Chris Bertram on the hardest assignment yet
The search for the elusive first away win continues, after Birmingham Moseley visited The Sycamores and came home empty-handed. A first half in which they got on the wrong side of the referee left them too much of a hill to climb in the second half, and although there was an improvement after the break, Leeds stayed far enough ahead to seal the win. Tykes certainly rode a decent amount of luck with a couple of their tries, but there was no doubt that they were the better side on the day. Moseley were left to reflect on what could have been on the way back.
Moseley remain eighth in the league table, but the teams ahead have pulled away slightly, while the gap to eleventh place has narrowed to five points. Bishop’s Stortford and Dings Crusaders are snapping at their heels, while only London Scottish are less than one win ahead in seventh place. It will be vital to take any points, win, draw or bonus, from the next two games which pit Moseley against top three sides, before an easier run of fixtures comes into view.
Round 10 brings us back to Billesley, and the visit of table-toppers and longstanding rivals Plymouth Albion. Albion are having an outstanding season, and clearly have their sights on the single automatic promotion place. They have won nine games out of nine, have scored 70 tries and 471 points overall, and have a colossal points difference of +320, though that is perhaps slightly inflated due to a 102-0 victory over an injury-ravaged Cambridge in October. Additionally, only one team has actually earned a bonus point against them, this being Bishop’s Stortford who took a try bonus from a 40-54 loss a couple of weeks ago. This Plymouth side is clearly a formidable proposition and Moseley will be aware of that.
The head-to-head record shows that from 44 matches, Moseley have won 15 and Albion 27. Last season both matches went Albion’s way, ad 36-21 victory at the Brickfields being followed by a 20-27 win at Billesley. In fact we have to go back to December 2022 to find Moseley’s most recent triumph in this fixture, a 35-14 win at Billesley Common when Moseley went three tries ahead before Plymouth woke up. But Albion have clearly built up their squad since then and have ambitions to rise to higher levels. Moseley do have a decent home record to look to, of course. Are Plymouth unbeatable? We must hope not, and that, like Tonbridge, Billesley can be the place where their run ends. But it is a tough ask, no doubt about it.
Top of Albion’s try-scoring rankings is Noah Fenton, a wing in his second season at the Brickfields, having come from Taunton via Exeter University. His eighteen tries are double those of his nearest challenger, back row Sam Daly, a veteran who has been at the club since 2016. We must note, however, that Fenton filled his boots with six tries in the demolition of Cambridge. He is also the club’s top scorer with 90 points, the kicking duties being shared between fly-half Iwan Jenkins (76 points) and full-backFrankie Dart (36 points). Dart is a familiar name, having been at Plymouth since 2024, while Jenkins arrived in 2025 from the Cornish Pirates.
Tries for Moseley at Leeds came from hooker Ben Pogson, his sixth making him leading try-scorer, flanker Morgan Dawes, his fourth, and wing Austin Nevitt, crossing for the first time since the opening game of the season. Fly-half Harry Read converted two to move to 61 points. All will be hoping to make their mark again this weekend, along with the many other Moseley players who have made a contribution.
A return to home turf, where there is a winning record to defend, will be welcome for the team, even though the scale of the challenge ahead of them cannot be underestimated. Moseley will be looking to play their own game on their own pitch, and to be prepared to defend as though their lives depend on it when that is needed. What is also needed is the support of a loyal home crowd, so let’s all be there for them at Billesley, and back them to the hilt with the passionate cry:
“Come on Moseley”
