Exmouth and Bournemouth have met in five of the past seven seasons with the 10 matches seeing four wins for Exmouth and six for Bournemouth.

Last season the Cockles were beaten home and away by the Hampshire club, losing the home game 17-27 and then being beaten 28-7 away.

In the 2015/16 campaign the teams met in National League Three (SW) and the Cockles completed a league double winning the Imperial ground meeting on September 26, 2015, 28-15 and also the January 16, 2016 game at Bournemouth, 30-28.

In the 2014/15 campaign the sides were again both in the National League Three (SW) and it was honours even with Bournemouth winning the meeting in Hampshire 10-0, while the Cockles won the September 9, 2014 game at the Imperial ground, 25-5.

Honours were also even in the 2013/14 season when they met as National League Two (S) teams and again both won their respective home matches with Bournemouth winning 24-17 on their ground and the Cockles prevailing 33-18 when they met in Exmouth on September 21, 2013.

The first of the 10 meetings came back in the 2011.12 campaign when the teams were both plying their trade in the national League Three (SW). That season Bournemouth completed the double winning 30-18 in Hampshire and then, on their visit to Exmouth on September10, 2011, they won 49-16.

This season so far in their South West Premier campaign the Cockles have won all five of their home games. They began with a 38-22 victory over Cleve and followed that with a 31-24 win over Exeter University. Weston-super-Mare were the beaten 27-13 before a 22-14 success over Maidenhead.

The most recent home win for the Cockles’ was a 50-24 win over Old Patesians on October 27.

The Exmouth versus Bournemouth game is a meeting of fourth against first and there’s also a second-versus-third encounter at Ivybridge where Barnstaple are the visitors.

Fifth placed Maidenhead entertain the only side yet to win a game in the division, Old Patesians and sixth placed University entertain 11th placed Bracknell. Second from bottom Newton Abbot host ninth place Weston-super-Mare while Cleve and Drybrook entertain host Camborne and Brixham respectively.