For someone who is in his fifth season at Richmond and has made more than 100 appearances for the club, you might think Will Warden has barely left south-west London.

But that is far from the case as come Sunday morning there is nowhere the 28-year-old would rather be than eating sausages on the east side of town.

The Gloucester-born former Loughborough University student spends much of his time commuting from Shadwell to the Athletic Ground – via his job in the City – for training and matches.

But the skipper, who was presented with a cap after Saturday’s 23-20 win over Blackheath for passing 100 appearances, would not have it any other way.

“It is a great honour to get 100 caps especially at a club like this with all the history behind it,” said Warden, who has actually made 104 starts for director of rugby Steve Hill’s men.

“We are fortunate to attract a lot of players so I just have to be thankful to have been selected 100 times. I owe a lot to the coach for that.

“My bosses at work are sympathetic to what I do and give me time off when I need it – providing I’ve done the work.

“I adore rugby, I love it otherwise you woudn’t put the hours in, but I think it is important to have a balance.

“If I lived out here I’d end up waking up on a Sunday morning and I would never leave south-west London. You can get caught up in the rugby bubble out here.

“I can escape a bit in east London, do something different and clear your head of it.

“It is an hour trip door-to-door on the Tubes, but as long as I am home in time to have my sausages it is all right.”

Saturday’s win came thanks to a Jack Allcock double and a try for number eight Chris Davies, coupled with a tremendous defensive effort in hideous conditions.

It fired Hill’s men up to second in the National Division One table thanks to Esher’s defeat to Rosslyn Park.

Hill paid tribute to his hardworking pack that eventually overpowered the visitors, winning a crucial second half penalty – kicked by Rob Kirby – at scrum time that ultimately proved the difference between the two teams.

And Warden believes they now have a competitive edge that he has not seen before when the going gets tough.

“Every squad I have been a part of here has had something different,” he added.

“At the moment we have got a bit of grit and steely edge and we’ve not had that here before.

“You saw it on Saturday. The guys are really stepping it up when the going gets tough.

“One or two new guys have shown the way on that front and it is infectious. Once one or two start doing it, then the rest of the squad follow the lead.”

He added: “The league is very open this year and that was a big win for us.

“For me, you have good days and bad days in rugby. If you have more good days than bad then you will have a good season.

“But you have to keep working at it and the harder you work in training the fewer bad days you have.”