Gloucestershire Warriors RLFC

After two successive defeats and the withdrawal of Redditch Ravens from the Co-operative Rugby League Conference Midlands Premier division, the Gloucestershire Warriors have plummeted from the summit of the table to fifth place and need to take the points from this weekend’s home encounter with Leicester Phoenix at Chosen Hill to get back in the race for the Minor Premiership (kick off 2.30pm).

The Phoenix have taken over the leadership of the table thanks to four wins in their five matches, which marks a huge turnaround from last season when they finished bottom of the pile with a single win to their name.

The club has found new energy largely due to the arrival of former Coventry Bears Head Coach Ty Watson. The popular Kiwi has re-invigorated the club and the players have responded with some fine performances including an epic 34-30 win over Coventry Bears last week when Watson himself scored the clinching try.

They have also recruited a seasoned campaigner in former Sheffield Eagles player Greg hurst who leads the side form stand-off and with the talented Nathan Walmsley in fine form, have quickly come together as a team alongside stalwarts Mark Court and Mark Sloan.

“It will be a tough game this week”, says Warriors’ coach Tom James. “We have had a difficult last couple of weeks but all that will be forgotten if we can beat Leicester.”

Despite being in fifth place, the division is so tight that a win would put the Warriors level on points with the Phoenix and back in the hunt for the title. A defeat would make it difficult for them to claim top place and home advantage in the play-offs even at the halfway stage of the season.

The Warriors recent record against the Phoenix is good with four consecutive wins in the Midlands Premier division but this season’s Phoenix is a very different model and a fifth straight win is far from a certainty.

“We are playing a good side at the top of the league on merit,” said James. “The chance is there for the Warriors among us to stand up and show how good they can be.”

The division is so tight that any team can beat any other on their day and even bottom side Telford Raiders are capable of an upset or two before the league campaign concludes in August. This weekend’s other games sees Birmingham Bulldogs host Coventry Bears in a derby clash at Aston Old Edwardians in a game that the visitors need to win to turn around a disappointing first half of the season. The Bulldogs will also be after the points to be in a position to take advantage of any slip the Phoenix might make in Gloucester.

Telford Raiders are improving week by week and will give a buoyant Bristol Sonics side a thorough examination at Dark Lane where they have been turning in some strong performances. The Sonics, meanwhile have defeated the Bears and the Warriors in their last two outings and will be looking to make it a hat-trick of wins and improve their chances of a place in the play-offs.

Next fixtures, Saturday 20 June:
Birmingham Bulldogs v Coventry Bears
Gloucestershire Warriors v Leicester Phoenix
Telford Raiders v Bristol Sonics