Round 15 Review: Weather disrupts opening weekend of 2026 but teams still deliver warnings
Despite snow and ice sweeping the country, Round 15 still served up many eye-catching storylines as clubs signalled their intent for the second half of the season. (Photo Credit: @windandsurf_images)
National One
Plymouth Albion (1st) beat Bishop’s Stortford (8th) 39-17 to go top of National One in front of a crowd of 2,416 at Brickfields.
With Rotherham Titans’ fixture against Clifton falling foul of the weather, title rivals Albion were able to move to the summit with this result.
A brace from Jenson Boughton, alongside tries from Bobby Wigginton and Ben Moa, gave the hosts a comfortable 31-5 half-time lead.
Tom Hitchcock had gone over for Stortford, but Wigginton’s second kept Ryan Lamb’s side firmly in control.
Oliver Jones and Tristan Smith scored tries number two and three for Stortford, but two late penalties from Iwan Jenkins sealed a sixth straight win for Plymouth.
With Rotherham not in action, Blackheath (2nd) also took advantage as they moved up to second in the standings following a 52-19 win over bottom club Leicester Lions (14th).
Tom Stradwick’s men dominated proceedings, with the league’s top try scorer, Billy Harding, claiming his fifth hat-trick of the season.
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‘Club’ are now two points behind Plymouth, while Sale FC (4th) remain firmly in the title conversation after a gritty 18-12 win away at Rams (7th).
Full-back Mark Dixon celebrated his 100th appearance for ‘The Dogs’ with a try, while the boot of Joe Green and an Evan Mintern score helped Sale to this hard-fought victory in Berkshire. The result leaves them six points off the top.
Rams flanker Mikey Duda did cross 12 minutes from time to make things tense at Old Bath Road, but the hosts were unable to create another clear-cut opportunity.
Elsewhere, Tonbridge Juddians (6th) secured back-to-back wins for the first time this season as they edged past Dings Crusaders (11th) 36-31.
Both sides scored five tries apiece, but Sam Evans’ four conversions and a penalty proved to be the difference.
Despite the defeat, Victor Worsnip’s stunning try five minutes from the end saw Dings leave TJs with two bonus points, lifting them out of the bottom three.
Elsewhere, Rosslyn Park’s (5th) trip to Birmingham Moseley (10th) and Sedgley Park (9th) versus Leeds Tykes (13th) were postponed.
National Two North
With six of the seven National Two North fixtures called off due to the weather, the only match to go ahead was Hull’s (12th) trip to Preston Grasshoppers (8th).
And it proved to be a significant afternoon for the visitors, who boosted their survival bid with a 24-21 victory in Lancashire.
Sam Freeman and Tom Ailes gave Preston the perfect start with two tries in the opening 10 minutes, and things looked to worsen for Hull when replacement hooker Jack Bergmanas was yellow-carded.
However, a double either side of half-time from Player of the Match Alec Renouf brought Hull level before Reece Dean nudged them ahead from the tee.
Rory Brand then powered over to put Preston back in front, but seven minutes from time, Harry Gunn-Mclean came up with the decisive try for Hull, which Dean converted.
Hoppers thought they had snatched victory at the death, but their potential winning try was adjudged to have been held up.
After being nilled in consecutive games just before Christmas, this result leaves Hull four points clear of the drop zone, although 13th-placed Scunthorpe now have two games in hand.
National Two East
Havant (11th) moved seven points clear of the relegation zone after a key 32-21 victory over Esher (9th) at Hooks Lane.
Both sides scored early through Owen Waters and Jack Colbourne, and despite conceding a penalty try and seeing Jeremy Smith yellow-carded, Havant held a 26-14 advantage at the interval.
Sam Vince, Tom Gwyther and Colbourne all crossed, with the hosts then extending their lead with two Joel Knight penalties, the second coming in the 76th minute.
Esher had the final say when Pierre Thompson scored, but it was merely a consolation as Havant secured back-to-back wins for the first time since September.
Havant have also leapfrogged Sevenoaks (12th) in the table after Adam Bowman’s side fell to a 20-12 defeat in the Kent derby away at Westcombe Park (7th).
Tries in either half from Kyan Braithwaite and Mikel Davies helped ‘Combe’ to their first home win since early November, while fly-half Max Brown also kicked 10 points.
Henley Hawks (13th), who remain in the bottom two, are now three points behind Sevenoaks after a battling 28-21 loss at fourth-placed Canterbury.
