BAFA Week 14 Power Rankings

It’s clinching season. With only a handful of weeks left in the Britball season, it is crunch time in the Premiership. Over the next few weeks, playoff seeding will be finalized, and the relegation battles will find their conclusion. So let’s take a quick look back on the last few weeks of Premiership Britball and see how our rankings have been affected.

---

Are the Warriors Beatable?

Another two commanding victories for the London Warriors (#1) as we saw them host the Knights and Blitz in back-to-back weeks, emerging with 43-0 and 40-0 wins respectively. While nobody really backed the Knights for a shock result here, the result against the Blitz holds some significance for one reason: the Warriors have now beaten everyone in the Premiership South, conceding only 26 points in the process. They are the only undefeated team left at the Premiership level, and to put it frankly, look unstoppable - and thanks to their squad’s strength and depth, I am sure that OC Ian Carpenter (Coach Carp) will be able to keep their offense rolling despite the not-insignificant loss of RB Andy Owusu, who is on his way to Spain as the newest member of the Madrid Bravos.

---

Blitz Losing Control

After QB Amreese Singh Dhillon led the London Blitz (#4) to a 2-point victory over the Bristol Aztecs (#2) last time out, the Blitz found themselves 6-1 with 3 games to play, and in total control of their playoff hopes. However, with three games left (2 of which were against the Warriors), they still had a lot to do, and after being dismantled 40-0 by their cross-city rivals, the Blitz’s position is much more tenuous - and this is why they have dropped a spot in the rankings this week. Yes, they still sit at the #2 spot in the Premiership South table, but with Bristol holding their match-up’s tiebreaker by way of a 44-33 aggregate scoreline, it would be the Aztecs qualifying for the playoffs if both sides were to finish with the same record (they currently have the same number of losses, and Bristol has played 2 fewer games at this point). Both teams will have to face the Warriors at home before the end of the season, and if either can find a way to escape with a result, then that would almost certainly see them into the playoffs.

---

More Madness in the North

Despite not playing for 2 weeks, the Manchester Titans (#3) find themselves up a spot, back to where I had them pre-season. Thanks to results going in their favor, they have returned to the top of the Premiership North and look in prime position to host either the Aztecs or the Blitz in the playoff semi-final. 

However, since George Hatfield has taken over at QB for the Coventry Phoenix (#5), their offense seems as though it is finding their feet, scoring 52 points in their last two fixtures - having totalled 61 points in the 4 games prior to the switch. They are currently 2nd in the Premiership North and are in control of their playoff berth; winning their final two games (including a trip to the Belle Vue Speedway to face the Titans on the final day of the season) would see them steal the #1 seed and the all-important home playoff game. 

Although, thanks to last week’s 28-28 tie, the East Kilbride Pirates (#6) hold the series tiebreaker over the ‘Nix with an aggregate 46-44 scoreline. This means that if EKP were to win-out, and Coventry fail to do the same, the Scottish team could jump up into that 2nd position and book a date with, presumably, the London Warriors – a round-trip of over 800 miles and over 16 hours on the road. With both Cam Dunn and Logan Gallacher taking snaps at QB last time out, the defense recording their first shut-out of the season, and with only home games left, they will certainly feel as though their squad is ready for any eventuality in the run-in. It is impossible to forget, however, that they also have to face the Titans again before the end of the regular season. Last time, the Pirates found themselves on the wrong end of a 36-7 scoreline, but with this being such an important game for both teams (and taking the nearly 4 hour drive into account), this one could easily go either way.

---

Up and… Staying!

There we have it folks, BOTH newly promoted teams have clinched safety from relegation back to Division 1!

Firstly, the Rushmoor Knights (#7) sealed mathematical safety with a 30-6 win over the Cambridgeshire Cats (#10) which takes them to 3-5 and secures the tiebreaker over the Cats. A week after struggling to move the ball against the Warriors’ immense defense, the Knights welcomed back RB Harvey Macey and QB Manny Chrispin - who tore the Cats to pieces: Macey rushed for 3TDs and around 150 yards, while Chrispin also created havoc with his legs before finding WR Travis Carpenter in the endzone. As well as a bounceback performance for Rushmoor’s offense, they will be treating this as their first defensive shutout back in the top flight, considering that Cambridgeshire’s lone score was via a kick-off return. It has, as expected, been an up and down season for the Knights, but now they have guaranteed another year of Premiership football, they are in an excellent position to continue strengthening and consolidate their position at this level; with their proven ability to recruit young high-quality players, and with their U19 team recently sealing another Division title, the future's looking bright in Rushmoor.

In contrast, the Nottingham Caesars (#8), whose U19 team have also clinched a division title this week, will feel significantly more lucky to be out of the relegation battle in the Premiership North. Sitting at 1-5, the latest standings on League Republic show them sitting bottom of the division, and behind in a key series after a 6-10 loss to the Newcastle Vikings (#11) back in April. So how exactly are they safe? Well, after the Vikings’ shocked everyone and forfeited their scheduled trip to Manchester last week, article 14.9 of the Contact Competition Rules and Regulations - 2025 comes into effect, and the Vikings will be automatically relegated to Division 1; there will now no longer be a promotion/relegation playoff between the Division 1 North runner up and the lowest ranking Premiership North side (we will do a piece on the Division 1 playoff structure as we approach the postseason). It isn’t all doom and gloom for Nottingham though. In the absence of QB Liam MacGovern in recent weeks through injury, Nate Wilson has stepped up admirably to lead their offense, but what MacGovern offers as a dual-threat QB has been sorely missed. If their defense can carry the momentum of a largely positive season into the next campaign, and the offense can solidify a ground attack (which has looked extremely competent at points this year) is clearly at the heart of this playbook, then the Caesars could be a very exciting team to follow in 2026.

---

Teams in Trouble

The Hertfordshire Cheetahs (#9) and the Cambridgeshire Cats (#10) jump up a spot in these league-wide rankings thanks to the Vikings’ struggles to field a team. However, it unfortunately does not change the picture in the Premiership South. Currently sitting at 1-6 and 0-7 respectively, the only thing separating them was a 10-8 victory for the Cheetahs when they hosted the Cats earlier this month – and it is hard to find positives for either side. In terms of points scored across the season, Cambridgeshire are narrowly ahead (33-32), and both teams have conceded a whopping and improbably identical 269 points (please check League Republic to see for yourself, I didn’t believe it either). With the Warriors and Blitz still to play, it is understandable to presume that the Cats’ last hope for survival lies in their home game vs the Cheetahs on the 20th of July, which could play out to be a winner-takes-it-all fixture. The Cheetahs will, however, have another realistic opportunity to save themselves after that fixture; they host the Rushmoor Knights on the season’s final weekend, a team they only lost to by 5 points in their last meeting. The conclusion of the Premiership South is definitely not to be missed.

The Newcastle Vikings (#11) are unfortunately as good as done now though. A year after reaching the heights of playoff qualification in their first season since promotion, they are facing a league-enforced drop back down to Division 1 - a level where they were so dominant for so long. It has yet to be confirmed by the league, but my understanding of the rules as outlined in the aforementioned competition regulations is that it could become much worse for the Vikings. If they fail to fulfil another fixture, their automatic relegation could become an automatic demotion further down the pyramid; with the worst-case scenario being an enforced period of time at the non-competitive associate level. Considering that the Vikings have been such a central team in the landscape of Britball for so long, this would be disastrous for both the league as a whole and for the players and coaches who have worked so hard to get this team to a competitive level within the top division. I can only hope that they are able to fulfil all of the remaining fixtures this season to avoid further sanctions, and that we see them back in the top flight soon.