Rugby this weekend: Ealing Trailfinders can claim top spot with a win
By Joe Acklam
17th Feb 2023 | Rugby
Victory in their last group game against Hartpury University would ensure Ealing Trailfinders claim top spot in Pool A in the RFU Championship Cup.
Defeat against Jersey Reds two weeks ago had put Ealing under pressure in their pool, but a convincing 71-14 victory over Nottingham last week has put them back in the driving seat.
Hartpury are also in must-win mode as were they to come out on top then they stand a chance of progression courtesy of being one of the best third-place sides.
Kick-off at ALPAS Arena is at 7:45pm on Saturday.
Harlequins are back in action this weekend hoping to end a run of four straight away defeats as they take on Gloucester.
Quins have been strong at home in recent weeks, but their last away win in any competition was against Bath on 2nd December.
Their opponents in Gloucester come into this game on the back of a bad run, having won just twice in their last seven across all competitions.
Kick-off at the Kingsholm Stadium is at 7:45pm on Friday.
London Scottish are hosting Friday night rugby under the lights as they face Coventry in the RFU Championship Cup.
The game is meaningless to Scottish as defeat last week saw them eliminated from the Championship Cup, but they can still deny Coventry top spot in Pool B.
Coventry do need some help to finish top of the group as they would need a bonus points win and Doncaster Knights to slip up against Bedford Blues, otherwise they will have to settle for second place.
Kick-off at Richmond Athletic Ground is at 7:45pm on Friday.
London Welsh will hope their strong home form continues as they play host to Brighton in Regional One South Central.
Welsh's bizarre patch of form continued last week as they lost 42-22 against Camberley, but they have scored 93 points in their last two home games.
Brighton are on a run of six without a win, they last tasted victory in November against Royal Wootton Bassett, who are second bottom of the table.
Kick-off at Old Deer Park is at 2pm on Saturday.
Teddington RFC will look to maintain their perfect season as they face an out-of-form Old Freemans side in Counties Two Surrey.
The Antlers had to dig deep last week to make it 16 wins in a row as they came back from a 19-point deficit to win 31-19.
Old Freemans have lost six straight matches and last tasted victory against Law Society on 29th October, a run which has seen them tumble down to tenth place in the table.
Kick-off at Bushy Park is at 2:30pm on Saturday.
Elsewhere in the area, London Irish are on the road against Bath, and it is a local derby as Kingston play host to Twickenham.
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