Despite two yellow cards either side of half-time, Henley recovered from 21-7 down to trail by just seven points heading into the final 10 minutes.
However, their late pressure came to nothing as Canterbury held on for a sixth consecutive victory.
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At the top, Old Albanian (1st) remain two points clear after a hard-fought 42-35 away win against Guernsey Raiders (8th).
The contest was in the balance until the final seven minutes, when Elliot Munnelly’s try put OAs 42-28 ahead.
The Raiders, who refused to let the league leaders fully pull away, deservedly claimed a second bonus point when No.8 Matthew Creber capitalised on two late OAs yellow cards for a converted score.
Meanwhile, Oundle (2nd) made it seven games unbeaten as they powered past London Welsh (10th) 52-24, despite having Shay Kerry sent off after 32 minutes.
By that stage, Oundle had already built a 21-0 lead through Rian Hamilton, Jac Arthur and James Fear, and that fast start never truly eroded.
Even with a player less, the visitors added four second-half tries, while scores from Adam Dunne (2) and Fraser Wem secured the customary bonus point for Welsh.
Bury St Edmunds (3rd) also racked up the tries as they comfortably dispatched bottom club Oxford Harlequins 74-12 to keep pace with the top two.
Tim Andrew, Matthew Hicks, Ruaraidh Williams and Andrew Denham all scored twice for the Wolfpack, who have now lost just one of their last nine matches.
And Barnes (6th) completed a league double over Dorking (5th) with a 23-18 victory in the capital.
Once again, this was another tight affair between the sides, but the contest swung on 67 minutes when Dorking’s Nick Barry was sent off for a second yellow-card offence.
Barnes then took advantage of the extra man, with Giles Bromley-Martin’s try proving decisive.
National Two West
Exeter University (12th) began 2026 by halting a four-match losing run with an important 54-12 win over Cinderford (6th).
Emerging talent Noah Fenton scored four tries, while Exeter Chiefs youngster Nic Allison, along with Tom Gulley and skipper James Boylan, also crossed.
Boss Gareth Elliott strengthened his side with several BUCS Super Rugby regulars, including Fenton, and the move paid dividends as the Green and Whites claimed a vital result in their fight against the drop.
The students were 35-0 up at half-time, with Fenton adding his fourth try after the break alongside Boylan’s brace.
Jake Polledri and Joshua Horrobin scored for Cinderford, but the home side proved too hot to handle.
Exeter have now moved five points clear of old foes Loughborough Students (13th), who remain in the relegation places following a heavy 74-38 defeat at leaders Camborne (1st).
The African Violet endured a nightmare start as lock Jack Murphy was sent off inside the first minute, yet they trailed just 17-10 after 25 minutes.
However, the table-toppers then ran riot, adding nine tries to earlier scores from Kyle Moyle (2) and Jago Sheppard.
Harry Larkins, Will Hennessy, Sam Matavesi, Jordan Nicholls and Sheppard all crossed, while hooker Ben Priddey – celebrating his 150th appearance for ‘Town’ – scored four tries.
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Second-placed Luctonians remain seven points behind Camborne after three tries in the final quarter secured a 40-29 win over a stubborn Old Redcliffians (11th).
Old Reds led 22-19 at Scotland Lane, but scores from half-back pairing Bryn Goodall, who completed his hat-trick, and Jonty Monk saw Lucs pull clear.
Third-placed Barnstaple lost ground on Luctonians as they became the latest side to fall away at Hornets (4th).
The hosts made it eight straight wins at The Nest, with a late Jack Gapper penalty and Connor Vickery try sealing a 41-24 success after a tightly contested encounter.
Lymm (7th) climbed back into the top half of the table as two tries in the final eight minutes completed an excellent 36-31 comeback win over Redruth (10th).
The Reds had built a 31-17 lead through scores from Tom Cowan-Dickie, Angus Mawson, Jack Counter, Luke Barnes and Connor Triggs but after missing two penalties and two conversions, it kept the door ajar for a Lymm revival.
Rob Makin touched down just before the hour, before late tries from Oli Higginson and Cormac Nolan turned the game on its head.
Chester (8th) extended their unbeaten run to four matches with a 26-21 victory over bottom side Syston (14th) at Barkby Road.
Tries from Morgan Bagshaw, Jonathan Hanson and Oliver Powell in the first 40 laid the foundations, with Ben Ivory’s effort just after the break effectively sealing the result despite Syston scoring twice to record a losing bonus.
Elsewhere, Hinckley (5th) versus Taunton (9th) was postponed.
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