BUAFL Top 5 Rivalry Matchups This Weekend

 Worcester @ Gloucester is just one of the rivalry matchups to feature this weekend.

Photo courtesy of Paul@photographers-united.com  

We’ve all being waiting for it and finally we have reached the biggest week in the season so far! No we’re not talking about Super Bowl week; we’re talking about BUAFL rivalry weekend!

This week’s Top 5 will be dedicated to the biggest matches of the weekend in our opinion. Some games will affect the playoff outcome, whilst others are all about pride and glory.

Note – UWE and Bristol face off on the 12^th of February so they are excluded from the list!

So…without any further ado it’s time to list the teams that didn’t quite make the cut.

Coventry Jets @ Warwick Wolves – Whilst this is a relatively new rivalry, these two teams have already forged a disliking off each other. This could be down to the fact that Coventry thought they’d be the new up and coming team in the MAC, but have been put in their place of late. I remember when these two teams faced off against each other last season, there was a lot of talk from the Cov players saying how they would dominate the game and comfortable win their first BUAFL meeting. That wasn’t the case as the Wolves won 13-6. Don’t expect a classic game as these two teams are currently sitting at 0-4 and 1-3, but expect a game that could spring a few surprises and establish which team is the true leader of this varsity matchup.

Leeds Carnegie @ Leeds Celtics – In quite possibly the most open conference in the league, this week game see’s the Celtics and Carnegie facing each other, with the winner getting back into the playoff race, and the loser all but out of the hunt. The Celtics will be hoping their offence can score on the daunting Carnegie defence who have only conceded 13 points all season! Last year it was Carnegie who came away victorious when they beat the Celtics 7-6.

The Clinic: A Series on the Endicott Gulls Defence - DL Skills and Drills

Jason Scott has just completed his first season as the Defensive Line coach for the Endicott College Gulls, during which the Blue and Green finished 10-1 and won the program's first ECAC Bowl. The Gulls had the best rushing defense in the conference, and 10th best in the nation, surrendering - on average - only 87 rushing yards per game. They were also the the only team in the NEFC who kept opposition offenses to under 1000 total yards for the season.

Before heading to Massachussetts, Coach Scott was the Head Coach of the Loughborough University Aces, who he led to a 46-6-1 regular season record over his six years in charge. Those seasons also included three conference titles, and four divisional championships.

He also was instrumental in the rise of the Tamworth Phoenix, as he masterminded their defense for four years - from their inaugral season in 2007 to their 2010 Division 1 championship. Over the course of their first three seasons in the league, he helped coordinate a stifling defense which was responsible for over 50 turnovers, and shut-out offenses in 14 of their 39 fixtures.

Scott was born and raised in Preston, Lancashire. He studied for a year in Canada, before moving onto Loughborough University where he attained a degree in Sports and Exercise Science and a masters in Coaching Studies.

GB Lions Jnr Trial Report

On a freezing cold day in Hertfordshire, 70+  players vying for a spot on the GB Lions Junior roster gathered at the de Havilland campus, home of the BUAFL Hertfordshire Hurricanes, to take part in the latest trials.

Under the watchful gaze of head coach Damien Anderson and his staff, players from around the country were put through their paces with representatives from the Cambridge Cats, London Warriors, London Blitz, Farnham Knights, London Renegades, Bristol Aztecs, Hertfordshire Hurricanes and more making an appearance.

BUAFL Rivalry Week!

This week the stars at BUAFL HQ have aligned in the sky's of the schedule gods and given us a plethora of rivalry games to cover this weekend. To pick but a few:

Borders

Edinburgh Predators @ EN Knights

Glasgow Tigers @ UWS Pyros

Sunderland Spartans @ Newcastle Raiders

Northern

Leeds Carnegie @ Leeds Celtics

MMU Eagles @ Manchester Tyrants

Sheffield Sabres @ Hallam Warriors

MAC

NTU Renegades @ Nottingham Outlaws

Leicester Longhorns @ DMU Falcons

Worcester Royals @ Gloucester Gladiators (Sat 4th)

SWAC

Bath Spa Bulldogs @ Bath Killer Bees

Exeter Demons @ Plymouth Blitz

SEC

Canterbury Chargers @ Kent Falcons 

Anglia Ruskin Phantoms @ Essex Blades

KCL Regents @ Westminster Dragons

TVC

Reading Knights @ BNU Buccaneers

Portsmouth Destroyers @ Solent Redhawks

We will be trying to do more in depth coverage of these games to bring the rivalry alive, so if you are a rep of this team please email us with your teams contact details so we can hype your game up! dblcoverage@hotmail.co.uk

BUAFL Week Seven Power Rankings - Ranks 1-15

Part two of our rankings sees the return of the BUAFL powerhouse's, a tie in the top 5 and slide for a team who many predicted to win! To remind you, this is how the rankings washed out last time.

1. Hertfordshire Hurricanes (5-0)

The number one team in our power rankings at the end of 2011 start 2012 still atop the leader board. No game for the ‘Canes this week as they kick start their campaign in two weeks’ time in a top 10 matchup against the Kent Falcons, which if they win they will surely cement their place as number 1!

2. Birmingham Lions (5-0)

The only team in the top six who were supposed to have a game this week, unfortunately for all those involved with the Lions, Lincoln ended up forfeiting the game due to injuries. With no game this week Birmingham had plenty of time to train before their game against Derby on the 12^th of February. They will obviously be buoyed by an early victory in our Facebook page picture competition!