Coventry 25 Moseley 28

Friday evening`s match at the Butts Park Arena ended in angry scenes on and off the pitch as Coventry conceded a penalty try deep into stoppage time to lose their fourth successive game.

Leading 25-21 with over a minute of stoppage time played Coventry scrum-half Greg Goodfellow booted the ball into touch believing that the game was over. However Referee Luke Pearce allowed the contest to continue for another seven minutes at which point Coventry`s front row collapsed a scrum 5 metres from their own line.

Mr Pearce had no hesitation in awarding a third penalty try on the night against the home side and as Rob Thirlby converted to cap Moseley`s dramatic comeback tempers flared.

Coventry boss Phil Maynard said of the Referee afterwards,

“Who appointed him and what experience has he got reffing at this level?”

“The issue we have here is this young ref and the RFU saying these games are not as important as they used to be. Tell that to 3,000 paying customers.

If the young gentleman who refereed had been in our changing room before the match. he would have heard Tony Gulliver and Dave Addleton talking about how far this fixture goes back and what it means to the city and people of Coventry.”

Full story.. www.birminghampost.net

Match report.. www.birminghammail.net

Bees 0 Titans 29

The Bees capitulated on the field against an uninspiring Titans side in a manner which suggests that the death knell has already sounded for the Birmingham club.

With several unpaid players having left the club ahead of the match player-coach Russell Earnshaw was forced to field a largely unfamiliar side and they gave the Titans a game, trailing only 10-0 until the final quarter.

The Yorkshiremen then added three tries including two in the final minute to return to Clifton Lane with maximum points.

Brian Dick commented in the Birmingham Post, “ For 80-plus minutes, it was like watching a cat play with a dead mouse. The torturer had mere passing interest in its inanimate prey and virtually no knowledge of how to dissect it.

I have seen Rotherham twice this season. They have won here and lost at Coventry and if a conclusion can be drawn from either game, it is that the Titans are slightly less than nothing special.”

Full story.. www.birminghampost.net

The Sheffield Star reports that the Titans are now locked in a dispute with Nottingham over the date and time of their next match.

The fixture had been scheduled for Sunday October 11th at Meadow Lane but Nottingham`s landlords, Notts County FC, have switched their home game to that date due to TV scheduling commitments.

With permission denied to play the Titans on Saturday Nottingham had re-scheduled the match to this Friday (9th) with an evening kick-off. The Titans management have rejected this proposal.

Full story.. www.thestar.co.uk/rugbyunion

Doncaster Knights 7 Nottingham 23

The Knights remain firmly in the basement of the Championship after their fifth straight defeat and third reverse at home.

Matters were compounded for the Yorkshire side as both flanker Adam Kettle and wing Chris Briers were red carded late in the game. Kettle received his marching orders for fighting whilst Briers` dismissal was due to a second yellow card.

In difficult conditions Nottingham held a fragile 6-0 lead until just before the hour mark when scrum-half Tim Usasz scored their first try of the afternoon. Two further tries from Ben Johnston and Luke Sheriff then followed in the next ten minutes as the visitors built an unassailable 23-point advantage.

Knights scrum-half Chris Hallam scored a late consolation try for the home side converted by Warnock.

Full report.. www.thestar.co.uk

Nottingham website viewpoint.. www.nottinghamrugby.co.uk

The Knights were forced to register former Cornish Pirates coach and now Number 2 at Castle Park Brett Davey as their injury crisis worsened ahead of the game.

Another former Pirate Nicky Griffiths has been ruled out for six months with a shoulder injury but Head Coach Lyn Howells is refusing to be downbeat. Instead he is targeting their next match at home to Coventry as a chance to reverse their fortunes.

Howells told The Star,

“We could do with an easier side just to get the roll going again. We need a result and Coventry, who we play host to on Saturday, are one of the sides that we have an opportunity to beat.”

He continued,

"We are finding that when you aren't playing well that the decisions often go against you as well. We played the whole of the second half with 14 men after having had back-rower Adam Kettle sent off and we must have played 30 minutes of the game with only 13 men due to other players being sin-binned.

