Richmond Women v Bristol Ladies

Review

Richmond got their title defence off to a perfect start with a 7-try win over Bristol. They opened the scoring after 2 minutes with winger Oli Davies scoring in the corner. Alice Richardson got the 2^nd a few minutes later and Jo Watmore added a third on the half hour mark, converted by Richardson to give Richmond a 17-0 lead.

Bristol hit back on halftime with Ireland’s Claire Molloy bursting through tackles to score. Rebecca Hughes converted. 17-7.

The 2^nd half proved to be a one-sided affair with Richmond running in 4 tries; 2 more from Watmore, one for Hannah Field and one for Rowena Burnfield. With Richardson expertly controlling the game from 10, Richmond were always on the front foot. Bristol’s Siobhan Longdon Hughes was a constant threat in the centre and made several breaks but was too often let down by her support.

Richmond will be happy with their first match which was played without 5 of their 6 contracted 7s players, showing the depth of their squad and the benefit of having 3 teams at the club.