Richmond 26 Henley Hawks 14

Richmond Women earn another bonus point victory in wet conditions at the RAG, keeping them within striking distance from top of the table Thurrock. They maintain their momentum heading into the Christmas break, with their next challenge against newly promoted side Sutton & Epsom, who secured a losing bonus point in their recent match in Bath.

Mark Cadogan's women demonstrated an explosive start, overwhelming Henley in the early minutes. Hollie Williamson capitalised on the intensity, scoring in the far corner just five minutes into the game.

This proved to be a wake-up call for Henley, prompting them to respond. Richmond defended their 5m line for the next five minutes until Jess Dale crucially turned the tide in the breakdown, relieving the pressure. However, Henley quickly seized the lineout, and their number 8, Kat Robinson, powered over to level the game. Rachel Humphreys added the extras, putting Henley in front by the 12th minute.

The match appeared to settle for the next 10 minutes, with action mainly in the middle third. In the 26th minute, Katie Wallis bulldozed through three defenders, scoring under the sticks and allowing Courtney Treco to extend the lead.

Shortly after, Wallis's center partner, Bluebell Nicholls, intercepted the ball and raced an impressive 40 meters to score under the posts.

Henley had 14 unanswered points to address as the first half approached its conclusion. A crucial second try from their impressive number 8, Kat Robinson, provided the Hawks with hope as they headed into the tunnel, trailing 19-14.

In a blink-and-you-miss-it moment, Frankie Woolf, on the pitch for less than a minute, powered over to secure Richmond's fourth try and a bonus point.

The remaining 39 minutes saw neither team take full control, resulting in a 26-14 victory for Richmond.

Player of the Match Tilly Kidd had this to add “We were really looking forward to this game and the challenge Henley would bring, and they really did bring it. We have been building on everything and to be able to put it into practice was amazing.”

Phoenix PotM: Tilly Kidd
Tries: Hollie Williamson (5'), Katy Wallis (27'), Bluebell Nicholls (34'), Frankie Woolf (41')
Conversions: Courtney Treco (25’, 35’, 41’)

Squad (1-15): A. Alema, T. Kidd, L. Kapo , L, Minazzato, J. Dale, I. Duffy, Z. Barber, B. De Garston-Webb (c), M. Nogales, C. Treco, B. Akpobome, K. Wallis, B. Nicholls, H. Williamson, B. Smart,
Replacements: R. Kemball, C. Graham, E. Adlam-Cook, F. Woolf, V. Bahlmann, G. Spencer, B. McFarlane