"We also had winger Chris Briers sent off late on, which was a disgusting decision and I will be appealing against it."

Full story.. www.thestar.co.uk/rugbyunion

Plymouth Albion v Cornish Pirates

The official preview for this match can be found here……

Graham Dawe`s Plymouth Albion side go in search of only their second win of the season when they face the Pirates at Brickfields tomorrow following three successive defeats. Following an opening day success at home to the Bees Albion have gone down to Rotherham, Bedford and Exeter Chiefs.

However their much improved performance in defeat to the Chiefs last weekend has left the squad in good heart and Dawe relishing the chance to inflict more misery on the Cornish side.

He told The Herald, “Our level of commitment and physicality last week against Exeter was a big step-up from the week before.

"We played with a reasonable tempo – I just hope we can continue that this weekend. But, it takes two to tango, and you need the opposition and the referee singing from the same hymn sheet.

Full story.. www.thisisplymouth.co.uk

Albion will go into the match without vice-captain and leading try scorer Geoff Griffiths. The 23 year-old wing broke a bone in his left foot for the third time in a year during the match against Exeter and faces being out of action until early in the new year.

He said, "I just got my foot trapped between two players and it was real rotten luck that the bone has broken again – there was nothing I could do.

"I am set to have another operation on Tuesday and from there, it will be another three months until I am likely to be back playing again. I already have a screw in my toe, but that has to be taken out and replaced with a bigger and longer one.

"There is a possibility that I may have to have another bone graft as well.”

Full story.. www.thisisplymouth.co.uk

This Match Can Be Viewed Live on Pirates TV

Bristol v Exeter Chiefs

With two unbeaten records going on the line at the Memorial Stadium on Sunday Bristol have been rocked by the news that former Cornish Pirates Number 8 Bertrand Bedes could miss the rest of the season through injury.

The Frenchman lasted just 11 minutes of his debut for his new club before being helped from the field with a knee injury. I has now been revealed that Bedes has ruptured an anterior cruciate ligament and faces up to nine months on the sidelines.

Head Coach Paul Hull told the Evening Post, "We're all rallying round him, but the first couple of the weeks are always the easiest because everyone is heightened to the fact he's injured.

"We've got to make sure we carry that on throughout this term of rehabilitation. It's just a matter of making sure he gets back as quickly as possible – and we have to do everything possible to help him do that."

Full story.. www.thisisbristol.co.uk

Bristol skipper Jason Spice has admitted that his team are in for another tough afternoon when the Chiefs come to town.

He said,“"How we perform against Exeter is the biggest concern for us at the moment. We fully realise that they will be a tough side – and if we play like we did at the weekend, we might have a tough day. But, as I say, we are fully aware of that."

Full story..www.thisisbristol.co.uk/bristolrugby

Meanwhile down the M5 at Sandy Park Chiefs head coach Rob Baxter has spoken of his confidence that his team can win promotion to the Premiership this season.

He told the Express & Echo, "At the moment I think we've got that (belief), we believe we can be in the shake-up and if we can stay injury free and stay focused the play-offs will be a nice challenge for us.

"Traditionally the team that comes down doesn't get beaten very often so if we beat Bristol a month into the season it would be great, not only for us but for the Championship as well.

"It's going to be a big challenge, Bristol aren't going to let us go up there and walk all over them."

Full story.. www.thisisexeter.co.uk

In March 2005 Exeter Chiefs were thrashed 68-15 at Bristol and Number 8 Rich Baxter has recalled the painful memories of that day.

He said, "We didn't go up there and play well or have the right game plan and Bristol took full advantage. We weren't as prepared as we should have been and they'd prepared very well and it showed.”

Full story.. www.thisisexeter.co.uk

London Welsh v Bedford Blues

After narrowly losing their unbeaten record at home to Bristol last weekend the Blues travel to the capital to face a London Welsh side which came from behind to win at Clifton Lane last Saturday.

However despite a solid second half defensive display the Welsh often looked out of sorts in attack and the Blues who have not conceded a try in 359 minutes of rugby will provide a very stern test.

Welsh head coach Danny Wilson told Rugby Times, “I think when everything clicks we will be a very difficult side to play against.”