BUCS Scottish Tier 1 – Week 5 Power Rankings
- Ramona Kohl
- 31m
- 4 min read
Edinburgh Napier Knights (2-0)
Last year’s Scottish champions have continued true to form this year so far. A big 35-0 win in week 2 over Stirling cemented the Knights as contenders once again, with a well-rounded offensive performance leading the way. They added a second shutout with a 53-0 victory against Heriot-Watt.
Napier’s offense has an arsenal of weapons at its disposal, from the veteran offensive line to a number of under-19 graduates in the receiving room. They are spearheaded by the duo of quarterback Cameron Dunn and running back Archie Inglis. The pair have combined for twelve touchdowns over the first two fixtures, whilst the defence has yet to concede a point.
Edinburgh Napier now faces the 2-0 University of Edinburgh for a capital city grudge match.
Stirling Clansmen (1-1)
The Clansmen have been striving to top the Scottish division since it was reformed, but have played second-fiddle to the Knights, who knocked them out of the playoffs in last year’s quarter-final. The trend continued in their season opener as they were unable to score a single point against the reigning division champions.
Stirling hoped to get back on track with a trip up to Aberdeen, but they will have to wait as it was ruled a walkover. They certainly have the talent to make a splash, with tight-end Ben Gove leading a star-studded receiving corps. Rookie quarterback Jonny Taylor will look to take the starting spot after leading his local club to a National Final and appearing for Great Britain under-19.
The Clansmen return to action against the 0-3 Heriot-Watt Wolverines, who should present a softer target. Stirling will be eager to prove they are a top three team and get their first points of the season.
University of Edinburgh Mavericks (2-0)
The University of Edinburgh underwent dramatic changes last offseason, bringing in a new coaching staff made up of former Edinburgh Wolves veterans. Led by Dave Orr, the staff will look to elevate the standard at one of Scotland’s largest universities.
The Mavericks finished third place last season and slipped into the playoffs before losing to Edinburgh Napier. The rivalry between these two teams runs deep, with their annual varsity game attracting large crowds to Meggetland Stadium.
Edinburgh had a delayed start to the season after their home opener against Aberdeen was postponed. They debuted against the Glasgow Tigers and put together a strong performance to win 22-0. The defence under coordinator Ross Young shut down a Tigers team that scored 30 the previous outing, with second year linebacker Mark Carolan making his presence felt off the edge.
They will face a true test this week against the undefeated Knights at Peffermill. The offense will need to find another gear if they hope to keep up with the explosive scoring potential of their Napier counterparts.
Glasgow University Tigers (2-1)
Glasgow came into the season as a team to watch, with a consistently strong defence complimented by a rejuvenated offence under new coordinator Mikey Reynolds.
A strong core of players going into their second year provides a solid foundation for the team to build their way up the rankings. Quarterback Reece Aris brings experience from his club at East Kilbride as well as Scotland and Great Britain.
Glasgow came out strong in their first game against Heriot-Watt, winning 30-0. Unfortunately, Aris suffered a hand injury in the first game that has handicapped the Tigers’ passing attack. The next game was in stark contrast as they fell 0-22 to the University of Edinburgh. Whilst the defence kept the pressure on Edinburgh, nifty running was not enough to get the one-dimensional Tigers offense into the endzone.
They got the chance to bounce back in the return fixture against Heriot-Watt, coming away with a narrow 19-12 win to take into the bye.
Heriot-Watt Wolverines (0-3)
Heriot-Watt have shown so far that they have fallen off greatly from last season. Without their offensive core from last year, a clean slate of rookies has been thrust into action. First year Head Coach Daryl Thomson has rejoined the team after two seasons away, alongside stalwart DC Stewart Winton.
The Wolverines began this season with a disappointing pair of losses to Glasgow (0-30) and Edinburgh Napier (0-53). The lack of experience showed on offence with more penalties than points.
The sole bright spot on defence was captain Abdul Senussi. The veteran linebacker came up to make multiple stops against the Napier offence but will need some more support from his teammates if the Wolverines are hoping to contend in the division.
They showed slight improvement with a 12-19 loss to the Tigers last weekend and hope to continue to build as they play Stirling this week.
Aberdeen Bulls (0-2)
Aberdeen remains at the bottom of the table after scraping by last season with four walkovers. They have started this year with a pair of walkovers, as the league question how long they can keep the charade going. After hosting Stirling for a scrimmage the previous weekend, it remains to be seen if they will attend their next away fixture against Heriot-Watt.
The Bulls have another week to get themselves together before they need to travel down to Edinburgh for their best chance at a competitive game this year.
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