NL1 Promotion Play-off: Blackheath v Plymouth Albion
By Dark Prophet
May 7 2026
The NL1 Playoff game is upon us with Albion making their way to face Blackheath at Kidbrooke Lane.
Having lost their way a little at the tail end of the season Albion lost their grip on second place and with it the play-off home advantage to Blackheath, the only team to have beaten Albion twice this season. Meanwhile, Blackheath closed off the regular season with a run of 10 wins, so form-wise the advantage is with Blackheath.
For Albion, the main task is to stop Blackheath's catch and drive game. This will require discipline, concentration and patience. Not giving away penalties will go a long way towards this and having a steady scrum will reduce the penalties. The recent return of Dan Pullinger has been a strong boost as the pack has missed both him and Jenson Broughton. The recent additions of Josh MacAndrew and Corrie Barrett have also helped to provide more options for the front row.
Defensively, Blackheath are strong, although the centres may have a chance of threading their way through. This may be the game for Albion to use a few disruptive tactics to put Blackheath's defence off-guard, keeping the ball moving and not providing a chance for the defence to settle.
The referee will be Ben Rayner, who issued 11 cards over 14 games in NL1 this season - one of the most lenient. He refereed for the Blackheath v Leeds match which saw a spirited effort by Leeds to try and claim a point, and also Sale v Albion which put Albion into 3rd place. Three Blackheath players have received red cards this season - one dismissed, one reduced to yellow and the third not resulting in any suspension.
Player to watch: Billy Harding - a whopping 47 tries this season - fantastic achievement, but also look out for Scrum Half, Jordan Burns who has collected 15.
Weather: Early morning sunshine will give way to overcast conditions, with increasing chances of rain by the time the game ends. A gentle to fresh Easterly breeze will blow from the clubhouse corner. Temperatures to rise to a balmy 20ºC.
Prediction: A massively difficult game for Albion who will likely come away defeated if they can't stop the mauls.