Rob Powell hoping Richmond can be on right end of fine margins

By Saope Soko

Richmond head coach Rob Powell hopes his side can mount a title challenge this season if they turn the narrow defeats from last year into wins.

Richmond had a successful pre-season campaign recruiting heavily with the aim of making sure that they do not fall victim to last season’s run of defeats, where they were plagued by injuries which resulted in them losing tight games.

Powell’s Belief

Powell believes that they are in a good place, the group has come together and this was backed by their impressive start of the season winning away at Blackheath last weekend.

Whilst happy with the performance, Powell knows they ought to not get carried away.

He told The Rugby Paper: “It’s early days, and we’ve only played one game.

“We felt as though the boys prepared themselves really well to the demands of it, and that’s probably testament to a really good pre-season.”

English rugby is undergoing a transitional phase at present, and Powell believes that there are a number of opportunities that the RFU can capitalise on by using what is readily available.

Confident: Rob Powell

Powell said: “There’s some good stuff going on and there are some good opportunities around the National Leagues that can be a pathway through the right ranks.

“You have to recognise the value in the National Leagues and make it fully part of the pathway not only for our own commercial success and the success of the product but also in the sort of player production.

“I don’t know that we can get to a point of having 20 fully professional teams but let’s look at what we have got and utilise the resources that we’ve got with good clubs, good environments and good systems in place.”

Challenges

Over the last few years, several clubs have faced financial difficulties, raising concerns about the sustainability of the domestic game.

Richmond is a perfect example of a club that has experienced this kind of challenge.

They were relegated from the Premiership and placed into the lowest possible level after enduring liquidation.

Over the course of roughly 20 years, the club pushed to get back to competing in the Championship.

Powell said: “As a club we’re not relying on one person’s money, we generate our income from the facility, and we are sustainable – we only spend within our means.”