Stafford 1st XV welcomed Moseley Oak to the Cathedral for the opening league game of the season. It promised to be a difficult test as the Birmingham men consistently produce solid teams and have always finished top four in the league over the past seasons. Injuries and last minute changes saw a very understrength Stafford XV taking the pitch.

Stafford started the game brightly with the scrum dominating the first quarter. Two unconverted Moseley Oak tries gave them the lead, but both teams looked fairly evenly match throughout the half. The home side continued to hold the visitors and there were moments when they may even have grabbed some points of their own.

Moseley Oak came out all guns blazing for the second half and two early tries sealed the victory for the visitors. Stafford continued to battle, but the forced changes led to slightly disjointed play and the home side couldn’t quite find the penetration to grab a consolation score. The team can hold their heads high for the continued effort and persistence that they showed through a difficult afternoon.