Captained by Bertie Skidmore, Clifton welcomed Croesyceiliog (Crossy) RFC to Station Road for what proved to be a fiercely contested encounter. The Welsh visitors, stepping in to replace Cheltenham RFC, arrived as last season’s South Wales Regional Cup finalists, a well-drilled and physical side who would provide a true test of Clifton’s progress this season.

The opening ten minutes were a tight affair, with both teams trading blows in midfield but neither breaking through. Clifton’s defensive organisation was excellent, with winger Dexter McVeigh twice cutting down promising Welsh attacks with crunching tackles. The first quarter ended scoreless, a sign of how evenly matched and disciplined the sides were.

Croesyceiliog began the second period at pace and eventually broke the deadlock with a well-deserved try. The conversion drifted wide, but the visitors soon struck again, pouncing on turnover ball from the restart to add a converted score. Clifton suddenly found themselves 12-0 down, a margin that didn’t reflect the evenness of play.

Both sets of forwards were now being tested to their limits as the scrum count began to rise. This was to Clifton’s advantage, however, as they rose to the challenge magnificently, dominating in this area with turnovers and maintaining their season-long record of not losing a single scrum. Their mauling and set-piece work eventually paid dividends as captain Skidmore powered over for Clifton’s first try. Josh Richardson converted cleanly to narrow the gap to 12-7.

Croesyceiliog’s penalty count began to climb, with several warnings for offside, but Clifton couldn’t quite turn that pressure into points. A few uncharacteristic errors crept into their play, allowing the visitors to capitalise with another unconverted try and a 17-7 lead.

The Welsh side extended their advantage early in the third quarter, working the ball wide to their wingers for a well-executed score. Clifton trailed 22-7, and when Croesyceiliog added a fifth try soon after, it looked a mountain to climb at 27-7. Yet Clifton refused to fold.

Hooker Will Pape came off the bench and immediately injected energy, linking well with Zach Hingston around the fringes. After a series of drives inside the Welsh 22, Will crashed through a resilient defensive line to score. Josh’s conversion reduced the deficit to 27-14 and brought the crowd to life. Moments later, Clifton nearly struck again as a beautifully judged cross-field kick from Josh was almost gathered by winger Oli Corner for a near miss.

As full-time approached, Clifton continued to press, but a loose pass in midfield was intercepted by the alert Croesyceiliog defence, who ran it under the posts for their sixth try. The simple conversion stretched the score to 34-14. Still, the home side weren’t done. Henry Bogan, who had been carrying hard all afternoon, broke through several tackles to set up space out wide. Corner was finally rewarded for his persistence, finishing brilliantly in the right corner to bring the final score to 34-19 in favour of the Welsh visitors.

The game was played in fine spirit throughout, with both sides showing mutual respect and discipline. The Croesyceiliog players in particular earned praise for their conduct towards the referee and the Clifton team. Rugby was the real winner in this rare and enjoyable cross-border fixture and both sides agreed this would be a great one to repeat.

Clifton can take pride from their effort and structure against a strong and experienced opponent. The forwards maintained a perfect scrum record for the season, while the team’s resilience in the face of scoreboard pressure was a real positive. The match provided a valuable benchmark for the squad’s development and plenty of positives to build on.

Individual Mentions

A strong comeback display from Harry Searle, outstanding defensive work from Ollie Hobson, and determination from Noah Matthews, who played through a knee niggle, all stood out.

The front five were exceptional at set-piece, ensuring Clifton once again finished without losing a single scrum.

Weekly Awards

Man of Steele: Henry Bogan for relentless running and physical dominance
Workhorse: Martin Villabona for non-stop effort and power in the scrum
Team Player: Tommy Garner for intelligent support play and selfless teamwork