Match Preview

Things have been going well at Ramsey. They’re top of Lancs/Cheshire 3 with a twelve point lead from second place Ellesmere Port. They also top the table in the Shimmin Wilson Manx Cup and for those who like their stats served hot, the Ramsey defence has conceded just eighteen points since the beginning of December which is averaging just three a match. The Students however are a potential banana skin if ever there was one. The Students are young and fit and can keep a high tempo game for a full eighty minutes which cancels out Ramsey’s main advantage. The coaches will have to be clever this weekend then and expect to see some of the big men used in a slightly tighter style.

The home leg was a Ramsey win but only 24-19. Two tries from Mark Oldfield helped Ramsey that day however they were denied a bonus point while the students closed the margin down and got one of their own. The students are now up to a heady third place in the table and while they do still have to play Ellesmere Port and Old Bedians, they’re handily placed for any slip ups.

Team news at the Mooragh is good. Harri Radford returns from IOM sevens duty and Jamie Arneil is back from injury. Skipper Swithinbank returns and Conor Goodall gets a start on the wing. Ali Trace makes a cameo on the bench and there's also a bench spot for The Mighty Blues prop Neil Quayle who gets rewarded for his hard work. Ramsey can afford a slip up but will be making sure that this isn’t it come Saturday.