Match Preview

A brilliant rugby weekend ahead as three Richmond teams travel over to South-East London to take on Blackheath. The day kicks off with the future stars of rugby, the Richmond u12s play at 1:30pm and then at 2pm the Saxons are playing who are looking to make their mark on the game before the Richmond Men’s 1st XV play in the main event ‘The Big Match’ kicking off at 3pm in Round 9 of National League 1. This fixture is the oldest continuing meeting of the two rugby clubs in the world and was first played on January 2nd 1864.

Rob Powell makes 5 changes to his match-day squad from last weekend’s game against Cinderford. The hard-working back-rower that is Xavier Hastings returns to the side starting at openside, Tom Smith comes into the side at 10 after a player-of-the-match performance for the Vikings last weekend against Rams and the final change in the starting XV is on the left wing, where we see the electric Will Kaye making his return after he sustained an injury at the beginning of the season.

Only 2 changes to this weekend's bench, Vaughan Bentley adds his versatility as he covers prop and hooker and young Harlequins loanee Lucas Schmid covers the back row.

Starting XV (1-15)

1. Luke Spring – Sponsored by Steve Hardwick
2. Alexander Post © - Sponsored by Andrew Gordon
3. Ntinga Mpiko – Sponsored by Chris Mills
4. Jake Monson – Sponsored by Ollie Quigley
5. Max Murphy – Sponsored by Toni Judd
6. Henry Wills – Sponsored by Metatrak
7. Xavier Hastings – Available to sponsor
8. Ethan Benson – Sponsored by Aaron Adams
9. Luc Jones – Sponsored by Tony Dorman
10. Tom Smith – Sponsored by David Whibley
11. Will Kaye – Sponsored by Noble Day Associates
12. Tom Hitchcock – Available to sponsor
13. Henry Cheeseman – Sponsored by Denise Williams & Bob Scott
14. Hamish Graham – Sponsored by Kingsbridge Private Hospital
15. Alex O’Meara – Sponsored by Tim Forrester

Replacements

16. Vaughan Bentley – Sponsored by James Espey
17. Conor Maguire – Sponsored by Biscay Boys
18. Lucas Schmid – Sponsored by RFC Fair Weather Supporters Club
19. Matteo Petrozzi – Available to sponsor
20. Sean Kerr – Sponsored by Table Twenty