London Welsh
Nottingham v London Welsh - Play Off Preview
By Mark W-J
April 8 2010
London Welsh don’t have long to wait for an attempt to avenge last week’s four-try mauling at the hands of Nottingham, with the return scheduled for this Sunday. Midway through the play-off group stage we find ourselves bottom of Pool B with five points, courtesy of an opening weekend win over Doncaster, having suffered heavy defeats to Exeter and Nottingham, who now seem favourites to progress.
If Welsh are to have any chance of qualifying for the knockout stages we’ll need to pick-up two wins, ideally with bonus points, from our next three games. Yet we’ve won only once in four previous visits to Meadow Lane, a 23-21 triumph in February 2007, and the Green & Whites have won 10 of the 13 meetings in league and cup since they were promoted from National Two five years ago. And with only a six day turnaround before Exeter visit our temporary home at Esher next weekend, the chance of overturning one - never mind both - of our recent defeats looks slim.
Injuries have no doubt played a part in the recent loss of form, with hooker Gavin O’Meara covering the back-row positions from the bench for the last three weeks. Welsh have used 38 players in 25 league games this season, of whom nine have been loanees (six from London Irish and one each from Bath, Wasps and the Ospreys). This compares with 50 players in 30 matches last season, and a staggering 57 the previous year, all of which may suggest that with a significantly smaller squad players are being selected when small niggles should be rested, with the consequence that our resources are stretched rather thin at the business end of the season.
Nottingham appear to have no such worries, courtesy of their very fruitful relationship with Leicester. The deal has seen a significant number of dual-registered Tigers appear in the Green & White jersey, while captain Craig Hammond was loaned to the Premiership champions for a one-off appearance against the Springboks in the autumn. It’s an arrangement which upsets many followers of the Championship – one poster on the Rolling Maul site suggested that seven of their starting XV last Saturday were contracted to the Tigers - but while the policy is undoubtedly flawed it’s a problem which needs to be addressed by the RFU and Premier Rugby: what Nottingham (and Moseley, via their affiliation with Gloucester) are doing is perfectly within the laws and if the relationship is well managed on both sides can be mutually beneficial.
Yet Nottingham’s success is not wholly-reliant upon friends in high places. In the last 12 months they’ve lost Dan Montagu to Bristol and Tim Molenaar and Tim Taylor to Gloucester, while prop Petrus Du Plessis, having agreed to sign for Saracens next season, was released to join the North London side last month. Coach Glenn Delaney is fast developing a reputation as a man with the ability to identify and develop young talent, and the supporters must be fearful of the day when his qualities are recognised by a Premiership club.
Despite the fact that Nottingham were formed eight years before Welsh, our paths didn’t cross until our centenary season, the now infamous 4th round cup tie at Beeston which we won 12-11 thanks to nine missed shots at goal from Rob Andrew. The Green & Whites’ first visit to ODP (to play London Welsh, at least – I have no record of their meetings with former tenants!) was for a friendly on 21st March 1992, which they won 30-10. In mitigation, it should be remembered that we finished that season 3rd in Courage Four South with nine wins from 12, four points behind those two giants of Hampshire rugby, Havant and Basingstoke, whereas Nottingham’s five year spell in Courage One was coming to an end, as they were relegated alongside Rosslyn Park.
Nottingham’s objective of gaining readmission to the élite after an 18 year absence has apparently moved a step closer in recent weeks, as a new seven year deal to remain at Meadow Lane is believed to enable the club to fulfil the Premiership’s strict entry criteria should they overcome Bristol and Exeter over the course of the next six weeks. Yet their big strength as a Championship side – the player-sharing deal with Leicester - would soon dry-up if they were to find themselves playing alongside the Tigers, and it’s questionable whether they would have the financial ability to stand on their own two feet. The club was recently put up for sale for one pound, but even at that price, the cost of building a squad to compete at the highest level – as we’ve seen over the course of the last 12 months or so - is prohibitive. Crowds are down 20% on last season, although some posters on this site would quickly point to the ‘football’ element among the visiting supporters last weekend being a deterrent to the genuine rugby supporter. And the Leicester link was all too obvious with the dominance of the Green & Whites’ rolling maul on Saturday – the opening try, from a lineout on the Welsh ‘22’, would have surely brought a smile to the faces of Richards, Johnson, Back and Cockerill. Home supporters may have decried the monotony and predictability of the tactic, but the Welsh defence simply couldn’t handle it – and at this stage of the season in particular, points win prizes.
