Stafford 1st XV travelled to a breezy Shrewsbury for the first league game of the new year. Stafford fielded one of their more settled starting XV, but it was always going to be a hard match against a Shrewsbury side who have racked up some impressive wins during the season.

Stafford started the game possibly playing into the wind, the kicking conditions were looking complex as the flags were snapping two different ways in response to the gusting weather. Two penalties and a try catapulted the home side into a very early lead. Stafford responded with some competitive rugby and spent a long period camped in the opponents half. As a score looked likely for the visitors the referees whistle proved to be their undoing as a series of infringements swept away any momentum they had built. A prowling Shrewsbury pounced on the opportunity to take a further try and close the half. Stafford went into half time trailing by 16 – 0, but looking capable of fighting their way back into the game.

Stafford came firing into the second half battering their way up the pitch. Shrewsbury responded with a fighting defence which left two Stafford players lying on the pitch requiring treatment. The remaining thirteen were caught on the back foot as Shrewsbury played to the referees whistle and ran the ball down the pitch for the third try of the afternoon. From this point Shrewsbury noticeably dominated the majority of the game as they stretched the visitors time after time. A yellow card saw a fourteen man Stafford concede the fourth try of the afternoon. A back to full strength Stafford were disrupted further as Ronnie Hindle was stretchered off the pitch and Shrewsbury again seized the opportunity to take a further try and finish the game.