Richmond director of rugby Steve Hill has admitted his men are no longer in the driving seat to lift the National Division Two South title.

The Athletic Ground outfit have topped the table for all but one week of the current campaign and were knocked off the top last week after an 18-16 defeat at Old Albanians on Saturday.

The victors leapfrogged Richmond into top slot with four games of the season remaining, and Hill know his men have work to do if they are to avoid the play-offs.

“Old Albanians have been the form team for some time and they are in the driving seat now. That is the consequence of losing,” he said.

“We’ve probably got a tougher run-in than they have, but the pressure is on them now.

“All we can do is win all our games and get as many bonus points as possible and hope they slip up.”

Richmond will welcome Harlequins loan star Kyle Sinckler and George Merrick back for the run in after their exploits for England U20s.

It tempers the loss of James Brookes (torn bicep) and Dan Parkinson (broken thumb) and Hill expects a response when they host Dings Crusaders on Saturday.

“We crossed the line four times at the weekend, so had our chances to win the game,” he added after watching Tom Platt’s late conversion attempt miss the mark.

“The boys will be hurting from that and keen to make amends. Dings could well feel the backlash.”