Richmond welcome Firwood Waterloo on Sunday afternoon, with the prospect of a league double over the visitors sure to provide adequate motivation. Despite defeat to Saracens last time out, Richmond’s defence looked much improved once again, and it is this that head coach David Mobbs-Smith will be building on once again.
“We were in the game for a long time at Saracens, and we know that Firwood Waterloo are going to provide a tough challenge for us,” he said ahead of the game. “If our defence continues to be as strong as it has been this year, then we should be a tough team to beat at home.”
It’s no surprise that Mobbs-Smith has limited the changes to his side, but England lock Row Burnfield is back in the old gold, red and black after appearing in both of England’s Six Nations victories to date. Her presence will bolster a pack that has strength throughout, with Alice Soper shaking off an ankle injury to retain the number two shirt, and the a strong back-row trio of Zoe Barber, Becky Ball and Libby Povey sure to carry all day long.
In the backs, the impressive performances of Maria Gyolcsos mean she remains at full back, where her big hits and strong carries feed through to the rest of the backline. Jade Wong shuffles from nine to ten, while Vic Britland and Courtney Treco are likely to punch a few holes and cause a few headaches in the centres.
After a right 15-12 victory away to Firwood Waterloo in October, a win here would secure Richmond’s third double of the inaugural Premier 15s, and leave the side in a strong position going into Easter.
Richmond Team
15 Maria Gyolcsos
14 Rachel Laqeretabua
13 Courtney Treco
12 Vic Britland
11 Emily A Stone
10 Jade Wong
9 Char Keane
1 Anna Butler
2 Alice Soper
3 Laura Kapo
4 Row Burnfield (c)
5 Claire Phelps
6 Zoe Barber
7 Becky Ball
8 Libby Povey
16 Alex Zdunek
17 Sophie Barnett
18 Sian Hobday
19 Charlie Willett
20 Kirsty Lee Griffiths
21 Emily CV Stone
22 Oli Davies
Report courtesy of Richmond FC
