Richmond’s trip to the seaside to play Worthing Raiders ended up well and truly on the rocks, the home side completing a seven try demolition of the visitors on a thoroughly dispiriting day.

After the previous week’s win against Henley Hawks, Richmond should have felt capable of adding a second victory to complete the double over their close rivals of recent years.

Unfortunately the forwards, so effective the previous week, came a distant second to a stronger, fitter, faster Worthing pack and the scoreline could have been worse.

With Peter Clarke, Alistair Simmie and Kris Greene all returning, Richmond fielded one of their strongest teams and started effectively, with most of the early and slightly frantic play in the Worthing half.

After just two minutes Alex Maclennan spotted a gap in the Worthing defence and kicked shrewdly across field to find the alert Alistair Simmie in space.

Given a kind bounce, Simmie would have scored but the ball did not oblige and a knock on resulted. Three minutes later Matt Hart opened (and completed) Richmond’s scoring with a penalty and this should have helped to settle nerves. Unfortunately it did not.

The turning point of the game came after fourteen minutes. The Worthing fly half kicked an innocuous looking ball across field and Hart and Simmie seemed to have the situation well covered.

Unfortunately they waited to usher the ball into touch and the ball did not oblige, taking a bounce back infield to wrong foot everyone except Worthing wing Greg Walker who ran in from forty metres with grateful ease. Matt Mclean added the conversion and the bounce of the ball meant that a score, which could have been 0-10 was 7-3. That is the end of Richmond’s excuses.

Thereafter Worthing took total control of the match and Richmond simply subsided, looking bereft of confidence or self belief.

The second Worthing try followed just before the half hour, the big, raw Worthing pack driving over from a line out, the teenaged lock Joe Launchbury being credited with the touch down.

Two more tries followed before half time, the first of the two resulting from more Richmond errors. An ill conceived clearance kick found full back Mclean in space and he ran at the visitors’ defence who continued to back away as they waited for a pass to the supporting players. No pass was necessary. Mclean simply kept running to the try line.

The fourth try was scored after sharp interplay between winger and full back but should really be credited to the huge Worthing No 8, Semisi Taulava, who made the initial breach.

Richmond had one opportunity in the last minute of the half, Luke Cousins making a beautiful line kick from a penalty to set up the forwards for a five metre line out. However the forwards made no impact with their drive and the whistle soon followed.

Richmond have turned over similar deficits in previous trips to Worthing and locals, rubbing their eyes with disbelief at the scoreline, were convinced that the Richmond ‘spirit’ would get them back in the match.

Whatever the spirit, there were too many errors on this day and Worthing were never really threatened in the second half. For over half an hour the score remained unchanged and Richmond secured more possession, mainly through a series of penalties given against the Raiders.

The backs ran the ball when given the opportunity but apart from some powerful bursts from Maclennan and glimpses of pace from Simmie, there was no cutting edge and movement was lateral, the Worthing defence remaining rock solid.

By contrast Worthing, though barely needing to get out of third gear, seemed able to break the Richmond defence at will and only two ‘crossing’ offences and a failure to use overlaps saved further scores.

The Richmond line out creaked under pressure and the whole side looked nervy and slow to support each other. Three tries ensued in the last ten minutes, all breakaways resulting from errors, as the gloom and despair intensified. It was a long journey home.

Next week Richmond entertain Canterbury (kick off 2pm). Hopefully the familiar terrain of the Athletic Ground will remind the team that they are capable of playing an awful lot better than this.

Penalty: M.Hart Team: M.Hart (A.Saunders), T.Cook, T.Gregory, A.Maclennan, A.Simmie, L.Cousins, K. Green (T.Henry), A.Lyon, E.Rosa (D.Burr), D.Parkinson (A.Friel), H.Head (C), T.Wesley (T.Sadler), T.George, J.Downey, P.Clarke.