Cozens urges Clifton to turn it on for the full 80

By ROGER OPIE

Clifton……………..40pts

Chester………….. 24pts

PLAYER-COACH Luke Cozens called for Clifton to concentrate for the full 80 minutes after two late Chester tries took some of the gloss off a solid home victory.

The hosts were fully in control of the match for the opening 60 minutes, but allowed their opponents to snatch a try bonus point with two tries in the closing six minutes.

Cozens said: “It was great to win and we were dominant for the first 60 minutes.

“In games we have lost, we set the same early pattern and then managed to lose. We must learn to maintain concentration and continuity for the full 80 minutes.

“Clifton have the skills and deter mination, but we must retain the mental focus for the entire match.

“We can fix these shortcomings and it’s a pity that we have no fixture next week to show we can make that leap.”

Clifton once again raced to a try bonus point well before the half-time break in a game that saw both teams committed to a high-tempo approach.

That fast start gave thehome side a 23-point lead, laying the foundations.

Within the first minute, a charged-down kick presented the opportunity for full-back Alex Howman to go over, with fly-half Nathan Chamberlain adding the first of five successful conversions.

Almost immediately, quick thinking by scrumhalf Blake Boyland in taking a tap penalty led to the second try.

Over the line:Ricky Cano and Tom Ormsby, right, score for Clifton

PICTURES: Ian Clark

A clean break by Marcus Nel put fellow centre Zak Hamid in and it was prop Ricky Cano who crashed over for the bonus-point try.

Before half-time, Chester hit back with flanker David Jones scoring after a Clifton clearance kick was charged down.

Clifton’s dominance was largely due to slick handling and few errors, with Chamberlain distributing well to release his strong-running backline. Flankers Kofi Cripps and Rob Nixon were strong in defence and making ground. The injections of pace were a constant threat.

However, a spirited Chester were undaunted, with a willingness to attack. They scored first in the second period via scrum-half Harry Craven, with Andrew Mc-Minimee converting.

Clifton restored some order through a Cripps try and then wing man Tom Or msby finished strongly to set up a 28-point lead.

The home team emptied their bench and lost some continuity as first Scott Robson and then winger Joe Heaton went over to secure a losing bonus point in a highly entertaining encounter that was appreciated by the crowd.