With 2 weeks of DMPRFC 1ST XV inactivity on a league front, due to the postponed game with Sheffield Tigers RFC and no game last week, the visit on Saturday of Sedgley Tigers RFC, will hopefully more than compensate.

Sedgley Tigers RFC are currently in 4th place in the league, with 76 points from 15 wins, including 12 try bonus points and 4 losing bonus points. Their top try scorer is winger Andrew Riley with 15 tries and their fly half Steve Collins is the league’s top kicker with 217 points.

Surprisingly, Sedgley Tigers RFC have lost their last three league games – Leicester Lions (A, 34 – 10), Stourbridge RFC (H, 3 – 45) and Otley (A, 14 – 12) and with no game last week, they too will be anxious to get the ‘show back on the road’.

However, with Sedgley Park RFC having recorded home and away wins against Chester RFC and a win away at Macclesfield, coupled with large points wins against Bromsgrove RFC (90 – 5) and Dudley Kingswinford RFC (111 – 15), they are certainly a force to be reckoned with.

In addition, the corresponding game away at their Park Lane HQ back in early November 2013, DMPRFC 1ST XV just lost out (23 – 21), with late tries from skipper Cameron MITCHELL and Andrew SMITH not enough to redress the total amassed by this weekends visitors.

Due to the league inactivity, DMPRFC are now sitting in the bronze medal place in the standings and as the business end of the season looms large, each game will be a cup final of sorts for the main protagonists.

Several key DMPRFC players are returning from injury and therefore the competition for starting places in the game will be fierce, with whoever gets the nod from the coaches, anxious to underline their preferment for this game as well as the games ahead.

Regardless, the focus all this week in training and in the build up will be on Sedgley Park RFC.

Casting minds back to last Friday evening and the England Counties XV versus Ireland Clubs XV held at the Northern Echo Arena, none could fail to take notice of the tremendous attendance of nearly 5,000 rugby enthusiasts who turned up to watch a closely fought contest between the two sides.

Unfortunately, as they had done in the previous game against the France Federale XV, even though the England Counties XV won the try count 3 – 1, they lost out by a point, with the Irish Clubs XV fly half rounding off a superb kicking display with a last minute penalty to take the game (22 - 23).

Many congratulations to all those involved in the organisation of the game and huge credit also, to the many volunteers who assisted with proceedings on the night, who all contributed to making it a tremendous success.

(DMPRFC 1ST XV SQUAD)

15. Gavin PAINTER
14. Chris McTURK
13. Cameron MITCHELL (Captain)
12. Callum MACKENZIE
11. Shaun McCARTNEY
10. Max CONNON
9. Andrew SMITH

1. Ralph APPLEBY
2. Ross DONEGHAN
3. Henry SANDYS
4. Pierce PHILLIPS
5. Chris CAMPBELL
6. Talite VAIOLETI
7. Jack ALLCOCK
8. Guy van den DRIES

16. Josh BAYFORD
17. Ross WHITE
18. Rory DUFF
19. Zylon McGAFFIN
20. Henry ROBINSON