The University of West England Bullets will open their 2023 BUCS campaign this Saturday as they play host to local rivals SGS PRiDE, who are 2-0 after back-to-back games.
Dubbed “The Battle of Bristol”, this matchup is a highly anticipated one. Last year saw the Bullets take two huge wins over the PRiDE during their second straight undefeated championship run. The first game, which resulted 46-0 in favor of the Bullets, set the tone for the season and put to rest any rumors that PRiDE would be the team to halt the Bullets in their track to another championship.
SGS have opened their 2023 campaign with back-to-back blowout wins against the Cardiff Cobras and the newly-promoted Portsmouth Destroyers. The Cobras, who went winless last season, faced the PRiDE in the opening week, falling 43-6, while the Destroyers took a 48-0 loss in their second game in the Premier South division.
Veteran running back Jeremie Kwanzambi Beni made his presence known against Cardiff, finding the endzone four times, but an apparent hand injury sustained against Portsmouth has ruled him out for the first half of the season.
The Bullets will be looking to make a statement as they debut their new recruiting class which features names such as Jadrian Clark (RheinFire), Jason-Matthew Sharsh (Hawaii, NCAA DI) and many more.
As they aim for their third consecutive championship, Clark will look to lead a star-studded offense littered with NCAA talent including the likes of Karekin Brooks (University of Pennsylvania), who was a huge factor in their success last year.
