The SGS PRiDE are set to kick off their postseason with a battle against the Durham Saints at SGS WISE, Filton as the British Universities and Colleges Sport, BUCS, playoffs get underway.
The two teams faced off in the playoffs last year in what was a high-scoring thriller which ended 49-41 in favor of SGS, as Durham gave the young academy side their toughest test outside of the two finalists (Nottingham and UWE).
SGS are heading into the game with a 6-2 record, having predictably blitzed through their division, excluding the UWE Bullets who opened their season with a 60-0 win over the PRiDE as well as taking a walkover victory after SGS withdrew from their final regular season game.
Over the seven games SGS played, they recorded an average of 33.9 points per-game while conceding an average of 9.3 points, ranking them second and fourth respectively across the league.
Durham have proven yet again to have one of the strongest rosters in the league consisting mostly of homegrown talent, and have been a competitive team all season despite their unflattering 4-3 record.
While their 19 points per-game ranks them among the lower end of the table, their defense has kept them in a lot of tough games, including losses of 20-14 and 16-0 against the division-leading University of Nottingham Gold.
The two teams will face off in Filton for what will undoubtedly be the most competitive playoff game in the opening weekend.