A quick fire double from Jamie George and Callum Hunter-Hill just before half-time put Saracens in the ascendancy. After the break, further scores from Rotimi Segun, Andy Christie and Ralph Adams-Hale sealed the win.
Richmond started the game superbly, attacking for four minutes and well over 25 phases. After asking real questions of the visitors defence, Saracens infringed and Ted Landray made no mistake in front of the sticks.

Their good start continued throughout the opening 20 minutes. Richmond consistently managed to get outside of the visitors defence and wingers Max Trimble and Dan Kelly managed to find open grass in the wide channels.

Slowly through their scrum, Saracens started to assert their dominance. On the 25th minute Manu Vunipola levelled the scores up from a penalty and having finally got the scoreboard moving, Saracens didn’t stop.

Two rolling maul tries from George and Hunter-Hill were sandwiched by a Luc Jones yellow card for tackling a Sarries player from an offside position, making the half-time score 3-15 to the visitors.

Richmond did well at the start of the second half not to let the Jones shaped hole show. They had almost managed to start the half without conceding, but a scintillating Saracens backs move saw Segun go in at the corner. Vunipola failed to add the extras from out wide and it was 3-20 with half an hour to play.

The next 15 minutes were spent exclusively inside Richmond’s 22. Saracens continued to ask questions of the Richmond defence, but they seemed to have the answers. Even after Alex Bibic was sent to the bin, the try-line stand looked as if it would only be broken by a moment of brilliance. However, this is what happened as replacement back row Andy Christie side-stepped his way to the line.

As the game drew to a close, Adams-Hale crashed over from close range putting extra gloss on the score-line but Steve Hill can be proud of his side and the way his team performed.

3-32, may sound convincing, but Richmond were unlucky to lose out on all the 50/50 calls and on another day, this fixture could have been much tighter.

Although the result didn’t go Richmond’s way, a game like today was always going to be about the story-lines. Seeing insurance product manager Bibic and accountant Freddie Hosking steal lineouts from British & Irish Lion Jamie George, just shows how brilliant and vital the Championship is to English rugby.

For 25 minutes Richmond were on top of the three-time European Champions and the only shame was that there wasn’t 4,000 people at the RAG to cheer them on.

The Richmond Player of the Match, voted for by the coaches and sponsored by Jen Gadsby Peet was powerful flanker Jack Allcock.

FINAL SCORE: RICHMOND 3 - SARACENS 32

Richmond 3
Penalties: Ted Landray (4th mins)

Saracens 32

The full in-depth match report from Tim Forrester to follow…

Image courtesy of Dante K Photography: www.dantekphotography.com