Round 16: Leicester Lions v Albion
By Dark Prophet
January 16 2026
This weekend Albion pay a visit to Leicester Lions for a 2pm kick off at Lutterworth Road, Blaby.
In their third season in NL1 the Lions have had a troubled campaign leaving them firmly at the bottom of the table, They have only posted 2 wins to date and are currently on a run of 7 losses.
Albion have previously met Lions on 5 occasions winning 4, with the latest being the reverse fixture earlier in the season where Albion won 45-22. The 19-12 defeat was at Lutterworth Road a couple of seasons ago where Albion scored a late try to secure point.
The two teams relative positions are, not unsurprisingly, reflected in the scoring analysis. Albion have scored 5.5 tries per game compared to the Lions 3.2 (11th worst but earning them 7 TBP). Meanwhile Lions have conceded at an average rate of 6 per game - the worst in the league, against to Albion's 3.1.
The Lions are generally consistent throughout a game, fading a little in the 3rd quarter before fresh legs are applied, Althogh defensively, there may also be signs of fate acceptance towards the end of the game. Lions' strengths lie within the pack who have contributed most of their tries, with the front three claiming a third of their tries, although they are not very good at stopping tries. The flankers also have contributed a fair few.
Among the backs they lack any serious threat with only the centres posting respectable figures. They seem particularly exposed on the wing and offer up opportunities through the scrum half position.
We can expect a dominant performance from Albion with the pack mauling at every opportunity. If the ball comes out to the backs, Jack will be in his element finding gaps in the defence. Meanwhile, there will be opportunities to punish the Lions through the rest of the back line.
The referee for the day should be George Ounsley who has been regular this season in NL1. To date he has issued 10 cards across 10 games, 8 of them against the away team, Curiously, he awarded the 2 home cards to the Lions during the first game he was in charge. Mr Ounsley also refereed the Blackheath v Albion Fixture - he presented 3 yellows to Albion on that occasion.
Player to watch - Bronson Mellowes - the Lions top scorer, the prop is in his second year at the Leicester Tigers Academy. Featured in 11 games this season, mostly from the bench. Also, we may see Zack Wimbush turn out for Albion. A seasoned outside centre, Zack joins Albion on loan from the Chiefs. Could well make international level at some point in his career.
Weather - A gloomy start to the day will give way to sunny intervals for the game. A light to gentle breeze will blow the length of the pitch from the car park end. Chilly.
Prediction: Should be a comfortable win for Albion. Lions do have the capacity to cause a shock, demonstrated by a victory against as one of the aforementioned wins.
Other games of note:
Rosslyn Park (5th) v Blackheath (2nd) - Can Park end their current woes and their season back on track? Albion face Park next week which would be an tougher fixture if they secure a win. A loss for Blackheath will give Albion to add some distance at the top of the table.
Bishops Stortford (8th) v Rotherham Titans (3rd} - This could be a tight game. Rotherham, although with a game in hand, will need to win this one.
Dings Crusaders (11th) v Birmingham Moseley (10th} - With both teams on 30 point and 1 point off the relegation zone, both sides will be looking at this game to gain some breathing space from the relegation battle. Could be a high scoring, but close battle.
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He is listed as a prop on the Tigers site.
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