As the new-look Isle of Man domestic rugby competitions approach their respective halfway stages, there is an intriguing batch of fixtures this weekend.

In the top ranked Manx Trophy, unbeaten leaders Douglas North face Ramsey at Port-e-Chee.

The two sides haven’t met yet and both will want to put down a marker. Douglas of course will want to strengthen their grip on the competition: they’re currently two points clear of Vagabonds at the top of the table but have played a game less.

It’s Vagas’ turn for a free week too so a Douglas win could see them go four or even five points clear.

Ramsey, however, will be no pushovers. They put in an impressive score against Southern Nomads and narrowly lost out to Vagas. Some defensive mistakes flattered Douglas South a little too and Eddie Lord’s young team will be keen to make amends.

But Douglas include the impressive Simon Hoddinott in their ranks plus the magician that is Bryn Snellgrove and, on home turf, they’ll start as favourites.

In the other Trophy game, Douglas South head to the Field of Dreams at Ballakilley to face Southern Nomads. Douglas North won there last Saturday by a tight 19-7 margin so Nomads are clearly capable of facing the big boys.

Douglas South lost at home to Vagabonds last weekend and will want to put the wheels back on the wagon.

It’s a much-changed Nomads line-up from last season. Ben Fry, Alex and Dom Long and Jamie Hopwood have all joined the back line.

Sami Benbatoul, Stephen Donlon and John Whitehouse have also been useful additions and the effervescent Django Kinley adds sparkle every time he touches the ball.

Douglas have a similar mix of old and new. Top coach Carl Murray has been in the mix at 10 holding things together but youngsters like Wilf Kermode add the vavoom around the park.

These two ties could be close, but on paper at least, it’s difficult to see past a Douglas double.

l The Manx Bowl gets underway a little earlier with a firecracker of a game at Ballafletcher on Friday night when leaders Emerging Nomads face unbeaten second place Vagabonds Hornets under the lights.

Vagas have their firework display and Mhelliah afterwards so a big crowd is expected. Nomads, under skipper Mike Quayle, are four from four and have also scored a maximum 20 points.

Vagas are similar but have a game in hand. They started well against Castletown last week but looked a little shaky as Town fought back and almost caught them before running out of bodies.

This game could be too tight to call.

Elsewhere in the Bowl, and on the more conventional Saturday afternoon, Vagabonds Ladies host Western Vikings in the tag variant.

Some tweaks to the rules of play seem to have made the game a little more enjoyable for the women who will always struggle against the quicker men.

They do, however, score plenty of tries and are picking up bonus points along the way, so they could be capable of beating an unwary men’s team.

In the final game of the round, Castletown host Ramsey B at Poulsom Park. This too could be a close one.

Ramsey did well against Vikings but flagged a little at the end. They also put on a show against Nomads despite the loss. As the team plays more often the skill levels will grow.

But Town have two match winners in Jim Emmett and Kunal Patel. If Ramsey can keep this pair quiet, they’ll have a chance.