MATCH PREVIEW: AMPTHILL (A)

After a strong opening display, we now take to the road to face Ampthill for this weekend’s round two encounter.

About the opposition:

After another strong campaign in 2021/22, Ampthill have made some astute signings to help bolster their squad.

The Mob have brought in a good balance of players, some with Premiership experience, as well as established Championship names. Back-row Caleb Montgomery comes in from Worcester Warriors, while fly-half/centre Tom Hardwick has experience at Leicester Tigers and Exeter Chiefs.

Syd Blackmore (Pirates), Jake Ellwood, Harry Wilson, Sam Hanks (all London Scottish), Charlie Gowling (Richmond) and Pete White (Coventry) are all proven performers within the league and will be eager to develop further at Ampthill.

In terms of those who have left the club, they have only lost seven players during the off-season. Although this number is smaller than most, fly-half Russell Bennett moving to Jersey Reds is a big loss, as is prop Jamie Jack moving north of the border to Edinburgh.

What to expect:

Travelling to Ampthill is always a tough place to go and play due to the passionate support and unique setup at Dillingham Park.

Last weekend, the Mob welcomed Jersey Reds to Bedfordshire for their Championship opener, but were undone by a slow start. Jersey raced out to a 19-0 lead inside 25 minutes and had secured the bonus point by half-time.

Ampthill did well to fight back during the second period, scoring three tries in all, with Ollie Stonham, Rekeiti Ma’asi-White-White and Theo Dan all crossing, but the Reds ran out 36-21 victors.

Ampthill Head Coach said: “We prepared well and knew what Jersey are about but we were still tactically naive. We improved in the second half but have a lot to work on before Ealing visit next Saturday.”