One of Richmond's most loved and longstanding players, Clare Hoppe, passed away last Friday 29th April following a long and brave battle with cancer.

The thoughts of everyone at Richmond and the wider rugby family are with Clare's family, friends and teammates at this extremely difficult time.

Funeral Service - Tuesday 17th May 2022:

Clare's funeral service will be streamed live at Richmond Rugby Club on Tuesday 17th May, commencing at 10:40am. After the funeral there will be a celebration of Clare's life with family and friends.

We would be grateful if you could register your attendance by clicking here.

There will be a buffet, tea and coffee and a bar available. You do not need to state when you will be arriving, whether you will be joining for the live stream or after, please just register. Please feel free to forward on the link to others who you know would wish to come and celebrate Clare's life. The dress code for the event is smart casual but fun!

Tribute From Sharon Whitehead (Ex Richmond & England Prop):

I cannot stress enough the importance of Clare Hoppe to Richmond Women and women's rugby in general. She was small (a hooker), and only played a couple of first-team games in extremis, though she was capped for Ireland in the very early days. Her dummy pass was legendary. She was modest, not a natural leader, not the life and soul of the party, but always in the group having the most fun. Always at training, rarely one to miss a game, always first to sign up for a tour or a fun tournament, for what must have been close to 20 years. She was a happy and positive gentle soul. When she grinned (which was most of the time), her smile was so wide that her eyes disappeared. She was just lovely.

Everybody of my generation in women's rugby knew her, as did many players before and after, and everybody loved her. Many remember Hoppe being the first to welcome them to the club and buy them a drink. The response on social media to her passing has been phenomenal. Everyone has a Hoppe story and a Hoppe photo (99% of them in fancy dress). There are messages from England captains through to people who she talked through their one and only 3rd XV game, from all around the globe.

It seems like the staff at The Royal Marsden were also under her spell. Hoppe wrote a blog chronicling her treatment which was beautifully written educational and inspiring, and oozing with Hoppe positivity.

From everyone, everywhere. Rest in Peace Hoppe.