Warriors hope to carry on run against Aztecs - Week 7 Senior Preview

Another heavyweight Premiership South matchup leads us off this week but there are some great and important matchups throughout the leagues over the next couple of days.

London Warriors (5-0)  vs  Bristol Aztecs (3-0)  Premiership South

This matchup which is a previously postponed fixture is between the only unbeaten sides in the Premiership. The Warriors with their 5-0 record have had the trickier run to that record with last week’s mastery at Finsbury Park fresh in the mind. The Aztecs were strong in the second half of last season and have so far made light work of Ipswich in this campaign. A result is possible for Bristol but it is going to be tough to beat a team riding such a high.

 

Doncaster Mustangs (1-1)  vs  Yorkshire Rams (0-1-2)  Premiership North

Doncaster got their season going properly last weekend with their big win over Leicester. The result puts them in good stead against Yorkshire who sit with the same record as the Falcons. Yorkshire have not made life easy for their opponents so far though. Their loss against Tamworth was predictable but was kept to a small margin that bodes well for this fixture. Should be a very interesting game.

 

Coventry Jets (2-2)  vs  Nottingham Caesars (4-1)  Division 1 North

Coventry could conceivably be sitting 4-0 at this moment. Their first loss came against Nottingham on opening weekend and finished a close 27-20. Their second loss came early in May against Lancashire. In that game Coventry seemed to struggle to maintain composure when the early going did not go their way. Nottingham meanwhile looked fantastic in their opening fixtures until they lost last weekend to West Coast the upstart promotees. With Coventry at home and two genuinely even teams this game should be great to watch.

 

Sussex Thunder (2-0)  vs  East Kent Mavericks (2-1)  Division 1 Central & South

Last year Sussex manhandled East Kent in both fixtures putting up more than 40 points in each outing. This year Sussex again look a strong team but East Kent have started well also. This fixture will show if East Kent have closed the performance gap to the team that look to be favourites in the region this season.

 

South Wales Warriors (1-1)  vs  Kent Exiles (1-3)  Division 1 Central & South

The Kent Exiles travel west this weekend to take on the team that knocked them out of the playoffs last year. In that game the Warriors running attack tore through the Exiles as it did the Trojans in the Britbowl final. If Kent can keep that attack at bay they could stand a chance but South Wales are favourites going in.

 

Lancashire Wolverines (2-1)  vs  Shropshire Revolution (1-2)  Division 1 North

Lancashire have done well so far, their wins over Coventry and Gateshead were both by 13 points and their loss to Nottingham was by a solitary point. The Wolverines can get a good result this year from this region. Shropshire meanwhile got victory against Merseyside last week. It is hard to know exactly where they stack competitively and more answers should be provided by this game.

 

West Coast Trojans (1-1)  vs  Gateshead Senators (2-1)  Division 1 North

West Coast showed last weekend that it would be unwise to discount them this season. Their win over Nottingham in Nottingham was superb and will have the rest of the region worried. This weekend is the first of two fixtures against Gateshead who themselves have started well. Their wins came against Shropshire and Merseyside who are both sides able to put up a fight. Gateshead have a habit of keeping games close and low scoring so this should be a good one.

 

Hampshire Thrashers (1-3)  vs  Essex Spartans (1-2)  Division 1 Central & South

This is one of those fixtures between two teams who have not gotten off to the start they would have hoped to. Essex new to the Division have posted a loss against one of the region’s biggest teams and also against their old rivals but they did manage to get a big win against Hampshire two weeks ago. If they can repeat that result away from home it would be fantastic. Hampshire have, however, had a decent home run so far. They pulled off their one victory against the Exiles there and their loss to the Renegades on home turf was by a small margin. They will want revenge for the first fixture.

 

Edinburgh Wolves (4-0)  vs  Dundee Hurricanes (4-0)  Division 2 North

Two sides here with 4-0 records and genuine ability to win the region. Edinburgh have had the toughest run to that record after both sides picked up results from the Wildcats drop out and from games against Carlisle. Edinburgh's win against Glasgow is the difference here. That does not make them necessarily the better side though. Last year Dundee finished second in the division to the Trojans while Edinburgh dropped both their fixtures against Dundee on their way to 5-5. Have Edinburgh made up that ground over the winter?

