Lowly London Scottish look to pick up just their second win of the season against local rivals Richmond

Credit: Sky Sports

The RFU Championship’s bottom club take on their landlords in a huge London clash at the Richmond Athletic Ground.

It has been a pretty dismal season for Scottish, currently sitting bottom of the Championship with just one win to their name.

That one win came at home to Coventry, and unfortunately, the rest of the season has made for grim reading. The precedent was set on the opening day of the season with a 47-7 home loss to the Jersey Reds and the Exiles went on to lose the following seven matches that succeeded that.

This included an embarrassment at the hands of fellow London side Ealing Trailfinders, shipping 15 tries in a 101-7 loss at the Ealing Trailfinders Sports Ground.

Current Director of Rugby at London Scottish, Matt Williams, joined the club from National League 1 side Chinnor in the midst of the initial Coronavirus chaos back in April 2020 and has seen the club go through a torrid time.

Scottish refused to take part in the shortened season in 2021 after rejecting a loan from the government to help them cover the financial costs of rigorous testing. Financial issues have continued to plague the club and perhaps that has contributed to performances on the pitch.

During the shortened season behind closed doors, Richmond suffered a similar fate to what the Exiles are facing now as they won just one game all season and finished in plum last.

This season however under the leadership of former Harlequins Rugby League coach Rob Powell, they have seen an improvement in on-field results and performances. Thankfully for both clubs though, the restructuring of the Rugby Union pyramid means that neither side have had to worry about the threat of relegation.

London Scottish will see the return of Scottish international Rory Hughes to the starting lineup as well as Nick Selway and Brian Tuilagi.

Meanwhile, Richmond will start with in-form Huw Worthington looking to score a try in his third consecutive game. Also, Mark Bright, Jared Cardew, James Kane and young Will Kaye return to the lineup for the game against Scottish.

This match represents a fierce rivalry between two London clubs. Both sides have in fact had very similar histories with Scottish and Richmond formerly professional sides, who had stints in the Premiership, before both clubs simultaneously went into administration and ultimately were spiritually merged into the side that is today known as London Irish.

The two sides re-emerged in the amateur leagues and went on to reach Championship level with Scottish even regaining their professional status in 1996, a status they held until the coronavirus pandemic crippled the already financially troubled club, forcing them to return to being semi-professional.

In regular Championship games, London Scottish average crowds of around 700 with landlords Richmond reaching attendances close to 900.

However, when these two sides face each other, fans from both clubs flock to the Richmond Athletic Ground, making for huge crowds and a fabulous atmosphere. The reverse fixture earlier in the season attracted just under 1,500 fans and similar numbers will be expected for this tie!

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