Richmond hit the road this weekend for the first away fixture of the Champ Rugby season, travelling to the Wirral to face Caldy on Saturday.

After opening their campaign at the RAG last weekend, the side now look to build momentum on their return to tier two, with a number of changes to the matchday squad. Paddy Case returns from a brief shoulder injury, while Sam Pim is back in the side after missing the season opener. Chris Freeman makes his Champ debut following a summer stint in Australia, and Pim, Brosch, and Vaughan also make their first Champ appearances in Richmond colours.

Caldy head into Round 2 full of confidence after a flying start, securing all five points in a 26-10 win over London Scottish. Last season they finished 11th, but early signs suggest a side ready to climb, built on physicality and defensive steel – they led the league in tackle success percentage in Round 1.

Head-to-head: Callum Grieve vs Kieran Wilkinson

This week’s Head-to-Head spotlights the two fly-halves guiding their sides at Paton Field, Richmond’s Callum Grieve and Caldy’s Kieran Wilkinson, whose influence in controlling territory and tempo will be pivotal.

Grieve was a standout performer last season, earning a place in the National League 1 Team of the Year after starting all 26 fixtures and finishing as Richmond’s top point scorer, and second overall in the league with 256 points and eight tries. A model of consistency and control, he’s featured across four backline positions but will once again steer the ship from 10 this weekend. Against Chinnor in Round 1, Grieve led the backline defensively, making the most tackles among the backs (11) with an impressive 92% success rate, standing firm as Chinnor targeted his channel. Grieve provides structure and direction to those around him, while his kicking under pressure, two penalties and one conversion in testing winds last weekend, underlines his reliability in key moments.

Opposite him, Wilkinson, one of Caldy’s key summer recruits from Newcastle Falcons, brings Premiership experience and a polished attacking skill set. The former England U18 and U20 international made an impressive debut last week, converting three of four tries and producing a pinpoint 50:22 to set up Caldy’s third score, no small feat in the chaos of Storm Amy.

Adding an extra layer to the match-up, both fly-halves are former pupils of Kirkham Grammar School, where Wilkinson was a year above Grieve. Fitting, then, that the pair now meet again on opposite sides in the Champ.

Both fly-halves thrive on game control, and their ability to manage momentum could prove decisive in shaping Saturday’s result.

For those unable to make the trip north, the match will be streamed live on Clubber TV from the Murray Judd Bar at the Richmond Athletic Ground, open from 12pm. The Vikings kick off against Dorking 2s at 2pm, before Richmond take to the field at Paton Field. All Champ Rugby games will be live-streamed on Clubber TV – use code RICH20 for a discount on an annual pass.