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Men's open category preview
The Men's Open Category should be the most exciting the Nationals have seen. The title will be fought out between South East United, South East Taipans, South West Saxons, Midlands Tigers, North West Blades and the West Wildcats and what has become the only predictable aspect of the division is that no one is able to predict who will take home the title. With all teams having siginificant international experience within their squad, each game should be extremely high quality and close on the scoreboard. Last years champions, South East United will be confident approaching the tournament, however, as we have seen in previous years, they will have the likes of the North West Blades, Midlands Tigers and South East Taipans knocking on the door.
Games to watch:
Games to watch:
- South East United V North West Blades (11.30am Saturday 6th)
- Midlands Tigers V North West Blades (10.40am Sunday 7th)
- South East Taipans V South East Sharks (10.40am Sunday 7th)
Players to watch:
Sam Jones (West Wildcats):
Sam has burst on to the domestic and international touch scene with great performances for the Thames Valley Vikings in the NTS season and an outstanding 2014 European Championships where is helped the England Men's Open to gold with a record breaking 37 Touchdowns for the tournament. Sam will move off the wing where he plays for the National side and into the middle to lead his West Wildcats at the Nationals. Sam's lightening speed and killer instinct will have all teams within the Men's division moving with caution as the Wildcats attack at the 2014 Touch Nationals.
Dom Tripp (South East United):
Dom has had a cracking season in both the NTS for the London Scorpions and the at the European Championships where he helped England Mens Open to gold. Dom is going to provide a handful for any defence as his speed, agility and deceiving step will tear any team apart. Dom will be an important player for South East United as he will hope to lead from the front as they look to defend their National title.
Jordan Melling (North West Blades):
Jordan has had a great season leading Wigan Touch Warriors to an impressive 10th place in the NTS this season and also helped the England Mixed Open to an excellent silver medal at the recent European Championships. Jordans work rate, speed and faultless passing will prove a threat to any team in the Men's division. He will be looking to provide the North West Blades with the cutting edge as they look to go one step further this year and take the National title back up north.
James Knoop (Midlands Tigers):
James' speed and agility have been a hallmark of this season as he helped Cambridge Hornets to 5th place in the NTS season and was a crucial member of the England Men's Open team that won gold at the European Championships. James will look to punish the rest of the field with his explosive speed and deceiving step when he attacks the line.
Sam has burst on to the domestic and international touch scene with great performances for the Thames Valley Vikings in the NTS season and an outstanding 2014 European Championships where is helped the England Men's Open to gold with a record breaking 37 Touchdowns for the tournament. Sam will move off the wing where he plays for the National side and into the middle to lead his West Wildcats at the Nationals. Sam's lightening speed and killer instinct will have all teams within the Men's division moving with caution as the Wildcats attack at the 2014 Touch Nationals. Dom Tripp (South East United):
Dom has had a cracking season in both the NTS for the London Scorpions and the at the European Championships where he helped England Mens Open to gold. Dom is going to provide a handful for any defence as his speed, agility and deceiving step will tear any team apart. Dom will be an important player for South East United as he will hope to lead from the front as they look to defend their National title. Jordan Melling (North West Blades):
Jordan has had a great season leading Wigan Touch Warriors to an impressive 10th place in the NTS this season and also helped the England Mixed Open to an excellent silver medal at the recent European Championships. Jordans work rate, speed and faultless passing will prove a threat to any team in the Men's division. He will be looking to provide the North West Blades with the cutting edge as they look to go one step further this year and take the National title back up north. James Knoop (Midlands Tigers):
James' speed and agility have been a hallmark of this season as he helped Cambridge Hornets to 5th place in the NTS season and was a crucial member of the England Men's Open team that won gold at the European Championships. James will look to punish the rest of the field with his explosive speed and deceiving step when he attacks the line.