Rugby union: Blackheath head coach Shanahan suffers defeat in final match in charge
Blackheath finished their 2024-25 campaign in sixth place after a 40-26 final day defeat at Richmond – with the fixture also signalling the end of James Shanahan’s eight-year tenure as head coach.
Back row Tom Stradwick, who did not play in the game, will retire and replace Shanahan, who is moving on to a new challenge at Bury St Edmunds RFC.
A repeat of the oldest fixture in club rugby is always an event, especially when it’s played a short stroll away from Richmond Green, the venue of the very first meeting between these two clubs in 1864, but this occasion took on a little more significance.
For Richmond it was a celebration of their title win and a return to The Championship. On a glorious spring afternoon in front of a crowd approaching 1,500, they marked it with a dominant, efficient performance that has typified their campaign.
Also it would be the day Markus Burcham, Tom Baldwin, Leo Fielding, Jack Daly and Augy Slowik pulled on a Club jersey for the final time – 707 appearances between them – but although unable to provide the outcome they would have craved, Blackheath played with pride and commitment, showing character to fight back and claim a four-try bonus point.
Bathed in sunshine, The Athletic Ground looked magnificent, flags of black, red and gold around the pitch fluttering in the light breeze, and it was the visitors who struck first, as Billy Harding moved blind following Blackheath opting for a lineout instead of an easy three-points, and Archie Holland arrived to finish off.
It was the only time Blackheath were to hold a lead and it lasted a mere three minutes.
As the visitors failed to control a high ball, the bounce fell kindly for Richmond loose-head Chris Freeman to rumble over.
As the powerful Richmond pack built phases on the Club goal-line, sucking in defenders, a lobbed pass found Sam Dardis to trot over on the right touchline, and space created for opposite wing Sam Smith to score in the left corner.
Fly-half Cal Grieve struck three excellent conversions and Richmond led 21-7 at the break.
Hope emerged for Blackheath soon after the restart, as Oskar Hirskyj-Douglas, playing out of position in the back-row, cut a neat angle to reduce the deficit, but it was only the prelude to three Richmond tries in 13 minutes mid-half that moved the game firmly out of reach.
Both sides were guilty of obstruction at times, but it was Blackheath who fared worse, losing a man to the sin-bin as they defended following a superb 50:22 from Grieve, and with numerical superiority a short offload sent second-row Jake Monson trundling through a gap to score.
A chip wide was tapped back infield with perfection for Smith to latch on to and sprint over for his second try, and again depleted in number as the game continued with the unfortunate Alex Witchell being treated for a serious leg injury, Richmond produced a fine handling move from deep to send centre Tololima Savaiinaea across.
Nevertheless, while many sides would have folded, Blackheath rallied in the closing stages, forcing the Surrey side to concede several penalties.
With field position, the deserving Hirskyj-Douglas blasted across from close range on 73 minutes, followed by another lineout seeing Will Davis ground across the goal-line at the very death.
PICTURE: PAM KILMINSTER
