Preview Titans vs Plymouth Albion

In spite of a week of near-constant rain which saw some football league matches postponed due to waterlogged pitches, the full programme of rugby took place in National League One, bringing the season to its halfway stage. The table does not look good for the Taunton Titans, one place off the bottom in 13^th and with a gap opening up between them and the safety spot in 11^th. The chance to leapfrog Cinderford was there for the taking when Titans took a 26-31 lead deep into the second half in the Forest of Dean but two converted tries by the home side left Taunton defeated 40-31 and with just one bonus point for having scored four tries of their own.

Having scored 44 points in the last half hour the previous week, Sale FC returned home but this time had a low-scoring 8-7 win over Bishops Stortford to move four points ahead of Titans on the table. Leicester Lions remain bottom of the ladder following a 29-3 loss at Darlington Mowden Park. Blackheath, the only team not to score a point on Saturday, are now in the vulnerable 11^th position after succumbing 0-15 to Rosslyn Park. At the other end of the table, Rams retain top spot having come out on the better side of an 87-point thriller at Richmond, 40-47. Their Thames Valley neighbours Chinnor are still one point behind them after their own exciting win, 27-24, over Birmingham Moseley. A22-3 home win over Sedgley Park at The Brickfields keeps Plymouth Albion in touch in third place.

It is Plymouth who are visitors to Veritas Park this Saturday for the bumper pre-Christmas fixture. The Devonians are in fine form, having won nine of their games to date. In the corresponding seasonal encounter last year Plymouth hosted the men from Somerset but were not generous with their gifts, closing out a 26-14 win whilst this September at The Brickfields they won the round 2 game 54-29. On their last visit to Veritas Park in September 2022, it was again Plymouth who prevailed in a closer match-up by 26-33. However, the Titans must believe in themselves and hope that the atmosphere of a derby encounter and the lure of the turkey and trimmings could upset the form guide.

Plymouth Albion was formed in 1876, originally by dockyard apprentices. In their early days they played at Bladderley Lane, though they had a season at Home Park where football team Plymouth Argyle now play. When league rugby was introduced in the 1980s, Albion was placed in League Three. Based since 2003 at The Brickfields, the team enjoyed over a decade of Championship rugby before being relegated to National League One in 2015. They have made no secret of their ambition to return to the Championship.

There has been a change in the coaching ranks since last season with former Gloucester fly-half Ryan Lamb replacing Damian Welch as Head Coach. Lamb has assembled an impressive squad, augmenting familiar names like half-back pairing Tom Putt and Phil Jones with the likes of ex-Leicester Tigers hooker Tom Cowan-Dickie and former Taunton player Hallam Chapman who won the Championship last term with Jersey Reds.

This Saturday the league-leading Taunton Warriors also play their last game of 2023, hosting Yatton at Veritas Park. John Wrelton’s free-scoring charges have had a phenomenal first half of the season and are to be applauded for their performances to date.

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The match is very kindly sponsored by TRFC naming rights partner 'Veritas Glazing Solutions Ltd'. They have an impressive group of guests joining them on the day and we look forward to hosting them.

Kick-off for Titans vs Plymouth Albion at Veritas Park is at 3pm. Entry is £15 for adults and free for Under-16s. Parking at Veritas Park on Hyde Lane costs £5 with free parking in the overflow car park across the road. Booking is now closed for the exceptional two-course pre-match carvery, with the Christmas version long-since sold out. There will also be delicious hot pasties and coffees from the Proper Cornish pasty van and three bars will be open.

In Addition, there will be a shuttle bus for £5 per journey which will run throughout the day picking up from Taunton Train station (Old ticket office side by Platform 5) –Bus Station by Primark in the town centre and then back to the rugby club. This will run from 11:15 through to Kick Off and re commence following on from the game until the final journey at 10:00 pm.

Taunton resident and rugby lover, Richard Kitzinger writes content for Taunton RFC’s club website and match-day programmes. His day job is writing Wills and Lasting Powers of Attorney - he can be found at www.westcountrywills.co.uk or reached on 07504 991893.