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It’s into Round 18 for the Greene King IPA Championship this weekend and with only five games left – plus one makeup match for Nottingham and Richmond – there is precious little time for teams to advance their position on the table. Bristol remain 10 points head of Ealing for promotion to the Aviva Premiership while Rotherham will be officially relegated this weekend if London Scottish come away with points against Jersey.
The Exiles have Dino Waldren and Kyle Baillie back from the Americas Rugby Championship and the roommates will be sitting beside each other as reserves for the game against the Reds on Friday evening. Even a losing bonus point will seal Rotherham’s rip to the bottom.
Titans are up on Saturday and face Bristol in a virtually unwinnable situation. Starting for the league leaders will be Argentine prop Gastón Cortes, who could be nearing the end of his stay with the club unless a new contract is agreed soon.
Matt Evans is back from a minor injury blip to start on the wing for Cornish Pirates at Hartpury. Fellow Canadian international Brett Beukeboom runs out at lock and the team is skippered by Argentine center Nicolás de Battista.
Doncaster and Richmond both stuck in the mid-tier but will be keen for a top four finish in the former’s case and a winning record for the latter. USA cap Ronnie McLean starts at inside center for Richmond.
Sunday will see two games, each featuring North American international flyhalves. Bedford Blues start new Eagles cap Will Hooley against Nottingham, while Ealing run out Canada’s Shane O’Leary against Yorkshire Carnegie. Both will be looking to impress with contracts potentially on the line for next season.
