Ricky Cano: Matt Salter was an inspiration to all

For Ricky Cano, Clifton‘s relegation from National One will always be remembered as secondary to the tragedy that shook the club earlier this year.

The experienced prop, below, admits the sudden death of former head coach and Clifton College director of rugby Matt Salter in March left players devastated.

However, he says the squad drew strength from the man affectionately known as “Salt” during the toughest period many of them have experienced in rugby.

Salter, a former Bristol flanker, passed away unexpectedly aged 49, sending shockwaves through the Bristol rugby community.

Impact

“It absolutely rocked all of us,” Cano told The Rugby Paper. “I got a call about 10am from one of the lads telling me what had happened and it just didn’t feel real.

“Matt was my academy coach at Bristol when I was 14 and so many of us had known him throughout our rugby careers.

“He had an impact on so many people.”

Just two weeks after Salter’s passing, Clifton faced local rivals Dings Crusaders in a fixture that suddenly carried far greater significance than league points.

The hosts produced a dramatic last-gasp victory in what Cano describes as the finest moment of his playing career.

“We have a massive rivalry with Dings and we won it with the last play of the game,” he said.

“It sounds silly but it felt like it was written in the stars. Without a shadow of a doubt it was the highlight of my rugby career.

“After what had happened, the group seemed tighter than ever. We found a way to bond even more and everyone was desperate to do Matt proud.”

Much missed: Head coach Matt Salter who died earlier this year

Throughout the remainder of the season, Salter’s influence remained ever-present.

“We’d often say to each other, ‘What would Salt want us to do now?’ We all knew the answer.

“He’d tell us to get on with it and win the game. That was the type of character he was and we drew strength from that.”

Although Clifton eventually slipped out of the third tier, Cano insists there is no sense of doom around the club heading into next season.

Having previously helped Clifton win promotion from National Two West, the 33-year-old believes they are well equipped for the challenge ahead.

“We’re not going to underestimate how difficult National Two West is because we’ve all been there and done it before,” he said. “We know exactly what it takes to get out of that league.

“Clifton want to win every game and bounce straight back up. Luke Cozens and Ian Grieve are doing an outstanding job with recruitment, we’ve retained a lot of our squad and brought some new lads in as well.

“We only just got relegated and we’re more determined than ever to put things right.”

After a summer break that included a squad trip to Portugal, Cano is already back preparing for another campaign.

The former Bristol Bears academy, Hartpury, Chinnor and Rotherham front row believes age is no barrier to his ambitions.

“I honestly feel like I’m playing some of the best rugby of my career at 33,” he said.

“I’m still in the gym preparing for pre-season and I’ll keep going until I can’t do it anymore.”