Clifton Rugby

Clifton RFC

Full name	Clifton Rugby Football Club
Union	Gloucestershire RFU
Nickname(s)	Lavender And Blacks
Founded	1872;153 years ago (1872)
Location	Cribbs Causeway, Bristol,BS10 7TB England
Ground(s)	Station Road (Capacity: 2,500 (400 seats) [1] )
Chairman	Aftab Hamid
President	John Raine
Director of Rugby	Matt Salter
Coach(es)	Luke Cozens
Captain(s)	Mitchell Spencer
League(s)	National League 1
2024–25	Champions (promoted from National League 2 West)
Team kit
Official website
www.cliftonrugby.co.uk

Clifton Rugby Football Club is an English rugby union club founded in Clifton, Bristol. Over the years the club's home games have been played in a variety of locations in northern Bristol, though never in Clifton itself; since 1976 they have been based at the southern end of Cribbs Causeway. Clifton RFC currently play in National League 1 in the third tier of the English rugby union system following their promotion from the 2024–25 National League 2 West.

History

The first ever photograph of a Clifton RFC team (1873)

Clifton RFC is Bristol's oldest club, and one of the oldest in the world. ^[2] Clifton Rugby Club was formed on 27 September 1872 at the Kings Arms on Blackboy Hill in Clifton, Bristol. The pub still stands, although it was rebuilt in 1902, and refurbished in the late 1990s. Clifton is the 32nd oldest club in the United Kingdom, the 21st oldest in England, the 2nd oldest in the South West (Bath Rugby older by seven years) and the oldest in Bristol. ^[3] In 1909 a combined Bristol and Clifton RFC team, captained by Percy Down, lost to Australia 11–3.

Clifton's Cribbs Causeway ground also hosted the Bristol Packers American football team in the late 1980s and early 1990s. ^[4]

Honours

• Bass South West Merit Table champions: 1979–80
• South West Division 1 champions: 1988–89
• Area League South runner-up: 1989–90 (promoted)
• Courage League Division 4 champions: 1993–94
• London 1 v South West 1 promotion play-off winner: 2005–06
• South West Division 1 champions: 2008–09
• Bristol Combination Cup winners (5): 2008–09, 2013–14, 2015–16, 2016–17, 2017–18
• National League 2 West champions: 2024–25

^{[5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10]}

League table

2025–26 National League 1 table

Pos	Team v t e	Pld	W	D	L	PF	PA	PD	TB	LB	Pts	Qualification
1	Birmingham Moseley	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	Promotion place
2	Blackheath	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	Promotion Play-off
3	Bishop's Stortford	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
4	Clifton	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
5	Dings Crusaders	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
6	Leeds Tykes	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
7	Leicester Lions	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
8	Plymouth Albion	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
9	Rams	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
10	Rosslyn Park	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
11	Rotherham Titans	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
12	Sale FC	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	Relegation place
13	Sedgley Park	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
14	Tonbridge Juddians	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0

First match(es) will be played: September 2025. Source: National League Rugby ^[11]
Rules for classification: If teams are level at any stage, tiebreakers are applied in the following order:

1. Number of matches won
2. Number of matches drawn
3. Difference between points for and against
4. Total number of points for
5. Aggregate number of points scored in matches between tied teams
6. Number of matches won excluding the first match, then the second and so on until the tie is settled

Current squad

Note: Flags indicate national union under World Rugby eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-World Rugby nationality.

Player Position Union Jake Buckley Prop England Ricardo Cano Prop England Bertran Cole-Fontayn Prop England Oliver Seagrove Prop England Louis White Prop England Thomas Anderson Hooker England George Davey Hooker England Thomas Hatch Hooker England Henry Harper Second row England Daniel Hodge Second row England Toby Hutchinson Second row England Daniel Owen Second row England Shay Sainsbury Second row England Jay Evans Back row England Niall Gibbons Back row England Jake Holcombe Back row England Christopher McCann Back row England Freddie Myatt Back row England Bradley Talbot Back row England

Player Position Union Mitchell Spencer(c) Scrum-half England Luke Cozens Fly-half England Ollie Milner Fly-half England Thomas Quinlan Fly-half England Marcus Nel Centre Zimbabwe William Owen Centre England Matthew Smith Centre England Zakaria Hamid Wing England Alexander Kilbane Wing Ireland Luke Daniels Fullback South Africa Alexander Howman Fullback England

Notable former players

Internationals

The Clifton RFC team for the 1874–75 season

• Billy Meakes (Australia)
• Ellis Genge (England)
• Callum Braley (Italy)
• Olly Kohn
• Henry Arthur Broomfield
• Rhys Oakley both (Wales)

British & Irish Lions

• Mako Vunipola (England)
• Mark Regan (England)
• Frederick Belson (England)

References

1. "Bristol's Clifton Rugby Club announces ambitious expansion plans". South West Business. 28 April 2014.
2. "Clifton Rugby Club – Information at club website". cliftonrugby.co.uk. Retrieved 2 August 2016.
3. "Clifton Rugby Football Club History". cliftonrfchistory.co.uk. Retrieved 2 August 2016.
4. "Bristol Packers". Britball Now. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
5. "Clifton RFC History 1970-1980". cliftonrfchistory.co.uk. Retrieved 2 August 2016.
6. "Clifton RFC History 1980-1990". cliftonrfchistory.co.uk. Retrieved 2 August 2016.
7. "Clifton RFC History 1990-2000". cliftonrfchistory.co.uk. Retrieved 2 August 2016.
8. "Clifton RFC History 2000-2010". cliftonrfchistory.co.uk. Retrieved 2 August 2016.
9. "Clifton beat Dings to lift Combination Cup | Bristol Post". bristolpost.co.uk. Archived from the original on 23 September 2015. Retrieved 2 August 2016.
10. "History - Combination Cup - Winners". bristolcombination.pitchero.com. Retrieved 2 August 2016.
11. "National League 1". NCA Rugby.

External links

• Official website