Well, after all the hours spent analysing squads, recruitment, pre-season form and trying to work out who was going to finish where, National One has apparently decided to throw the form book straight out of the window on the opening day!
I don’t think anybody could have predicted quite what we witnessed yesterday.
There were seven games, 13 teams scoring 20+ points, 600+ points across the fixtures and some absolutely extraordinary results.
And, rather wonderfully, my pre-season predictions have already been given a good kicking!
Plymouth Albion 61–17 at Rosslyn ParkLet’s start with the obvious one.
61–17.
I had Plymouth as champions and Rosslyn Park second, but I certainly didn’t have this in mind!
Plymouth didn’t just win at The Rock — they absolutely demolished one of the sides I expected to challenge them for the title.
That’s an enormous statement from Albion.
After one game I’m certainly not going to start handing them the trophy, but if you’re looking for an early title marker, this is it.
Rosslyn Park, meanwhile, have got some serious thinking to do.
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Sale FC 50–22 at RamsAnd then there’s this.
I had Rams third and Sale fourth.
Sale have responded by going to Old Bath Road and putting 50 points on Rams.
That’s some way to announce yourself.
I’ve been saying I think Sale are a top-five team, but after yesterday I’m beginning to wonder whether I’ve actually underestimated them.
Rams will need to respond quickly, because one bad afternoon doesn’t suddenly turn a good squad into a bad one.
But that is a result you simply can’t ignore.
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Camborne 38–36 at LeedsWelcome to National One, Camborne!
A 38–36 win away at Leeds is some introduction.
I thought Camborne could surprise a few people this season, but scoring 38 points in Yorkshire and coming away with the win is an even bigger statement than I expected.
They’ve certainly shown that they’re not here just to make up the numbers.
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Bishop’s Stortford 52–42 Dings94 points!
What a game.
Stortford did what I expected and took the win, but conceding 42 means Dings deserve plenty of credit too.
I’ve always thought the Bristol connection could make Dings an awkward side for people this season and yesterday certainly didn’t change my mind.
They may have lost, but scoring 42 away from home tells us there’s plenty of attacking ability there.
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London Scottish 53–27 at Bury St. EdmundsThis was probably the least surprising result in terms of the winner, but the margin certainly caught my attention.
Scottish’s Championship experience looks like it could be extremely valuable.
Bury will have tougher afternoons than they were accustomed to in National Two, but 27 points against a side of Scottish’s quality is something to build on.
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Tonbridge Juddians 31–26 SheffieldA much closer game than I predicted.
Sheffield deserve credit for that.
A five-point defeat away at an established National One club isn’t a bad introduction to this level at all.
TJs will be happy with the win, but Sheffield have shown that they aren’t going to roll over.
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Moseley 38–33 CambridgeAnd finally…
Moseley!
I had them finishing bottom.
They’ve responded by putting 38 points on the board and beating Cambridge.
I’m not going to pretend I’ve suddenly changed my entire prediction after one game, but I’ll happily admit that Moseley have already given me something to think about.
They looked like a team that were determined to prove the doubters wrong.
And I’m sure their supporters will be reminding me of this result for the rest of the season!
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SO WHAT HAVE WE LEARNED?Probably not as much as we’d like after one round!
But there are definitely some early signs.
Plymouth look frightening. Sale have immediately put themselves into the conversation. Camborne look perfectly capable of competing at this level. Stortford remain a serious side. London Scottish look like they have the experience to go a long way. Moseley have already upset the script.And at the other end…
Rams and Rosslyn Park have some explaining to do!
But that’s the beauty of National One.
We can analyse squads until we’re blue in the face, but once the whistle goes, none of it matters.
And after one round, I’m certainly not throwing away the predictions I made before the season.
But I am putting a large question mark next to quite a few of them!
One thing I think we can safely say after Day 1…
This is going to be some season.
