It’s Ladies Day at Ellgia Fields on April 12 and all money raised will be donated to cancer research. Cambridge Ladies are playing Stockwood Park before the Blood and Sand mêlée with the Knights. (A mêlée is a free-for-all battle with multiple knights on both sides).
Twelfth-placed the Blood and Sand (as Cambridge are nicknamed) are four points below Caldy and so need to go all-out for a win, they’ve got nothing to lose. Scoring five tries in their defeat against the Pirates demonstrates they can score tries but they will have strengthened their defence after conceding ten tries.
Last time out the Knights continued their purple patch of form and beat Bedford Blues 41-32 in a high-scoring, entertaining match. Obviously, it was more entertaining for the Knights because they won but there was some entertaining rugby on display that resulted in a total of 11 tries being scored.The Knights’ first try was scored by prop Logovi’i Mulipola (pictured) by barrelling over the line from close range.
The Blues deserved their try-bonus point and almost returned to Bedford with a second (losing) bonus point by finishing within seven points but their last minute penalty kick drifted wide of the upright.
The Blood and Sand went down to Cornwall last Sunday to play the Pirates and returned to Cambridge losing 64-35. It was a try-fest of a match, with 15 tries being scored in total and Cambridge scored five tries but still lost! Blood and Sand tries were scored by hooker Morgan Veness, ex- Northampton Saints’ Senior Academy (and first team player) and England U20 Men 2024/25 Elite Player Squad right wing Will Glister (2), substitute hooker Ben Brownlie and full back Ewan Baker. The Knights must again be wary of a hooker scoring from behind a set piece because a total of two tries were scored by different hookers. Additionally right wing Glister scored a brace out wide.
Cambridge hooker Benjamin Brownlie is the equal-sixth top try-scorer in the Championship, the Knights need to be wary of Brownlie darting for the line off the back of a scrum, ruck, maul or line-out.
Other games
Saturday 12th April
Bedford Blues (3) v Nottingham (7)
Caldy (11) v Hartpury University (4)
Cambridge (12) v Doncaster Knights (6)
Chinnor (10) v Cornish Pirates (5)
Coventry (2) v Ampthill (8)
London Scottish (9) v Ealing Trailfinders (1)
A Knight Win will raise them to fifth if the Pirates lose to Chinnor.
A Knight Loss will see them drop to seventh if Nottingham beat or draw with the Blues.
COYK
DONNY, DONNY, DONNY…