The Review: A full-throttle Saturday encapsulates frenetic nature of Round Three
From the first whistle to the last, Round Three seemed to be in overdrive with thrilling contests, late winners, maiden victories and unbeaten starts headlining the weekend. (Photo Credit: Mall Bolter) National One For the second week running, Tonbridge Juddians (3rd) claimed a thrilling one-point victory as they edged out Cambridge (14th) 53-52 in a remarkable contest at The Slade. Cambridge looked to be in control after building a 38-14 lead inside the opening 30 minutes, with Billy Walker, Ruaridh Dawson (2), Tom Petty, Ethan Thorne and Elias Caven all crossing. But TJs refused to go away. Tries from Alfie Scopes and Will Holling before half-time reduced the deficit to 12 points, before the hosts came flying out of the blocks after the restart. Tom Mannix and Matt Engelbrecht crossed to level the scores. Connor Lloyd and Caven exchanged tries before the game entered its final 10 minutes locked at 45-45. There was still time for an absorbing finish. Jack Walsh’s try and a Lloyd penalty, after Jasper Sorrell was shown a yellow card, put TJs 53-45 ahead. Cambridge fly-half Luke Bouchier then missed a penalty in front of the posts, but the Blood and Sand were not finished. Thorne
The Preview: Pace-setters eye more momentum while others look to jump-start their campaigns
National League Rugby rolls into Round Three and, while it is still early days, the first signs of how the season may unfold are beginning to emerge. (Photo Credit: Gareth Lyons) National One Sale FC (1st), Plymouth Albion (2nd) and Tonbridge Juddians (3rd) lead the way after two rounds, and there is also plenty of intrigue beneath the early pace-setters. Plymouth return to Brickfields on Saturday after two impressive away victories, with Ryan Lamb’s side aiming to maintain their workmanlike start against newly promoted Sheffield (5th). Albion followed up their opening day success with a deserved 32-21 win at Camborne last weekend, in front of more than 2,600 at the Recreation Ground. Harry Wilkinson once again starred, the hooker scoring twice to take his tally to five tries for the season. The 24-year-old is expected to make his 100th appearance for Plymouth this weekend, adding a significant milestone to a promising start to the campaign. Sheffield arrive in Devon with plenty of encouragement of their own. Anthony Posa’s troops have taken six points from their opening two matches and claimed their first-ever National One victory last weekend, beating Leeds Tykes 19-12. That result will have given the newly promoted side
The Review: Quality of National League Rugby shines through (again) thanks to eye-catching results
Historic victories, healthy attendances and absorbing contests underlined the excitement of National League Rugby in Round Two. (Photo Credit: Andrew McCumiskey) National One A second-half blitz from Bury St Edmunds (6th) secured their maiden National One win as they beat local rivals Cambridge (13th) 38-31 at Ellgia Fields. Tries from Ben Alexander, Jacob McCay and Ted Warner helped Cambridge into a 19-14 lead, before Ben Penfold’s penalty cut the deficit to two points. Alexander’s second score on the stroke of half-time gave Cambridge a cushion. However, the Blood and Sand were left shell-shocked as Bury scored three tries in nine second-half minutes. Euan Rees, Ruaraidh Williams and Tim Andrew all crossed as James Shanahan’s side moved 38-26 ahead with 13 minutes remaining. Ethan Thorne got one back for Cambridge, but Bury held on for a historic victory. History was also made at Abbeydale Park as Sheffield (5th) claimed their first-ever National One success, beating old foes Leeds Tykes (14th) 19-12. Cuchulain Livingstone and Will Archer put Sheffield ahead at the break before Chris Hooper made it two tries in two games. Jack Hamilton’s late effort secured Leeds a losing bonus point. London Scottish (4th) suffered defeat in their first home
The Preview: ‘Derby Weekend’ and local clashes take centre stage in Round Two
With National One and National Two once again representing the highest levels of English domestic rugby available to fans this weekend, expect healthy attendances and high-quality action up and down the land. (Photo Credit: Ian Clark) National One Round Two in National League Rugby is littered with local rivalries, but few in National One immediately catch the eye quite like Plymouth Albion’s visit to Camborne. Devon against Cornwall brings the obvious county bragging rights, although in rugby terms the River Tamar is far from the only thing that has separated these two clubs over the past decade. When Plymouth were last competing in the Champ – a level they are keen to return to – Camborne were finishing sixth in what is now known as Regional 2 South West, the sixth tier of the English game. Eleven years on, and after journeys marked by highs and difficult lows, the clubs meet at the Recreation Ground with winning starts behind them. Albion’s 61-17 victory at Rosslyn Park was arguably the result of the opening weekend. Ryan Lamb’s side crossed for nine tries against one of the teams tipped to challenge near the top of the division, with their strength and physicality
The Review: National League Rugby returns with comebacks, late drama and statement wins
National League Rugby is back with a bang as high-scoring thrillers, dramatic finishes and absorbing action set the tone for an exciting season ahead. (Photo Credit: Daniel Kerr) National One Camborne made a winning start to life in National One as they edged out Leeds Tykes 38-36 after a pulsating contest in Yorkshire. The Tykes looked in control at half-time after tries from debutant George Worthington (2), Ewan Laughton (2) and Charlie Venables had put them 29-14 ahead. But Camborne hit back after the interval, with converted tries from Josh Matavesi, Jamie Prisk and Alex Ducker turning the game around and putting the visitors 35-29 in front. Connor Walker restored Leeds’ lead 10 minutes from time, but Rory O’Kane’s late penalty ultimately settled an enthralling contest and handed Camborne a historic victory. The Cherry and Whites’ next opponents, Plymouth Albion, made a statement on opening weekend as Ryan Lamb’s side stormed to a 61-17 victory away at Rosslyn Park. Hooker Harry Wilkinson scored a hat-trick, Ben Moa added two and Archie Hill, Noah Fenton, Sam Daly and Oscar Stewart also crossed in a relentless performance. Fly-half Iwan Jenkins kicked eight of his nine conversions. Park also had Ali Wade sent
The Previews: National One
After a thrilling 2025/26 National One campaign – which caught the attention of the national media – we’re strapping ourselves in for another breathless season of third-tier action. (Photo Credit: Plymouth Albion) With Rotherham Titans and Blackheath waving goodbye to the third tier last season as champions and play-off winners respectively, National One welcomes two sides from Champ Rugby – and both arrive with plenty to offer. After promotion in 2023, Cambridge begin life back at this level against the side they beat to secure the National One title three years ago. On a sun-kissed April afternoon at Ellgia Fields, the Blood and Sand beat Birmingham Moseley 59-10 to bring an absorbing title race to its conclusion. Much has changed for both clubs since then. Cambridge, now under Craig Newby, found life tough in the second tier, particularly last season when they failed to win any of their 26 league games. Now, though, a new-look side are excited by a fresh challenge, while Moseley – led by Ollie Thomas – are also at the beginning of what feels like a new era. View this post on Instagram A post shared by National League Rugby (@nationalleaguerugby) Long-serving Director of