Let's be honest though, they aren’t exactly the most prestigious fixtures in the rugby calendar and, for us supporters, they raise about as much interest as the veggie option at a Viking barbeque.  

This weekend’s return to league action at Moseley is then, a welcome one.  

The embryonic league table suggests that Mose are struggling having drawn one and lost 3 of their 4 games so far. Leeds supporters who made the trip to Castle Park for the opening day double header nonsense may have witnessed them losing out to Roth by 24 points to 42.  

They followed that up by sharing 68 points with Plymouth at Brickfields but, unfortunately, this is the only game so far where they have avoided defeat. An early opportunity to gain some revenge on Rotherham went begging asLee Blacketts’ resurgent Titans once again put them to the sword and, in their last action in the league,Moseley lost out by 28 points to 13 down in Cornwall.  

If Mose were looking to the B&I to provide some respite they were in for a disappointment. A 20-16 defeat in their opening encounter at Cross Keys didn’t bode well ahead of a date with last seasons’ tournament winners Leinster A. However, the battering that many may have predicted didn’t materialise and Leinster left Billesley common with a narrow 22-24 win.  

 So, are Mose finding their feet or did Leinster have an off day? Whichever it proves to be, in scoring all 22 of their points in that game, full back Ollie Thomas took his personal tally for the season to 67 and marked himself out as a player we would do well tokeep an eye onon Saturday. 

 The Leeds line up will reveal if anyone did enough in the B&I games to force their way into the reckoning for a starting shirt in the League.Here comes a sentence that, during pre season, no one would have expected to see anywhere near this messageboard. 

 There is a decision to be made between two quality Leeds Carnegie fly halves. 

 It’s worth saying again because, in the relatively short amount of time that I’ve been observing, this has never happened before. 

 There is a decision to be made between two quality Leeds Carnegie fly halves. 

 Glyn Hughes, following his successful return from injury in the cup, will be itching to play against his former club but Alex Lozowski’s performances in his first two games for Leedsmake it very difficult for J-Lo to drop him.Good luck with that one Jimmy! What a fantastic problem to have though. 

 D Doc also made a successful comeback from injury against Gala and will be pushing Oli Goss hard for his shirt. If the Doc gets the nod then it would mean that the Carnegie holy trinity of D Doc, Jonah and Stevie would be deployed for the first time in anger and for a Moseley defence which is currently leaking league points at a rate of nearly 38 a game, this is a situation that hangs over them with the ominous foreboding of a storm cloud that Michael Fish couldn’t miss. 

  In the forwards J-Lo’s preferred starting pack is becoming fairly clear (at least until Currie and Hoops return from injury)and the really great thing for us is that, in the front five at least, not one of them can rest easy.The fact that Sam Lockwood, Lee Imiolekand Jake Armstrong are breathing down their necks must be a major factor in Ben Harris and Damien Tussac’s fine starts to the season. I also think that Nathan Hannay is pushing Matt Smith and Calum Green very hard for a start in the 2nd row and I would not be at all surprised to see him get the nod this weekend.  

 For me though, our outstanding performer so far has been in the back row. Ever since the play-off semi final against Newcastle,Ryan Burrows has been an absolute force of nature. In the games I’ve seen he has been everywhere. His physical presence around the breakdown, whether ball carrying, tackling, rucking or clearing out has been immense and he is fast becoming a hugely influential player for us. 

 Whatever line up Jimmy decides to go with, if we have serious aspirations about promotion to the Premiership, then we really should be winning these games. Best of luck to Mose for their games which don’t involve us but, with no disrespect intended, with the form Leeds are in at the moment and the general feelgood factor which is emanating from the club it’s difficult to see anything other than a Leeds victory. I expect us to take 4 points, 5 would be the icing on the cake. 

Enjoy the Game.