Dean Richards - Rugby Player Profile
Dean Richards, the 48-year-old former England Leicester Tigers' No.8 was born on July 11, 1963, at Nuneaton. He was nicknamed ‘Deano’ and he was considered as one of the best in his position during his playing days.
Richards will be best remembered in his playing days as a no non-sense player with amazing speed for a back-row forward, along with his casual look on the field. While playing he would usually have his shirt un-tucked, with his socks always touching his
shoes. But this was not to take away from the ability of the player.
His heart was always with Leicester, a team he would go on to coach after hanging up his boots in 1998. He took over from Bob Dwyer as coach at Leicester, and he would bring the team unprecedented success during his time. Leicester have a reputation of being
the ultimate champions, having played in eight consecutive Aviva Premiership finals under Richards. The club won four consecutive Premiership titles with him at the helm, and he also managed to bring two consecutive Heineken Cup trophies to the club. However,
he was unceremoniously sacked after a poor season in 2004, and the he was so distraught at his treatment that he asked the club to return all his memorabilia.
As a player, Richards played for England 48 times, making his debut against Ireland at Twickenham, on March 1, 1986. He marked the occasion with a brace, and the next year he would play in the first of three World Cups. He started 46 games for England, coming
on as a substitute twice, and scored 24 points. England won 73.95% of the games with him in the team.
His ability at the No.8 position earned him his first British and Lions cap in 1989 against Australia and he started all three tests against the Wallabies. He would earn 3 more Lions' caps. He would wear the England Jersey for the last time against Ireland
at Twickenham, on March 16, 1996, a decade after he made his first appearance for the country.
In his later career, Deano would court controversy and his image would forever be tarnished. He took over as Director of Rugby at the Harlequins after an unsuccessful spell at French side Grenoble. He was hit with a three-year ban by the ERC for using fake
blood to force a substitution in a Heineken Cup game against Leinster. He was fined £215,000, which was later raised to £259,000 by the club and he had a universal coaching ban for three-years imposed on him.
His ban has recently been lifted and he will take charge of the Newcastle Falcons ahead of the new season. Richards has stated that he has learnt and paid for his mistakes.
Tags: