MATCH PREVIEW
Chris Bertram looks forward to a chance to progress
On a day when the pitch must only just have passed the pre-match inspection and was like a quagmire in parts, Birmingham Moseley came up against a table-topping Rotherham Titans side who came out of the blocks fast and played the often very rainy conditions better. Any hope of a bonus point was gone by half time, and although Moseley matched their hosts during the second half, the result was inevitable by then. Two yellow cards, one in each half, didn’t help, but probably didn’t make a difference to the outcome.
So the run of games against top three sides came to an end with one bonus point earned from them. This has kept Moseley in eleventh position in the league, but the remaining matches towards the season end are largely against teams close to us in the table; more to the point, most of these games are at home on the Billesley turf. These games will be targeted as must-win, and the team and coaches will be planning their approach to the schedule carefully.
First up, though, is a fixture that has already fallen victim to the weather twice – at first to snow, then to biblical quantities of rain – in the form of the visit of old rivals Rosslyn Park. At the time of writing, there have been several days of fair weather, and with only a short period of rain forecast going forward, we must be optimistic that the match will go ahead at the third time of asking. No doubt Park will be as anxious to play as Moseley; fingers will be crossed for both teams. For both sides it is also a “game in hand” on most of their near rivals, a chance to bank points and advance up the table, in Moseley’s case towards safety.
Moseley visited The Rock in September and departed on the wrong end of a 47-24 scoreline. This scoreline flattered Park somewhat, as the game had been close until about the last ten minutes, when three late tries for Park saw them pull away. It was also an unusually emphatic victory in the history of this fixture, as close scorelines have been the norm, with one- and two-point margins being common in the last few years. Last season’s match at Billesley ended in a 27–26 win for the home side, while Park won 32–33 in January 2024 and 21–19 in March 2023.
So a close match is a distinct possibility, and either team would no doubt welcome a win by any margin. Recent form is not dissimilar, with each team having lost three of its last five matches, though while Moseley’s losses were to top three sides, Park’s most recent defeat was to Leeds Tykes, a side that seems to have pulled its socks up after a dismal start to the season. Park are now fifth in the table with twelve wins from twenty matches, but some way behind the top three of Blackheath, Plymouth and Rotherham.
Two players dominate the try scoring for Rosslyn Park, both outside backs. Luke Mehson, with 16, is a young full back in his first season at the club, while wing Charlie Walker, who has 15, has been around longer, joining from Ealing Trailfinders in 2022. Mehson is also top scorer, but leading the kicking charts with 76 points is fly-half Bill Johnston, a recruit from Richmond this season.
Captain and No 8 Ollie Stedman re-established his leading position among the Moseley try scorers last Saturday with the only five-pointer for the red-and-blacks.. He now has nine, followed by hooker Ben Pogson and flanker Morgan Dawes with eight, then by Aquile Smith and Sam Clarke with six each. Tommy Taylor’s conversion took him to 59 points and he remains leading scorer.
Moseley will look at this match, the first of two in a row at home, as a big chance to overhaul some near rivals in the league. The home support will be acutely aware of this, and will be prepared to turn out and do whatever is needed to give the team their backing. So let’s be ready to cheer the Moseley boys to victory with the passionate cry:
“Come on Moseley”
