Clifton Rugby
English rugby union club based in Bristol
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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 2 West in the fourth tier of the English rugby union system following their relegation from the 2025–26 National League 1.
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| Full name | Clifton Rugby Football Club | |
|---|---|---|
| Union | Gloucestershire RFU | |
| Nickname | Lavender And Blacks | |
| Founded | 1872 | |
| Location | Cribbs Causeway, Bristol, BS10 7TB England | |
| Ground | Station Road (Capacity: 2,200 (200 seats)[1]) | |
| Chairman | Aftab Hamid | |
| President | John Raine | |
| Director of Rugby | Matt Salter | |
| Coach | Luke Cozens | |
| Captain | Mitchell Spencer | |
| League | National League 1 | |
| 2025–26 | 12th (relegated to National League 2 West) | |
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| Official website | ||
| cliftonrugby.co.uk | ||
History
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
League table
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | TB | LB | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rotherham Titans (C, P) | 26 | 22 | 0 | 4 | 1052 | 515 | +537 | 20 | 3 | 111 | Promotion place |
| 2 | Blackheath (P) | 26 | 21 | 0 | 5 | 911 | 530 | +381 | 20 | 3 | 107 | Promotion play-off |
| 3 | Plymouth Albion | 26 | 20 | 0 | 6 | 1000 | 549 | +451 | 22 | 2 | 104 | |
| 4 | Rosslyn Park | 26 | 17 | 0 | 9 | 944 | 709 | +235 | 23 | 4 | 95 | |
| 5 | Sale FC | 26 | 17 | 0 | 9 | 826 | 590 | +236 | 19 | 5 | 92 | |
| 6 | Bishop's Stortford | 26 | 13 | 0 | 13 | 781 | 836 | −55 | 20 | 5 | 77 | |
| 7 | Rams | 26 | 13 | 0 | 13 | 780 | 798 | −18 | 17 | 6 | 75 | |
| 8 | Tonbridge Juddians | 26 | 11 | 1 | 14 | 805 | 733 | +72 | 19 | 7 | 72 | |
| 9 | Leeds Tykes | 26 | 11 | 0 | 15 | 658 | 873 | −215 | 12 | 2 | 58 | |
| 10 | Dings Crusaders | 26 | 9 | 0 | 17 | 719 | 942 | −223 | 16 | 5 | 57 | |
| 11 | Birmingham Moseley | 26 | 8 | 1 | 17 | 660 | 757 | −97 | 14 | 8 | 56 | Relegation play-off |
| 12 | Clifton (R) | 26 | 9 | 0 | 17 | 621 | 909 | −288 | 13 | 4 | 53 | Relegation place |
| 13 | Sedgley Park (R) | 26 | 8 | 0 | 18 | 547 | 923 | −376 | 11 | 3 | 46 | |
| 14 | Leicester Lions (R) | 26 | 2 | 0 | 24 | 599 | 1239 | −640 | 13 | 2 | 23 |
Rules for classification: If teams are level at any stage, tiebreakers are applied in the following order:
- Number of matches won
- Number of matches drawn
- Difference between points for and against
- Total number of points for
- Aggregate number of points scored in matches between tied teams
- Number of matches won excluding the first match, then the second and so on until the tie is settled
Notable former players
Internationals
- Billy Meakes (Australia)
- Ellis Genge (England)
- Callum Braley (Italy)
- Olly Kohn
- Henry Arthur Broomfield
- Rhys Oakley both (Wales)
