Round 2 of the AASE League was a thriller, with four of the seven games decided by seven points or less.

It also saw a change at the top of the table in both the Northern and Southern conferences. Perhaps the most impressive is in the South, where Exeter College have taken top spot in this their first season back in the AASE League.

They steal top spot from Hartpury College following a brilliant 28-0 win away at Truro College, who are now the only side in the South without a point. It was a superb win for Exeter College, following on from that excellent opening result against Filton, leaving them with a maximum ten points.

Hartpury College slip to second after finding themselves in a real dog fight against Henley College. They have not lost since 2014 but came perilously close here, however the seven time champions secured a 12-8 victory for their second win of the campaign, albeit without a bonus point.

That result suggests that Henley College are a force this year, and another force could be last year’s new boys, Beechen Cliff. They beat Ivybridge 36-8 last week and followed it up this week with a nail biting 19-18 victory over their local rivals SGS Filton College, a true Bath v Bristol encounter.

The fourth game in the South was another classic, with St Paul’s Catholic College securing their first win of the season by beating Ivybridge 33-30. Both sides secured try scoring bonus points in a game that was full of tries and excitement, with the result leaving St Pauk’s in 5^th and Ivybridge in 6^th.

In the Northern Conference Bishop Burton College made their AASE League debut. However it was not the debut they would have hoped for as Worcester 6^th form College stole the show and charged to a stunning 67-0 victory that sees them fly straight to the top of the table. Marry that result with last week’s away win at Wyggeston, and Worcester have the look of a very dangerous side this year.

That was likely a tough result for Wyggeston to swallow last week, but it get even tougher this week as they lost their second game in a row. Myerscough responded brilliantly to last week’s horrible opening against Gosforth to secure a superb 17-10 against Hartpury’s closest challengers from last year.

Gosforth, meanwhile, were unable to build on that brilliance from last week, instead slipping to third in the table thanks to a 38-17 defeat at Oaklands College, a result that sees the Saracens AASE side jump to second after winning at Moulton last week too.

It was certainly an entertaining round of AASE rugby, and if we are to learn anything from it, it is that this year looks set to be highly unpredictable with the teams appearing to be very finely matched.

An exciting season awaits!

AASE Round 2 Results:

North

Worcester 6th form College 67-0 Bishop Burton College

Oaklands College 38-17 Gosforth Academy

Myerscough College 17-10 Wyggeston & Queen Elizabeth I College

South

Ivybridge Community College 30-33 St Paul’s Catholic College

Truro College 0-28 Exeter College

SGS Filton College 18-19 Beechen Cliff

Henley College 8-12 Hartpury College