On 60 minutes with Wimbledon leading by just one point but with their error count rising and Richmond with their tails up, the Dons’ march towards the Surrey Premiership League 1 title was looking at risk, but 24 unanswered points in the final quarter carried the visitors through to a hard-fought but deserved victory which was not always as comfortable as the scoreline may suggest.

It was evident early in the first half that Wimbledon were playing a team far stronger and more aggressive than most they have faced this season, and once they had settled they did well to go into half-time with a 0-17 lead. George Brosch had opened the scoring on 10 minutes, bursting through tackles after a stolen lineout, Olly Thomas crossed two minutes later having looped behind the backs to take the ball wide out on the opposite wing, and with the interval approaching scrum half James McKendry broke from an attacking scrum, yet another strong effort from the pack, to score in the corner.

Touchline nerves started to jangle in the early part of the second half when Richmond brought themselves back into contention with three tries in ten minutes, partly helped by lapses from Wimbledon which weaker opposition from earlier in the season may not have punished. Losing the ball in a ruck deep in the Richmond 22 and then a misplaced pass on the halfway line both resulted in tries, although Jamie Millais had grabbed one of his own in between from a short-range tap penalty to keep the Dons marginally ahead.