Richmond 53 - Taunton 14 (Match Report)

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Taunton were left frustrated after suffering a 53-14 loss away to league leaders Richmond on Saturday.

A trip to the table toppers, and favourites for promotion, was always going to be a tough ask. However Taunton travelled with the belief that it could be done nonetheless, but the encounter proved to follow the formbook in an entertaining match played in sunny but cold conditions in front of over six hundred supporters.

Richmond opened the scoring in the fourth minute, with full back Thomas Platt slotting a simple penalty to give his side a three-point lead following an infringement from the visitors.

The remainder of the opening quarter was relatively even matched. Play swept from end to end as both sides searched for the opening try, only to often be undone by errors as both tried to force matters. Reward came for the home side when Platt crossed following a patient build up. He was unable to add the conversion but Richmond now led 8-0 after 19 minutes.

The response was immediate, and Taunton opened their account for the afternoon when a resurgent Reuben Haile intercepted a pass and exploited space to run in from fifty metres out. Tony Yapp stepped up, adding the extras to pull Taunton back to within a point making the score 8-7 after 21 minutes.

As the game progressed Richmond took control, and their experienced former Wasps and Leeds fly half James Brooks was prominent. His positional kicking kept Taunton playing on the back foot from deep for much of the remainder of the half. He was also next to add a try when space opened up in front of him and he danced his way over. Platt converted and the home side now had a 15-7 advantage after 25 minutes.

A third was added following more positional mastery from Brooks to keep Taunton penned in. The Taunton defence did well to repel the initial advances but eventually would once again creak under the pressure and second row Will Warden strolled through a gap to score. Platt again added the conversion to give his side a 22-7 lead after 31 minutes.

With the Taunton lineout struggling, their hosts continued to press them back and turned down a couple of penalty kick opportunities in search of wrapping up the bonus point before the break. A subsequent catch and drive was defended well but when it was collapsed the referee went straight to his pocket, Dave Bates the recipient of a yellow card for his efforts.

With a man down the defence would once again be stretched to breaking point, eventually allowing hooker Dave Burr to go over for Richmond’s fourth try. Platt missed with the conversion attempt but the home side had a healthy 27-7 lead at the half time break.

Taunton came out for the second half with a renewed vigour and started to put together some promising phases. For the first time in the match the midfield pairing of Christian Gervais and Ryan Edwards had some possession, and made some ground, forcing their opposite numbers to work hard to contain them. Alex Hemsley continued his good form in the back row, putting in a workman-like performance, and Jon Gatford was a physical presence everywhere for the full eighty minutes. Haile also put in a better performance, working hard in both attack and defence.

However, Richmond added another score when Haile was down receiving lengthy treatment for a knock. This left space on the left flank, which the home side exploited with winger William Browne scoring the first of the second half. Platt once again converted to extend the home sides lead to 34-7 after 54 minutes.

The following twenty minutes was fairly evenly matched and Taunton proved that they could live with, and even provide scare or two, for any side in the league. With more and more possession they fashioned further chances but were left frustrated as they would see them go begging time and time again.

The final ten minutes would end in a flurry and Richmond had to wait until then to add their sixth try of the afternoon when Browne crossed for his second. Platt missed the conversion attempt but their commanding lead was now 39-7 after 72 minutes.

Another was added four minutes later when replacement Duncan Peters, a late addition to the Richmond bench, scored barely a minute after he replaced the dominating Brooks. Platt added another conversion giving his side a 46-7 lead after 76 minutes.

Taunton responded less than two minutes later when they managed a well-deserved consolation score through the impressive Haile in his usual abrasive and powerful style. The youngster bagged his twentieth try of the season bringing his personal points tally in a Taunton jersey to 100. The reliable Yapp, himself with 143 league points to his name, added the extras to cut the deficit to 46-14 after 78 minutes.

With full time on the clock and the result in the bag, Taunton switched off allowing Richmond to have the last say of the afternoon. They sealed their victory with a try deep into injury time through replacement scrum half Tom Drewe. Platt brought his personal contribution to eighteen points with the conversion as his side broke the fifty-point mark on the stroke of time. 53-14 the final score.

For long periods of the match there was little between the two sides, with the young Taunton side still growing together into a hard working unit. However, there were glimpses of the sublime transforming into the ridiculous when the basics went out of the window, allowing the opposition enough room to punish them.

There is more to work on now in preparation for a must win encounter against league strugglers Barnes at Hyde Park on Saturday.