Stafford 1st XV travelled to a damp Wolverhampton for the return league game of the season. The visitors faced a difficult afternoon of rugby against a team sitting comfortably in the top half of the table.

Wolverhampton effectively won the game within the first thirty minutes of the encounter, an sustained assault which yielded a total of six tries gave the home side an unassailable 36 -0 lead. Stafford limped their way through the thirty minutes of misery which saw Tom Bell & Dave Wareham coming off the pitch with injuries and one yellow card to compound the difficulties. It looked like the visitors couldn’t find any response, but with only pride to play for a battered Stafford started to growl. A short period of ball retention saw Stafford pushing down the field for the first time in the match. With the line in sight Stafford pushed, rolled and clawed their way through the opposition, Dan Smith grabbing the points with a well-deserved try. Stafford went into half time trailing by 36 – 5 having been mauled but with a slight sliver of optimism.

Stafford came flying into the second half and forcing a retreating defence from a Wolverhampton team who had looked so assured in the first half. A rejuvenated Stafford picked apart a faltering opposition and in an effort to stem the tide a desperate home side defence incurred the wrath of the referee through a yellow card. With only fourteen players on the pitch, Wolverhampton were no match for the relentless attack. The visitors grabbed their reward as Matty Walklate crashed across the line with the forward momentum provided by Scott Raines, Rich Martin slotted the conversion and Stafford added seven points to the tally. Wolverhampton briefly rallied to snatch a try against the run of play, but a second yellow saw the home side reduced to thirteen men and the invitation was all the visitors needed. A ferocious period of play saw bodies strewn all over the pitch and Scott Raines crossing the line for Staffords third try of the afternoon. With the loosing bonus point suddenly looking a possibility the visitors threw everything into a final assault, but time was against them and although they came in sight of the line on a number of occasions they couldn’t find their way across.