Round 6: Sale FC v Plymouth Albion
By Dark Prophet
October 8 2026
Time to put last weekend's extraordinary events behind us as Albion make their way to Greater Manchester to take on Sale FC. Kick-off this Saturday is at 14:30.
The Dogs started their season well placing them as a contender for one of the top 3 positions. Their progress has been marred by a narrow home defeat to fellow contenders Tonbridge Juddians and missing out on a TBP at Leeds. This has left them 4 points behind Albion & TJs and with the following week's opponents, Camborne, snapping at their heels - one point behind.
Albion will be looking to extend their 100% record to 6 wins, knowing that this counts as one of the key matches of the season. They will also be seeking a little payback as it was Sale that pushed Albion into 3rd place last season by winning 29-26 at Heywood Road.
Averaging 7 tries per game (2nd best), The Dogs favour using their back line in offense with nearly 70% of their tries being from this area. Noteably, Albion will be need to be aware of a poacher at scrum half the position from which at least 5 tries have been scored. The Dogs will also look to their wings where they have scored over a quarter of their tries, whilst mixing it up a little with their centres.
Defensively, The Dogs are quite strong with the 3rd best record to date, having conceded 22 tries (avg 4.5), behind Albion and Leeds, with not much of a split between forwards & backs (45/55) and fairly evenly spread out within the two groups, Albion will face a challenge to find the gaps in the defence.
It is likely that a battle of the forwards will ensue with Sale more likely to release the ball to the backs while Albion seek to exert dominance and control. As a consequence Albion's backs will need to be on their toes in defence, and will have to work hard to capitalise on any ball they see. Sale will likely try and stifle the game in the first half and will look to gain the upper hand in the second. However, this may leave opportunities for Albion to capitalise on a weakening defence.
Player to watch: Joe Green - 4 tries in 3 games - the scrum half with plenty of Championship experience could be a bit slippery.
The referee has yet to be named, but whoever it is will be aware that Sale with 2 yellow cards and Albion with 3 are two of the sides with the best disciplinary records this season.
Weather (at 8 Mar 14:00) - Light showers with sunny intervals. A moderate breeze with very strong gusts will blow from the western end of the pitch. Temperature will be cool at 12°C (feels like 10°C).
Prediction: A hard fought win for Albion. Probably with the TBP.
Other games of note:
Bishops Stortford (5th) v Tonbridge Juddians (2nd} - TJs also looking to extend their 100% record, visit a Blues side recovering from an upset at the hands of Bury St Edmunds last weekend. Probable TJs win, but all 5 games to date have with 5 points.
Dings Crusaders (9th) v Leeds Tykes (7th} - Only one point between them, Ding's, narrowly lost to TJ's last week, can expect to leapfrog the Tyke whose two wins have come against Cambridge and London Scottish.
Cambridge (14th) v Camborne (4th) - Camborne will be licking their lips following Albion's demolition job last week. Cambridge will be hoping to field a stronger side in an effort to bring to an end a winless streak that goes back to January 2025.