Club Fixtures

Saturday 29th November
1st XV Bulls
Men's 1st XV vs Bournville (A)

2nd XV Lions
Men's 2nd XV vs Faringdon (H)

3rd XV Wanderers
Men's 3rd XV vs Gosford All Blacks 2nd XV (A)

Sunday 30th November
1st XV Belles
Women's 1st XV - Allianz Inner Warrior Festival at Aylesbury RFC (A)
12:00 | Banbury vs Reading Abbey 2nd XV
13:00 | Banbury vs Aldershot & Fleet Women
13:30 | Banbury vs Phoenix & Amersham & Chiltern
14:00 | Banbury vs Wallingford & Gosford All Blacks

Colts XV
Colts U18s vs Shipston on Stour U18s Colts (A)

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Match Preview: Bournville RFC vs Banbury RUFC
Saturday 29th November – Avery Fields, Birmingham, 3:00pm Kick-Off

Banbury RUFC travel to Birmingham this weekend for their tenth fixture of the 2025–26 Regional 1 Midlands season, where they face a competitive Bournville side at Avery Fields. After a frustrating home defeat to Bridgnorth in Round 9, the Bulls will be eager to respond with a strong performance on the road.

Banbury’s Season So Far
It has been a campaign of fine margins for Banbury, who have produced moments of outstanding rugby but have also endured a series of narrow defeats:

• R1: Bromsgrove 31–19 Banbury
• R2: Banbury 50–15 Newent
• R3: Dudley Kingswinford 14–27 Banbury
• R4: Banbury 19–20 Lichfield
• R5: Lutterworth 42–18 Banbury
• R6: Stourbridge 30–28 Banbury
• R7: Banbury 19–20 Newport (Salop)
• R8: Nuneaton 5–63 Banbury
• R9: Banbury 7–14 Bridgnorth

Across these opening nine games, Banbury have shown their attacking potential, particularly in the emphatic 63-point display at Nuneaton and the home rout of Newent.
However, four defeats by a single point highlight both the competitiveness of the league and Banbury’s fight in every match.

Head Coach Soane Tongaʻuiha and Director of Rugby Matt Goode have been clear throughout the season that the squad is building, learning, and staying united through the fine margins. This weekend offers another opportunity to turn those margins in Banbury’s favour.

The Opposition: Bournville RFC
Bournville, based at the impressive Avery Fields facility, are known for their expansive style of rugby, strong home support, and ability to produce high-tempo, attacking performances on their artificial surface.

They typically combine sharp backline play with a disciplined pack, and their home form in recent seasons shows how difficult they can be on their own turf. For Banbury, controlling the tempo and managing field position will be crucial.

Key Focus Areas for the Bulls

1. Carrying Momentum from the Nuneaton Performance
The Round 8 win showed how dangerous Banbury can be when they find rhythm. Re-establishing that tempo and confidence will be important on Saturday.
2. Converting Pressure Into Points
Several narrow defeats have come down to small moments. Improved accuracy in scoring zones could be decisive against a Bournville side that rarely gives second chances at home.
3. Discipline and Game Management
Bournville thrive in broken play. Keeping penalty counts low will limit their ability to launch from set starts.
4. Impact of the Forward Pack
Under Tongaʻuiha, Banbury’s scrum and maul have been strong foundations. A dominant forward display could tilt the momentum away from Bournville’s running game.

From the Coaches’ Room
Head Coach Soane Tongaʻuiha and DoR Matt Goode have emphasised resilience and trust throughout the early part of the season. With the squad showing grit in both victory and defeat, the message this week is likely to focus on tightening execution while maintaining the physicality and work rate that have become hallmarks of Banbury’s play.

Final Thoughts
A trip to Avery Fields is always a challenging assignment, but Banbury have shown, especially in their away wins, that they can rise to big occasions on the road. With the Bulls desperate to turn strong performances into wins, this fixture comes at the perfect moment for a statement result.

A committed defensive effort, accuracy in attack, and composure in key moments will give Banbury every chance of returning to the Graf UK Stadium with valuable points.

Kick-off is scheduled for 3pm. Safe travels to all supporters making the journey to Birmingham.