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Things couldn’t get much quieter from an Americas perspective in this weekend’s Greene King IPA Championship. Despite a full boat of games only six players from this side of the Atlantic will feature, the smallest number in many months if not years.
Financial difficulties continue to plague London Welsh off the field and their performance on it might well be a reflection of that tension. With a 2-4 record they are in 8th spot and need a major upswing in fortunes to turn around a very disappointing start to the season. Perhaps the addition of Aaron Carpenter’s experience to the lineup to face Doncaster will help their cause, with the former Canadian skipper starting in back-to-back fixtures for the first time since moving from Cornish Pirates.
Speaking of the side from Cornwall, their mood could hardly be more positive with a winning record and a new stadium of Premiership standard set to be constructed for next season. Brett Beukeboom, Matt Evans, and Nicolás de Battista have been ever-presents in the Pirates this season and continue this weekend as they face the biggest forward pack in the league, appropriately with Rotherham Titans.
Sunday sees the only amateur side in the otherwise professional division – Richmond – face off against Nottingham. The odds thus far have proved insurmountable with zero league points from six games played and a return to National One seems inevitable unless the money issues of Welsh turn out to be untenable. Ronnie McLean has been a bright spot for the team this season and with Nottingham the next team up the ladder, now would be a good time to find that elusive first win.
