In a tight affair against Jersey Reds, Richmond scored a late try to secure a losing bonus point, but will be left ruing missed opportunities once again as the hosts came away with a four try to three victory.

On a windy afternoon, it was always likely that tries were going to be the major player, and so it proved. Richmond actually started the faster, with two tries in the opening 12 minutes opening up a 14 point gap. First, Luc Jones darted over from close range after the forwards pummelled the defence into submission, and minutes later, it was Myles Scott who finished off another driving maul effort. Richmond’s pack were causing chaos, but a mistake in midfield let Jersey in for a driving effort of their own, and after a bounce of the ball went the hosts’ way and allowed a 60m run-in, it was suddenly level. For all their pressure, Richmond went in at the break without a lead, and while they looked dangerous with ball in hand, Jersey were proving adept at punishing any slight error.

The second half was even tighter than the first, with both sides probing for the opening 20 minutes, and neither really threatening anything meaningful. Two tries in two minutes changed that, as Jersey scored off a number eight pick and offload before finishing off a lovely flowing move to dot under the posts moments later. It was harsh on Richmond, as the Reds had scored four tries from four decent opportunities, and had struggled to create little else against a strong defensive performance.

With 10 minutes to go, Richmond cranked up the pressure as the hunt for a fightback spark began. It came from the pack once again, as the replacement front row took over where their predecessors had left off, and crumpled the Jersey scrum time and time again. It eventually got Richmond into scoring position, and after a series of penalties unfortunately ran the clock down a serious amount, the penalty try eventually came.

With a seven point deficit, Richmond gambled one last time, but a late Luc Jones snipe was stopped, and Jersey ran the clock down to put the ball out and seal the win. Richmond head into the Championship Cup period with a losing bonus point, and against a side that had scored an average of 42 points in their last five games, it’s not a bad return for a tough away trip. The problem? It could have been so much more.