaps the first sign of fatigue setting in.

Are still alive in the British & Irish Cup but their league season will end on May 1 st

POOL C

Rotherham Titans
Their ugly brutish pack will see them through what promises to be a very unpleasant scrap at the bottom for survival.

When they have built up a head of steam the Titans have proved a tough contest for everyone in the league but away from home have been badly inconsistent.

I can see them struggling at Moseley but other than that tip them to win the rest.

Moseley
Another haven for those who cannot get game time at Premiership clubs. This time the links are with Gloucester and it will be interesting to see who makes the move from Kingsholm to keep Mose safe in the Championship.

The deadly boot of fly-half Tristan Roberts claimed the scalp of Bristol last weekend and anyone playing against the Midlanders will need to keep their heads and not concede kickable penalties.

The problem for Moseley is that like the Titans their form has been patchy and the ability to turn in an 80 minute performance on a regular basis has been a serious concern. They are where they are for good reason but they will live to fight another day.

Coventry
It’s all about finishing anywhere other than last for the team from the Butts Park Arena. Their off-field financial woes are far from over but they need to improve on the fact that they have only won five league games this season and fast.

Phil Maynard began the campaign in bullish mood but his vitriol has faded fast as his team have succumbed to the lack of money at the club and the ever-changing squad. The injury sustained by skipper Aaron Carpenter is now another major concern.

Should beat Bees home and away but the re-match with Moseley at the Butts Park Arena could prove a tasty affair if collapsing scrums and penalty tries take over again. What chance of Luke Pearce being sent back to officiate I wonder?

Birmingham & Solihull
They have never been a Championship side and it is time to put them out of their misery once and for all.

Unless Russell Earnshaw is the next Harry Potter they will lose their next six matches and disappear below the waves. Earnshaw said at the start of the year that his side were going to use their final league fixtures as a pre-season for the play-offs but there has been no obvious sign that things are improving. The lack of money and absence of half decent crowds at Sharmans Cross Road is endemic of a team out of its depth.

Esher, it would seem, are just a few weeks from taking their place.

The views expressed by High Tackle are his own.