The first RFU president was Richmond’s Algernon Rutter and the club hosted the first-ever floodlit match in 1878 – between Middlesex and Surrey – with eight Richmond home players taking part.

Richmond has produced more than 100 internationals and 11 have captained their country.
When leagues were introduced in 1987, the West London club began life in National Two and finished third behind Northampton and Liverpool St Helens in 1990.

Disaster struck the following season – they were relegated, but immediately bounced back by winning National Three, only for the leagues to be re-organised in England.

Flirting with relegation in 1995, Richmond gained promotion by finishing runners-up to Coventry the next season.

Monaco tax exile Ashley Levett bought the Londoners in 1996 and turned them into the first professional rugby club.

He moved Richmond to the Madejski Stadium in Reading, but this move proved a failure, and the club was placed into administration.

The amateur club reformed in 2000 and was placed at the bottom of the pyramid. They climbed from the Herts and Middlesex League to London One in four years, and by 2016 had reached the Championship, from which they have since been relegated twice.

Our clubs met in the 2019-20 season for the first time with Richmond winning both games, Rams picking up a first success at The RAG in December, 2023, as they ran out 47-40 victors in a cracker.

The Londoners took control early on with Luc Jones and Luke Spring crossing, Alex Burrage converting the latter for 12-0.

Rams replied as Ellis Jones and Charlie Robson went over before the break, Fraser Honey adding to both and then Ant Marris’ early second-half score for 21-12.

It was ping-pong after that as Richmond’s Jones went over, followed by Henry Bird for Rams (28-19), Ntinga Mpiko for the hosts before George Makepeace-Cubitt dotted down and Honey made it five from five for 35-26.

The visitors lost Ant Marris and Dan Swain to the sin-bin before Alex Burrage converted Tom Hitchcock’s score for a two-point game, a penalty try giving the Berkshire side a little breathing space shortly after.

Yet Richmond again replied with a Will Kaye converted effort, victory only confirmed as Max Hayman rode a maul over with the final play.

The home contest last April proved to be an equally tight affair, tries from debutant Mikey Duda, Hayman and Robson enough to get the job done 19-13 as Honey slotted two kicks as Callum Torpey bagged a brace for ‘Mond, red-carded Lewis Dennett having earlier landed a penalty for his side.

In what was a top-of-the-table clash in front of an Old Bath Road record crowd of 1,829 in December, Richmond edged a low-scoring affair 7-5 in heavy rain.

Sam Pim’s fourth-minute try was converted by Callum Grieve, and while Mikey Duda gave the hosts’ late hope with his first touch, they could not get over the line.