Match Preview

This week we are off to Clifton for what looks like a rainy day, which will hopefully spare us the whims of the opposition as to whether or not the game is played!

Clifton have had a really up and down season, of which one low must have been the 55-0 beating they took at Stortford back in October. Their ability to bounce back, though was demonstrated by the fact that they won their next two games - the second away at Taunton, which is never an easy place to go. Having said that, we beat an injury-hit Taunton comfortably at Silver Leys the week afterwards. We were deprived of a direct form guide by Canterbury's refusal to play us last Saturday, Clifton having gained a notable victory in Canterbury the previous week. Last week Clifton only very narrowly beat Barnstaple but, although the Devonians are well down the league, their recent results have suggested an upturn in their fortunes.

Last week's starting team showed 6 changes to the side fielded by Clifton at Stortford in October, split evenly between backs and forwards, so there is every chance that they will be significantly stronger than at that time, though this may to some extent depend on the availability or otherwise of loan players from Bristol, which has tended in the past to make a major difference. Either way, games at Clifton have never been easy, so the Stortford boys will need to be on their mettle.