Dominant Richmond power beyond Valkyries

AN EIGHT-try performance saw Richmond keep up the pressure on the early leaders and condemn their visitors to another heavy defeat.

Emelie Hellgren, Katie Wallis and Rowena Burnfield gave the home side a commanding half-time lead, before a penalty try was followed by further scores from Kirsty-Lee Griffiths, Claire Phelps, Libby Povey and Emily Stone. Despite Brooklyn Clarke’s double, Worcester slipped to their fourth loss from four.

Richmond were ahead inside two minutes, turning the ball over in the Valkyries 22 before spinning it wide to Hellgren to score on her first start, with Abi Chamberlain adding the extras.

It was 14-0 inside the first 15 minutes, as Hellgren combined with fellow winger Anna de Rossi to send in Katie Wallis, Chamberlain again kicking two more from the tee.

Richmond captain Burnfield then added a third with Worcester unable to stop a driving maul from close range.

Worcester were given hope by Clarke’s sensational try, running 40 yards and beating four players, leaving the score 21-5 at half-time. A penalty try gave Richmond a bonus point on 57 minutes when their pack forced Worcester to collapse a scrum a metre from the line. Clarke then exploited a gaping hole in the Richmond midfield to score her second, with Bennion’s conversion cutting the gap to 16.

Richmond saw themselves home with four unconverted tries in the final 15 minutes, Phelps, Povey and Stone adding to Griffiths’ score 60 seconds after coming on.