May 9, 2026
Today saw the final round of fixtures in the Champ regular season as Chinnor hosted Richmond.
Two weeks ago, these diaries reported on Chinnor’s comfortable 32-22 victory over Worcester Warriors. Last Saturday, two late tries saw them pick up two bonus points in a 28-30 loss at Bedford Blues which kept them in 5th place in the table, and needing just one point from today’s game to secure a place in the end of season play-offs. Any victory would see Chinnor finish in 5th place and a trip to either Coventry or Worcester awaited in the play-off quarter-final.
Richmond This Season
Richmond came into today’s game in 12th place with a 7-1-17 record, but were a poor 2-1-9 away from the Athletic Ground.
Having won promotion from National League One last season, Richmond begin the season with a heartening 18-13 home win over Chinnor in a game reported on by Fatbear. However, since then the only wins had been a double over winless Cambridge ( H 38-22, A 54-5 ), home wins against Hartpury University ( 17-12 ), Caldy ( 31-12 ) and Nottingham ( 17-15 ), then last week Richmond beat tenants London Scottish 24-17 in what was officially an away game. The draw was a notable 7-7 effort at Hartpury.
Richmond already knew that they would have to play London Scottish in the relegation play-off, where they would be the “home” side. Victory would see them playing in the Championship next season, but defeat would mean facing the winner of the National League One promotion play-off between Blackheath and Plymouth Albion at the RAG.
Richmond’s average home attendance this season was 1,079, with 1,950 attending the derby with London Scottish but only 700 watched their game against Coventry.
Previous Meetings
Prior to this season’s match, the two sides had last met in 2023/24, when Chinnor won both encounters on their way to winning National League One. Fatbear covered both games, with Chinnor winning 55-26 at home and 41-16 at the RAG.
However, these were the only occasions when Chinnor had tasted victory over Richmond, having lost in the four earlier meetings. In Chinnor’s first ever season at the 4th level of English rugby in 2008/09, they lost 21-35 at home and 21-23 at the Athletic Ground, then in the aborted 2019/20 season, Richmond won 26-14 at home, and in a game featured in these diaries, they were victorious 21-5.
Matchday Information
The journey from Richmond to Thame is 46 miles and should normally take around an hour via the M4, M25 and M40.
Adult tickets purchased online were £16 and £20 at the gate, and an online programme had been prepared in advance of today’s game.
The usual food vendors for burgers, pizzas, crepes and coffee were in place, and a pint of XT4 was £5.18 with the member’s 10% discount.
With an eye very much on next weekend’s relegation play-off, Richmond made 15 changes to their starting XV that beat London Scottish last weekend, although five of today’s starters were substitutes last week. Furthermore, six of the side started the game against Chinnor back in October, back-row forwards Jared Cardew and Miles Wakeling, scrum-half Alex Schwarz, wing Josh Adams, centre Ronnie du Randt and full-back Greg Kitson. Harlequin fly-half Connor Slevin, who made 16 appearances for Chinnor last season and one this season, was also in the Richmond side
Chinnor made three changes to the side that narrowly lost at Bedford. Luke Carter and Callum Pascoe swopped at scrum-half, Conor Brockschmidt replaced Willie Ryan at lock and Oscar Yandall was to make his first appearance of the season, coming in for Joe Brock at full-back.
It was cloudy with patches of blue sky at the 15.00 kick-off with a solitary red kite on patrol above the ground. The temperature was 20 degrees and the infamous Chinnor breeze was at its most benign, making it very pleasant conditions for watching rugby.
Richmond were playing in their traditional yellow, red and black hoops with black shorts whilst Chinnor were in their usual home kit of black and white.
Match Report
Chinnor booked their place in the play-offs but they were made to work hard by a much changed Richmond XV. 'Mond led 14-7 at the interval and were good value for their lead, with Kitson, Dardis and Slevin all looking lively with ball in hand and Richmond were winning their set-pieces. Chinnor's play was error-strewn, all too often looking for a flamboyant pass than keeping the ball in hand.
However, Chinnor scored early in the second period to bring the score to 12-14, and the introduction of Rukhadze, Walker and Hardwick to the front row saw Chinnor take control in the scrums and rucks, and Campbell started to win both Chinnor and Richmond line-outs.
Walker in particular was inspired, scoring the third try from a rolling maul to put Chinnor's noses in front, and then with a penalty advantage his chip ahead caused chaos in the Mond defence, leading to Carter's crossfield kick for Goss to catch and run over in the corner to take the score to 22-14. A 5th try 5 minutes from the end sealed the 29-14 victory.
Score Timeline
Richmond were first on the scoreboard when the parting of the red sea enabled lock Archie Winchfield-Beale to pick up at the base of a ruck and stroll under the posts for a try on his first-team debut for Richmond. Slevin added the extras. 0-7 after 9 minutes.
Two minutes later Richmond prop James Litchfield was shown a yellow card for a high tackle, or as a wag next to me said, his name should be “leave field” !
With a player advantage, Chinnor were camped in the Richmond 22, and eventually the pressure told with flanker Will Cave barging his way over the try-line. Fly-half Nathan Chamberlain slotted over the conversion to level the scores at 7-7 after 19 minutes.
Richmond took advantage of a couple penalties to take play deep inside the Chinnor 22, and peeling off from a line-out rolling maul, Wakeling dived over and Slevin’s conversion gave Richmond a 14-7 lead with 25 minutes played.
Although Chinnor dominated play for the rest of the first half, they were unable to make any inroads past a resolute Richmond defence, so the visitors headed to the dressing rooms with a 14-7 lead.
Chinnor’s front row changes early into the second half had an almost immediate impact as they pressed the Richmond line, but the defence was drawn in, and a long pass gave wing Keiran Goss an easy score in the corner. With regular kicker Chamberlain having left the field through injury, the ball was thrown to replacement scrum-half Pascoe, whose attempted conversion sailed narrowly wide. The score was now 12-14 after 47 minutes.
With Chinnor still needing one point to be certain of making the play-offs, the home were starting to get restless, but after Richmond were pinged for not rolling away at a ruck, the penalty was kicked to 5 metres. Line-out ball was secured and with several backs joining in the rolling maul, Walker crashed over the whitewash to give Chinnor the lead. Pascoe’s attempted conversion again drifted wide from close to the touchline, but Chinnor now had a 17-14 lead with 64 minutes on the clock.
Chinnor were now rampant and with a penalty advantage Walker’s chip ahead caused chaos in the Mond defence, and when Chinnor regained possession, Carter's cross-field kick found Goss on his opposite wing to catch and run over in the corner. Yandall took over kicking duties but his effort from close to the touchline also drifted narrowly wide, but Chinnor now led 22-14 after 69 minutes.
The scoring was wrapped up when another Richmond infringement resulted in the penalty being kicked deep into the Mond 22, and after several drives close to the line, Rukhadze dived over close to the posts, and Yandall added the extras. The score became 29-14 with 73 minutes played.
In the closing stages Richmond threw the ball around seeking to make a breakthrough, but the Chinnor defence held firm, to secure the five-point victory.
Chinnor now travel to Worcester in the play-off quarter-final. I don't know if it is true, but I was told that the gate receipts in the play-offs are shared, so Chinnor would earn a tidy sum from a 9,500 sell-out at Sixways !
Richmond have their relegation play-off next week against London Scottish, whilst Hartpury’s 30-21 victory over Cornish Pirates gave them a trip to Coventry in the over play-off quarter-final.
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