 

Milton Keynes Pathfinders (2-2)  vs  Watford Cheetahs (2-1)  Division 2 East

Milton Keynes' season got off to a very positive start against Colchester and Maidstone then two games against Peterborough knocked their record back down. They have now been swallowed up by a chasing pack that includes Watford. This region seems to be set with Peterborough at its head but behind that we are left guessing with Watford, Bedfordshire, Colchester and MK all sitting with two wins. The Cheetahs started similarly well with their own wins against Maidstone and Colchester, then surprisingly fell against Bedfordshire. The playoffs are some way off yet but this is one of those games that both sides need.

 

Cornish Sharks (2-1)  vs  Bournemouth Bobcats (2-0-1)  Division 2 West

These two met on the 21st April in a low scoring 6-2 game that went the Bobcats' way. Now the match is in Cornwall will there be a different result? Both sides have had strong starts to the season with one loss and a tie the worst results for either. With a loss on the board the Sharks need this one more but the Bobcats would like to go into their break before two games against the Oxford Saints with a bigger cushion.

 

Crewe Railroaders (1-2)  vs  Manchester Titans (2-0)  Division 2 Central

The Railroaders had a dream start to life in the league with their opening weekend win against Staffordshire. Manchester meanwhile have adjusted well to division 2 after their tough year in Division 1 in 2011. Smart money would be on the Titans especially after their win against the Railroaders at the top of the month. Crewe are constantly improving though and could pull a surprise.

 

D C Presidents (0-2-1)  vs  Staffordshire Surge (0-2)  Division 2 Central

This game represents a battle for the first win for either side. In Surge's case that refers to this season, for the Presidents in their debut year their first full stop. DC have shown a lot of potential thus far, particularly in their loss last weekend against Manchester. Staffordshire meanwhile have struggled. One of these teams is going to turn things around this weekend.

 

Chester Romans (2-0-1)  vs  Lincolnshire Bombers (1-2)  Division 2 Central

After the Bombers fantastic win to start the year the side are back down to earth now. Chester are in the fight at the top of this region with Sheffield and Manchester but their first fixture against Lincolnshire was relatively close. Now on home turf they will want to have a decent winning margin but Lincolnshire are not going to just stand aside.

 

Colchester Gladiators (2-2)  vs  Maidstone Pumas (0-4)  Division 2 East

When these two met the first time around Colchester walked out easy winners. Maidstone show a lot of spirit but will need to play a fantastic game to stop the Gladiators from leaving here with a winning record.

 

Oxford Saints (1-0)  vs  Bristol Apache (0-1)  Division 2 West

The Bristol leg of this matchup was postponed several times and I am sure Oxford are looking forward to finally meeting Apache. Even better that the meeting takes place on home ground. Times have been hard of late for Bristol's feeder side but they put in a lot of work. Oxford meanwhile are hoping to be able to take this region and head to the playoffs. A win is therefore necessary here.

 

Jonathan Little

Article tags: Bristol Apache adult - Oxford Saints adult - Maidstone Pumas adult - Colchester Gladiators adult - Lincolnshire Bombers adult - Chester Romans adult - Staffordshire Surge adult - D C Presidents adult - Manchester Titans adult - Crewe Railroaders adult - Bournemouth Bobcats adult - Cornish Sharks adult - Watford Cheetahs adult - Milton Keynes Pathfinders adult - Dundee Hurricanes adult - Edinburgh Wolves adult - Essex Spartans adult - Hampshire Thrashers adult - Gateshead Senators adult - West Coast Trojans adult - Shropshire Revolution adult - Lancashire Wolverines adult - Kent Exiles adult - South Wales Warriors adult - East Kent Mavericks adult - Sussex Thunder adult - Nottingham Caesars adult - Coventry Jets adult - Yorkshire Rams adult - Doncaster Mustangs adult - Bristol Aztecs adult - London Warriors adult -