Rugby: Douglas pushing for points at Winnington Park

Vikings and Nomads face off as Manx Shield returns

Report by Dave Christian:

With just three to play Douglas’ season in Regional 2 North West is almost done, they head for Winnington Park this week looking for some late points to boost them up the table and give them a fighting chance of a fifth or sixth place finish.

It looks unlikely though as after this their two matches are against the newly crowned champs Birkenhead Park and second place Firwood Waterloo. 

As the Birkenhead game was postponed due to Manannan’s cloak and 'Park' are now league winners already it seems unlikely that this game will take place at all. 

Waterloo by contrast are locked into second place with Bowdon and are unlikely to take their foot off the gas - this trip to Winnington Park therefore presents Douglas with their best chance for points.

Douglas won 24-17 in the reverse game but Winnington Park are statistically stronger at home so one last big effort will be required by the Douglas squad.

Manx Shield returns

With the excitement of the 6 Nations and the Cheshire Plate all behind us, the rugby season gets back underway this Saturday. 

Vagabonds Ladies have finished their fixture list while Vagas men have just one remaining on 6 April and can take a breather - this leaves the Manx Shield and a tie between Western Vikings and Southern Nomads.

Ramsey currently top the standings and have a 15-point lead but Vikings and Nomads are in second and third place and they had a proper ding-dong at Ballakilley last time out, the game was finely balanced at half time with Nomads running away with it in the final twenty minutes.

Last Saturday Vikings held Ramsey to 7-0 at half time and 28-0 by the end - they tackled hard, scrummaged hard and ran hard for the whole game but leaked three tries between fifty and sixty minutes which cost them the game.

What will matter this week is what the injury cost was, Jack Goodwin left the field early with an arm injury and Sam Tarpey also departed early although he may have been suffering with the cold. 

With a full-strength team Vikings should make Nomads work for the points, the Southerners have a good pairing at half back and on their day pace in the back line. 

They were nilled by Vagabonds in the Cup and will want to try and bounce back from that as quickly as possible.

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