Richmond Rugby Club's U17 team made it three wins in four tries with an emphatic 48-7 victory over the Meralomas last Sunday at King George Park.
The result moved the locals into a threeway tie for second place in what is proving to be a very competitive fall league.
Richmond opened the scoring three minutes into the contest when the ball was moved out quickly to dynamic fullback Will Chamberlain who touched down in the corner.
Five minutes later, an alert play by flanker Troy Murray saw him ground the ball in the corner for Richmond's second try of the day. Matias McDonald slotted the convert to put the hosts up 12-0.
Power running from Terry Lok dotted down midway through the half and it looked like it was going to be all oneway traffic. This was not to be as the Meralomas, on the strength of some hard running by their forwards, replied with a converted try of their own to make it 17-7 at the half.
Both sides made a number of substitutions at the interval and the depth of both was to be tested. Richmond came out firing on all cylinders, led by their outstanding captain Harjun Gill.
A five try explosion saw Chamberlain contribute two more, while Lok added his second of the day. Singles also came from Gill and Jordan Lee. McDonald added three converts to round out the scoring.
Players of note on the day included forwards Palmer McCutcheon and the Mertalnikov brothers - Murray and Anton.
They all worked hard to secure possession against a solid Meraloma pack. The backs were the difference in the game, starting with the service provided by the excellent scrum half work of Spencer Walker and Matias McDonald, along with the direction of Gill, who orchestrated the backfield. It set the stage for massive runs by Chamberlain and Lok.
Richmond faces Abbotsford then the Vancouver Rowing Club at home over the next two weeks. Wins will be needed to escure a top four placing and a chance to compete for the league championship.
The team hopes to get Kyle Lebel and Danbert Change back in the line-up, two key members of last spring's U16 Lower Mainland championship team. Richmond will be without Gill this weekend who will be attending a national team camp, while Lok is questionable after being injured in the late going. Game time Sunday at King George Park is 12: 30 p.m.
