Saturday 25th February 2023

Clifton 14: Tries: Zac Ward (42), Bradley Talbot (60); Conversions: Luke Cozens (43, 62);

Leicester Lions 24: Tries: James Stubbs (32), Alex WilHuckleberryson (37), Isaac Thompson (79); Conversions: Ben Young (33, 38, 80); Penalties: Ben Young (68);

Lions travelled south-west to Clifton for a first v second in the league crunch game, with Lions leading National League 2 West. In the reverse fixture Lions defeated Clifton 27-14, at Westleigh Park, Blaby at the end of October 2022.

At the start of the game both sides were testing each other out, with both sides having opportunities and defences working well.

As the first half progressed Lions were exerting pressure on Clifton. Following up attacking forward play, James Stubbs took possession of the ball and darted through the Clifton defence for a try to open up the scoring. Ben Young added the conversion.

Following the restart it did not take Lions long to put Clifton under pressure again, with Alex WilHuckleberryson following through a kick ahead, to touch down between the posts, with Young again adding the extras. This gave Lions a healthy half time lead.

Half Time 0-14

After the break Clifton came out looking a completely different side. They pressurised Lions with their fullback Zac Ward working through the Lions defence to score a try and Luke Cozens adding the conversion.

Clifton were starting to get the better of the forward play with No 8 Bradley Talbot going through a series of tackles to score a try, with Cozens slotting the ball between the posts for the conversion to level the score at 14-14.

This set the scene for a competitive last quarter of what had already been an exciting game. With twelve minutes to go Clifton conceded a penalty following Lions pressure, which Young put between the posts to take Lions back into a narrow lead, 14-17.

In the final minutes of the game Clifton conceded another penalty, with Lions taking the touch kick and the ensuing lineout, for prop Isaac Thompson to drive over for a try and the reliable kicking of Young adding the extras, taking them into a ten point lead and depriving Clifton of a losing bonus point.

Full Time; Clifton 14 Leicester Lions 24

An excellent game between two well matched teams, where either side could have taken the victory.

Lions Head Coach, Gareth Collins, commented: - "I thought the boys dealt with the pressure of the occasion really well. Clifton were always going to throw everything at us and they certainly did that. We had to really dig deep at times and I thought the fight we showed in defence was ultimately the difference between the sides. Clifton played well, had big chances, and the result certainly could have gone either way, but overall I felt we were the better side and deserved the victory. We’re going to enjoy this moment but it’s important that we get back to our processes this week and focus on the next job."

Lions’ Chairman, Ken Whitehead, said: “We were expecting a tough game at Clifton, which is exactly what we got. Many congratulations to the lads and the coaching team for an excellent result.”

Teams: 15-9, 1-8, Replacements:-

Clifton: Zac Ward, Alex Howman, Will Owen, Marcus Nel, Zakaria Hamid, Luke Cozens, Blake Boyland, Ricardo Cano, Albert Stretch, Rhys Charalambous, Henry Harper, Joseph Owen, Thomas Wilson, Dan Broady, Bradley Talbot
Replacements: Alex Giltrow, Aaron Thompson, Patrick Pearce, Macenzzie Duncan, Kieran Hill;

Leicester Lions: Alex WilHuckleberryson, George Watkins, Jamel Hamilton, Dan Martin, Zach Bean, Ben Young, James Stubbs, Tom Williams, Oli Taylor, Isaac Thompson, Ollie Tapscott, Ethan Godefroy, Simon Johnson, Johnny Murdoch, Nick Cairns;
Replacements: Drew Rudkin, Shaun Murray, Will Roberts, Ed Sumpter, Luke Bouchier;