Richmond fly half Rob Kirby left director of rugby Steve Hill purring after the former Esher number 10 led his side to a first victory of the National Division One season, writes Pippa Field.
 

Defeats to Esher, Rosslyn Park and last weekend’s narrow one-point loss to Coventry had left Richmond still searching for their first win at Hull Ionians on Saturday.
 

But they marked their intentions straight from the off as Nick Moore and James Greenwood ran in the first of five tries inside the first 12 minutes to set them on the way to a resounding 41-25 victory.
 

Christopher Davies, Harison Edwards and Thomas Platt, who also added two penalties, were the other try scorers as Richmond collected the bonus point win.
 

Kirby, making his first start since arriving from Molesey Road in the summer, left Hill reflecting on a very successful day at the office.
 

“It was an excellent weekend and I’m really happy for the players,” said Hill.
 

“We had three very tough games to start with and losing against Coventry with the last kick of the game was a real kick in the teeth.
 

“It was always going to be a tough challenge, so it was pleasing to score five times and get the first win.
 

“We looked very dangerous at times.
 

“I was very pleased with Rob’s play. He suffered a mild concussion injury in pre-season, so it was his first start for us and I thought he did very well.
 

“He controlled the ball well and looked very dangerous. He had a hand in a couple of tries for us and it was a very impressive debut.
 

“But it was also a team performance, we had five tries from five different scorers with a mixture of backs and forwards, which is what we like to see.”
 

The result takes Richmond up to mid-table, with Hill aiming to make it back-to-back wins this weekend, when Cinderford are the visitors.
 

* SSE sponsors of the RFU’s National and Divisional Leagues and helps community rugby clubs throughout England save money on their energy bills. To find out more visit, SSErugby.com