Vagabonds Rugby Club face a tough test at home this Saturday in Counties Three ADM Lancashire/Cheshire when third-placed Bury come to town.

Vagas were winless after six games so far and are in 12th place in comparison.

Bury’s record is 100 percent: they’ve played five, won five and picked up five bonus points too. They only sit in third by virtue of having played one game less than the top two.

Worthy of note is beating Fleetwood back in September and Vagas shipping more than 60 points at Fleetwood a fortnight ago.

But this game should be a little different. For starters, it’s at Ballafletcher and the usual travel difficulties may affect the Bury travelling squad.

Vagas should also have a better chance of getting their full squad out too. They struggled at Fleetwood especially after suffering some early forced changes, but on home turf they could be different and in fact they’ll have to be.

Bury have conceded only 74 points in five matches and have the tightest defence in the league. The other availability issue could be the England v New Zealand game at Twickenham which is always a draw for rugby aficionados including players.

Vagas’ home strength has been in the front five. Mitch Wells and Joe Louw are a formidable combination at prop and Matt Rockwell offers massive commitment at hooker. Ryan Pope and Jon Ferguson have worked well in the second row and around the park too.

With quality set piece ball, playmaker Dan Bonwick should have some space to work his magic.

Regan Williams and Joe Louw both guested for Western Vikings last week and bagged three tries between them, so are clearly showing the kind of form Vagas need to pick up their first win.

Historically the two have only met twice previously and, with the stat sheet showing one win apiece, there’s plenty of incentive to put in a good showing.

Vagas women also facing Bury

In a rather unique inter-club double, Vagabonds women also host Bury at Ballafletcher on Saturday in Women’s NC2 North (South).

But their task doesn’t look as daunting as that facing the men. In the women’s league Bury have played two and lost two, while Vagas are one from three and sitting in third spot in the standings.

Both have lost to Winnington Park, but Bury’s loss came at home which suggests this could be Vagas’ day.

The Manx side’s big guns return this week too: Sammie Macdonald returns at nine, Becky Dunne at 10 with Lauren Ellison and Jules Harrison also returning in the backline.

None of these were available for the trip to Winnington Park where Vagas scored six tries despite losing. If the full pack of forwards is available too, they should be tough to crack.

The two sides haven’t met previously in league competition so there’s no history to use as a benchmark. But Vagas have been working hard on their defensive line since Winnington Park and, with home advantage and a big crowd, they’ll be well up for this game.

FIXTURES

Saturday, November 2:

Counties Three ADM Lancashire/Cheshire

Vagabonds v Bury @ Ballafletcher ko 2pm

Women’s NC2 North (South)

Vagabonds v Bury @ Ballafletcher ko 12.45pm

Under-15s friendly

Vagabonds v Bury @ Ballafletcher ko 12pm

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Sunday, November 3:

Under-15s friendly

Ramsey v Bury @ Mooragh Park ko 11am

DAVE CHRISTIAN