By Frank Stormont
December 30 2006

With changed squad. - A look ahead at the weekend and the 1st and Dev. team fixtures. With predicitions for result and the high cross winds and rain. Also more predictions up now.

Changed Squad! Bedford

Martin Rice

Richard Oxley

Scott Zimmerman

Brett Stroud

Tom Hayes

Federico Genoud

Danny Thomas

Chris Lowrie

Ed Lewsey

Ed Barnes

Nic Sestaret

Arran Cruickshanks

Regardt van Eyk

Tom Arscott

Nat Saumi

David Delaney

Nigel Cane

Tim Mathias

James Owen

Francisco Deformes

Bryn Jenkins

Sila Va'Enuku

Bench

Spy in the Bedford Blues Camp

2:15 Kick off 30th December

After loosing to Sedgley Tigers a few weeks ago Bedford will be looking to take points off of Albion when they visit Brickfields on Saturday. Home advantage has played a tremendous role in the outcome of the last 5 meetings of the clubs. All League matches have gone to the home side and the final of the Powergen Shield  in 2005 came out with just the one point between the sides.

Bedford have over the last few weeks or so signed two new forwards. James Rercival at 6' 7" and 19 stone has been signed from Northampton Saints until the end of the season, sounds like a loan to me, and plays in the second row. James is returning from a neck injury he picked up last season and Saints are looking to Blues to assist him back to fitness. James was on loan to Coventry last season

Also loose head prop Peter Cook who again comes until the end of the season this time from Harlequins but has also played for Leicester. At 5' 11" Peter joined Quins last December from Nottingham but is yet to make a start for them and has only made one replacement appearance.

Four England U19 stars Tom Youngs, Ollie Dodge, Ben Pienaar and Dan Cole were announced to being part of the Bedford set up for the season being on loan from Leicester with Bedford paying a percentage of their wages.

James Pritchard has been making am impression in the Blues team sharing the kicking duties with Ross Broadfoot he has started most of the matches  playing on the wings and at fullback he has slotted 47 kicks between the posts and run in 6 tries with a total point score of 134. He did pick up a yellow against Newbury. Whilst at Albion he played mainly at 14 and 15 notched up 24 appearances and was top scorer and top tries on 256 and 13.

---

Last meetings

25th March 2006

Bedford Blues won 34 - 28 at Goldington Road and had to be happy with two bonus points from the match that should have been theirs by right.

The match saw Ed Lewsey make his debut playing a full 80 minutes on the wing.  The four tries were scored by Brett Luxton, Danny Thomas, Luke Arscott and Nic Sestaret with Ed Barnes picking up 2 penalties and a conversion. The final penalty points and the second bonus point had to wait until the 80th minute of the match

  This is Plymouth

---

Last time at Brickfields

Albion win 28 - 23 19th November 2005

Bedford came to Plymouth having won 7 of the and drawn 1 of their 8 matches so far in the league. Although they were just one place ahead of Albion they were 8 league points ahead and came as favourites.

The match went down to the wire as Bedford had an opportunity close to the end of the match but Albion held onto a lead that had ping ponged during the match. Tries for Tom Hayes, Nic Sestaret and Keni Fisilau with 2 conversions and 3 penalties to the boot of Nat Saumi.

This is Plymouth

---

Last three matches

---

Tables

Whilst Albion still have the best defensive record of the league, the best point difference all of this means for nothing if you are sitting in third place.

 

---

Predictions

BetFred 

Albion to win by 17 points

Albion 3rd favourite to win League at 7/2

---

Terrace Talk

Third placed Plymouth Albion entertain sixth placed Bedford Blues at Brickfields looking to maintain their excellent recent form. 
Albion picked up an important away at the Cornish Pirates last time out 26-13. 
At home this season they have a perfect record with six straight wins to date. 
Bedford Blues were winners at home to London Welsh last time out as they look to try and close the gap on the sides above them in the table who are at least five points ahead of them. 
On the road the Blues have done really poorly with just three wins form their eight matches going down to five defeats. 

Prediction: Home win for Albion at Brickfields over the Blues by six points. 

Rest of League TT

---

Rugby Round up

A resurgent Blues will face a stern test at The Brickfields where Albion now have the only perfect record in the division. Albion also recorded a very impressive win at the Pirates last week and will not be short of confidence as they welcome the Blues. Bedford have won three from four in December but all their December games have been against sides from the bottom half of the table. Albion, in third, will be too good. 

Albion by eighteen points

---

Frank's prediction.

Albion 33 Bedford 24

Don't forget you can register your own predictions!

---

Visiting fans

Tickets available on the gate:

	Ground	Seated grandstand
Adult	£12	£17
Senior	£9	£14
Student	£9	£14
Child	£3	£10

Ground Information

Car park -£3

Programme £2

Food/beer
Good selection of hot food such as pasties and curry. Beer at £2 a pint in the Ryearch Village bar upto 30 mins before kick-off.

Please note the Burger bar outside the ground is not part of Plymouth Albion

How to get there

---

Click above for the upto date forecast but now showing a calmer day without rain!

---

Officials

Plymouth Albion vs Bedford Blues 
Referee: Gareth Copsey
Touch judges: Greg Garner, Lloyd Jackson
Assessor: Steve Leyshon

Other Matches

---

Other top team matches this weekend

Other top 5 team matches that might effect the league lead

Saturday

Titans(4) v Leeds(1) (Leeds by "12 *7 ^#12 ⁺7)

Bees v Pirates(5) (Pirates by "30 *18 ^#12 ⁺12)

Waterloo(16) v Doncaster(2) (Donny by "35 *28 ^#30 ⁺12)

*BetFred prices
⁺Terrace Talk
^#Rugby Roundup
"Franks prediction

Of the three there should 2 easy wins and one close to call but will probably go Leeds way.  Bees are still in problems and may not have enough props to fulfil the fixture.

You can now get 12/1 for Pirates to win the league.

---

Albion matters

You can not look at any team news without looking at injuries and fitness at the moment.  On a recent BBC Rugby Grandstand it was commented that at any one time 30% of Premiership players would not be fit to play so we have come off lightly but still of great concern.

With both Colin Stewart and Federico Genoud coming off with what looked like serious injuries last Saturday they have just added to the selection difficulties.

We also have to have one eye on the clash with league leaders Leeds at the beginning of the year, which will played under the revised rules.

Chris Lowrie has had to sit and watch in the last two League meetings from the bench without being used and will be hoping to make his impression at Brickfields on Saturday.

Frank's Team: Nat Saumi, Tom Arscott, Regardt van Eyk, Keni Fisilau, Nic Sestaret, Ed Barnes, Ed Lewsey, Martin Rice, Richard Oxley, Scott Zimmerman, Mike Lewis, Tom Hayes, Federico Genoud, Danny Thomas, Chris Lowrie Replacements: Nigel Cane, Dave Delaney, Francisco Deformes, Tim Mathias, Sila Vaenuku, Brett Stroud, James Owen

See top of article for Official team.

Westcountry Warriors

This Saturday was to have seen a development match between Pirates Dev and Westcountry Warriors but this has been called off but instead the Warriors will be travelling to Brixham for a 2:30 kick off.  The Warriors last played Brixham in the first preseason warm-up when Warriors won 5 - 18 and Graham came on and played part of the match at flanker.

Ladies

Sitting in 6th place the ladies have another free week in the front loaded fixture with plenty of spare weeks between now and the end of the season for international and county representation.