Clifton College players signed to Bristol Rugby

03 Nov 2017

Congratulations to our three Clifton College 1st team players who signed their professional agreement terms with Bristol Rugby.

Matt Welsh, Nick Freeman and Tom Hargan have been carefully selected after their standout seasons for the College and impressive performances during their time at the club. All three players have been part of Clifton College’s High Performance Programme.

Matt and Tom have played and developed their rugby since joining the College in the Prep School. Nick joined in the Sixth Form, having previously played centre, and the fact that he has developed into a hooker that has now signed a professional contract only two years later, is testimony to the hard work that he has put in.

Academy Manager Mike Hall said “All these players have come through the Player Development Group (PDG) set-up and understand the Academy’s values.”

Matt Salter, Director of Rugby at Clifton College, added “Matt Welsh is a solid team defender, while Tom Hargan is a fast counter-attacker who showcased his skills throughout the U18s Aviva Academy League campaign. Nick Freeman, who was recently selected to play for Wales U18, is a powerful hooker and also had an impressive performance during the Academy U18s’ 2016/17 campaign.”

Capping off a fine week for all three boys, they played in the Premiership A-League last night against Saracens. In a tough encounter, Matt Welsh started at centre and played very well in a Bristol Man of the Match performance.

Sports coach Paul Askew said: “We are very pleased for Matt, Nick and Tom and they should be proud of this achievement. Their selection is proof of the dedication and hard work they put into their training throughout their time at Clifton College and the programme we are developing here. We have no doubt they will go on to achieve great success and wish them the best of luck in their upcoming fixtures.”