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09/04/2010 17:19
If you want to have a dig at a club fine but please get your facts right, it would not have taken much longer than 5 mins to check that is Was Notts County and not Nottingham Rugby that was sold for a pound.
touchy! Nott 3-10 LW
edit to show time - 8 mins second half
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2010:04:11:16:04:20 by Blackheath Welsh.
Nott 3-15 LW (Matt Corker?)
conv kick
3-17
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2010:04:11:16:34:16 by Blackheath Welsh.
BRILLIANT well done boys. 
Gar were you at the same game, don't remember you shutting the green army up!!
Well played to LW, the only real difference between the two teams today was lack of consentraion on Notts part other then that it was fairly evenly matched, it might have even been a different winner if we had taken points on offer instead of kicking to the corner and letting your line out steal, pull down and generaly make a nuicence of themselves( which is what they should do)
Good luck with Chiefs next weekend, you'll need it!
Date: 11/04/2010 14:58
touchy!"
Sorry but ill informed/researched bits of journalism really annoy me!!
Quote:notts fan
Sorry but ill informed/researched bits of journalism really annoy me!!
If there's one thing (or two things) I can say about Mark's excellent match previews, it's that they are both well informed and very well researched.
Quote:notts fan
"Posted by: welsh fan (IP Logged)
Date: 11/04/2010 14:58
touchy!"
Sorry but ill informed/researched bits of journalism really annoy me!!
Quote:notts fan
Crowds maybe down but as the organized singing, drumming etc(football element)only started at the beginning of the play offs(Exeter home match)so that is not the reason.
The singing and braying donkey chants were in evidence at the LW Nottingham league game back on the 5th December 2009.
Speaking to Danny and the players after the game and they all emphasised the level of commitment from the first moment of the game through to the end. Our pack didn't give an inch, the centres worked well and the backs as a whole produced some good running rugby. The change from the home game against Nottingham was amazing and the players and coaching staff deserve massive credit for this. The players' response to the supporters as they left the pitch was really appreciated by all that made the journey.
There was disappointment that Notts picked up a bonus point but relief that progress towards the S-Fs is back in our hands.
I enjoyed my visit to Meadow Lane. Naturally the win did help but there was quite a changed attitude compared to my last visit. The stewarding was far less intrusive and the Pie Club was good value and very welcoming. Well done to Nottingham for making these changes. Attendance was announced at just over 1300 but it felt more than that.
After our home match there was a lot of debate about 'noise'. Yesterday the drum was in the middle of the stand and very small group that were chanting were also seated in the same area. Interesting the vast majority of the Nottingham supporters ignored them and were more 'traditional' with their support.
Exeter (at Esher) next!
You have a go at Mankini for his spelling,try being grammatically correct yourself before you critisize.As for shutting the Green Army up.......Dream on.
Well done Welsh on a good performance
I would advise that you never go there it may be more than you or dottigirl could stand.
Their 100% committment to defence was outstanding and their 2 opportunistic tries just emphasis what a dangerous side they can be.
I am sure that Notts expected a repeat performance from the weekend before with their huge pack destroying ours with their rolling maul tactics which is why they continued to turn down every kickable penalty and kick for the corner. Our forwards were immense in winning lots of opposition ball and halting virtually every forward drive. The backs were equally determined and our blitz defence was superb.
I just hope that yesterday didn't take too much out of the players before the visit of Exeter on saturday. Lets get behind the boys on saturday, they deserve it.
Lewis-Pratt, Sampson, Shabbo, Mackey, Claassens, A Thomas, Runciman, Horn-Smith, Whitehead, Ward, Corker, Powell, Mills, Hills, Beach. Reps: Ross, Lewis, George, Lahiff, Whatling, O'Meara, B Thomas.
I firmly believe we can beat Exeter and Doncaster and the players do to!
C'mon you Welsh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Quote:notts fan
Ellie first time I heard donkey noises was well before that made by those awful Welsh "footy fans" in the Millenium Stadium, so for once the English are not to blame.
I would advise that you never go there it may be more than you or dottigirl could stand.
That's where it should stay, with the "footy fans".
It ha no place in rugby.
Hope Jacko doesn't mind me stealing the above, it's a rare sight at Notts and shows how much the win meant to everyone!
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