RAMS Under 23s produced another excellent performance as they defeated hosts Richmond 47-12.
Buoyed by their impressive 11-try pre-Christmas success against Chinnor, the visitors started strongly and opened the scoring inside 10 minutes as Jake Jackson powered over at The RAG.
George Tomlinson added the extras, and after the hosts had come close to replying, Rams doubled their advantage with a converted score from scrum-half Louis Pereira.
Richmond got off the mark and halved the deficit during the second quarter, but Tomlinson was on target after touching down himself for 21-7 at the interval.
It was game on after 50 minutes, however the hosts crossing for the second time, albeit this time the kick was missed.
Rams struck back soon after, though, Will Burroughs giving some breathing space before Tomlinson lost his 100 per cent record from the tee.
Debutant second row Spencer Codling then went over with Tomlinson making it 33-12.
The game continued to ebb and flow before full-back Theo Pett-Ridge continued his stunning try-scoring form with a fine break down the right.
And the former Mini then doubled up to make it five tries in two U23 outings, Tomlinson slotting both conversions to complete the scoring.
*RAMS 1st XV return to National One action as they host long-time rivals Sale FC on Saturday (3pm).
After a disappointing pre-Christmas setback at Dings Crusaders, the hosts sit sixth in the table, one place and half-a-dozen points adrift of their opponents.
In what is an increasingly clustered top half, leaders Rotherham Titans were stunned by second-bottom Leeds Tykes last time out, leaving them on 56 points and just one clear of in-form Plymouth Albion.
Blackheath sit third on 53, injury-hit Rosslyn Park – who have lost three of their past four games – on 51, and Sale one further back.
Rams have 44 from their 14 games to date, with Tonbridge Juddians on 42.
This season the champions will again secure automatic promotion to The Champ, but those finishing in second and third will also clash in an end-of-season play-off with the winner then facing the loser of a game between the 12th and 13th-placed sides from the division above.
The winner of that will play in Level Two for the 2026/27 campaign, meaning there is much to play for in the remainder of the season.
Rams won their first game at Sale back in 2019, but after Covid shortened the season, they then lost six straight against The Dogs despite twice finishing as National One runners-up.
The bad run was halted in emphatic style with a sensational 33-0 home win in Round Three last season, though two more defeats leave Sale with an 8-2 head-to-head record ahead of the latest encounter.
