British & Irish Cup: Round 2 Preview

It was also a day for Olly Robinson to remember as he scored a hat-trick on his competitive debut for the West Country club.

Bristol feature in one of three all-English Championship tie in round 2 when they take on London Scottish at the Athletic Ground this Saturday afternoon.

Elsewhere, Moseley host Nottingham and Doncaster Knights get an early chance to avenge their league loss to the Cornish Pirates earlier this month when they host the Duchy outfit at Castle Park for the second time in a fortnight.

Pontypridd and Aberavon, the two Welsh sides to enjoy winning starts, are both on their travels in round 2 – to Connacht and Rotherham respectively. Cross Keys are on the road too, with a trip to Bedford, while Carmarthen Quins are at home to struggling Plymouth Albion.

Of the four Irish provinces only Munster ‘A’ are drawn away in round 2, Mick O’Driscoll’s side facing a tough trip to Worcester. Connacht Eagles, Ulster Ravens and Leinster ‘A’ all enjoy home advantage.

BRITISH & IRISH CUP TABLES/STATISTICS

BRITISH & IRISH CUP – ROUND 2 FIXTURES:

POOL 1

CONNACHT EAGLES (4th) v Pontypridd (2nd), the Sportsground, Sunday, October 19, 2pm

Pontypridd put last season’s agonising semi-final defeat to Leinster ‘A’ behind them with a win over London Scottish on the opening weekend. Connacht Eagles shipped a half-century of points away to Bristol.

Connacht have beaten Welsh opposition twice in six attempts in the British & Irish Cup, with victories over Cross Keys and Llanelli in 2012 and 2013 respectively. They have never played Pontypridd before though.

London Scottish (3rd) v Bristol (1st), Saturday, October 18, 3pm

Bristol remain unbeaten this season after their clinical eight-try display against the Eagles in round 1. Scottish claimed a losing bonus point away to Pontypridd for the second season running.

All seven Championship meetings between these sides have gone the way of Bristol, the West Country side averaging 37 points per game during that period.

Round 1 Results –
Bristol 50 Connacht Eagles 34
Pontypridd 23 London Scottish 17
 
POOL 2 –

ULSTER RAVENS (3rd) v Yorkshire Carnegie (4th), Kingspan Stadium, Saturday, October 18, 2pm

Both Ulster Ravens and Yorkshire Carnegie will be looking to set the record straight after beginning their British & Irish Cup campaigns with disappointing losses.

Yorkshire Carnegie have yet to beat an Irish side in the British & Irish Cup, losing two and drawing one of their three fixtures with Leinster ‘A’.

Carnegie’s most recent trip to the Emerald Isle came in the final of last year’s competition when they were beaten 44-17 by Leinster ‘A’. In full-back David McIlwaine, Carnegie have a product of the Ulster Academy in their ranks.

Rotherham Titans (1st) v Aberavon (2nd), Saturday, October 18, 3pm

Tries from Alex Rieder and Jack Preece saw Rotherham open this year’s competition with a 20-3 win against Yorkshire Carnegie in Scarborough, while a brace of tries from Wales Under-20 number 8 Robert Dudley-Jones helped Aberavon pulled off a shock 18-14 victory over Ulster’s second string.

Rotherham won both at home and away when they played Aberavon in the 2012/13 edition of the British & Irish Cup. After a narrow four-point success in Port Talbot, the Titans turned on the style to win 49-7 in the return match at Clifton Lane.

Round 1 Results –
Aberavon 18 Ulster Ravens 14
Yorkshire Carnegie 3 Rotherham Titans 20

POOL 3

Moseley (3rd) v Nottingham (4th), Saturday, October 18, 3pm

Moseley ended an 11-game losing streak at this level against Nottingham when they won 29-15 at Billesley Common in the Championship in November last year. Moseley have won exactly half of the 12 all-Championship ties they have featured in since the British & Irish Cup was launched. Moseley and Nottingham both picked up losing bonus points in round 1.

Worcester Warriors (1st) v MUNSTER ‘A’ (2nd), Sixways Stadium, Saturday, October 18, 3pm

Two tries from Dean Hammond and 16 points from the boot of out-half Tiff Eden got the Warriors get off to a winning start against Nottingham, while the Jack O’Donoghue-led Munster ‘A’ side edged out Moseley 27-21 to share top spot in Pool 3.

Worcester suffered a 38-23 defeat to Leinster ‘A’ on the only other occasion they have faced Irish opposition in the British & Irish Cup.

Round 1 Results –
Munster ‘A’ 27 Moseley 21
Nottingham 19 Worcester Warriors 26

POOL 4

Doncaster Knights (1st) v Cornish Pirates (2nd), Saturday, October 18, 2.30pm

Pirates won on Yorkshire soil for the first time in two-and-a-half years when they came away from their last visit to Castle Park, in round 5 of the 2014/15 Greene King IPA Championship, with a 24-22 victory.

Pirates head north with five points in the bag after a thrilling 35-34 triumph over Bedford in round 1. Doncaster turned in an impressive display too, collecting maximum points from their trip to Cross Keys.

Bedford Blues (3rd) v Cross Keys (4th), Saturday, October 18, 3pm

Both Bedford and Cross Keys, two former finalists, began their campaigns with defeats. Blues’ on-loan out-half Steffan Jones will know all there is to know about Cross Keys having turned out for the Welsh Premiership side on a number of occasions in recent years. Jones arrived from the Newport Gwent Dragons in the summer and wore the number 10 jersey in the opening round loss to the Pirates.

Round 1 Results –
Cornish Pirates 35 Bedford Blues 34
Cross Keys 32 Doncaster Knights 37

POOL 5

Carmarthen Quins (4th) v Plymouth Albion (3rd), Saturday, October 18, 2.30pm

Welsh Premiership high-flyers Carmarthen Quins suffered their first defeat of the season when they were beaten 37-17 by Jersey in round 1. Quins trailed 17-0 at the break before restoring some pride with a strong second-half showing.

Plymouth also showed real character in going down to a 31-24 home defeat to Leinster ‘A’, outscoring the defending champions four tries to three to take two bonus points from the game.

LEINSTER ‘A’ (2nd) v Jersey (1st), Donnybrook, Friday, October 17, 7.30pm

Considering their poor overall record in the British & Irish Cup, Jersey are surprisingly good starters in the cross-border competition. Saturday’s bonus point win over Carmarthen Quins means they have not lost in the opening round since entering the fold in 2012/13.

They drew with a strong Pontypridd outfit in their first year of competition and 12 months on beat Ayr 28-16. Friday night’s trip to the two-time champions will provide a serious test of their mettle though.

Round 1 Results –
Jersey 37 Carmarthen Quins 17
Plymouth Albion 24 Leinster ‘A’ 31