Richard Hill (rugby union, born 1973)
| Height | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Weight | 17 st 0 lb (108 kg) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| School | Bishop Wordsworth's School | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| University | West London Institute (now Brunel University) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rugby union career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Richard Hill MBE (born 23 May 1973 in Surrey) is a former rugby union footballer who played flanker for Saracens and England.
Often portrayed as the 'silent assassin' at both club and international level, his effective and abrasive style of forward play has made him legendary in rugby union circles. Big hits, shrewd driving and energy-sapping support play, are all features of his exceptionally well-rounded game which makes him one of the most highly rated flankers of his era[1].
He has a namesake, Richard John Hill, who played for England at scrum half between 1984 and 1992.
Early life
Hill attended Bishop Wordsworths School in Salisbury. He went on to gain early prominence as a schools international. It is coincidental that his namesake had also attended the same school. He graduated from the West London Institute of Higher Education (now Brunel University) in Sports Science and Geography, in the mid 1990s.
Playing career
Early years
He made his first Saracens appearance in 1993.
Hill made his England debut in the 1997 Five Nations Championship against Scotland, playing at openside flanker. He was selected ahead of Neil Back, who was controversially ignored by the England team for that period. He toured South Africa with the British Lions in the summer of 1997, gaining two caps.
He missed Saracens’ Tetley’s Bitter Cup victory in 1998 with a back injury.
Under new coach Clive Woodward, Hill was initially selected at openside, but was moved to blindside flanker to accommodate Neil Back on the openside flank, Lawrence Dallaglio moving from blindside to number eight. It was in this position, with this combination of players, that Hill gained most of his caps.
He is known for being very much the grey man, almost invisible on the pitch, but team performances show that he is one of the most important contributors to the back row when he was missing with injury[2].
2003 Rugby World Cup
Richard Hill was part of the England squad for the 2003 Rugby Union World Cup. During the opening game of the English campaign, against Georgia, he picked up a hamstring injury in the 50th minute.[3]
His absence for the remaining pool games against South Africa, Samoa and the quarter final against Wales was pinpointed as a major factor as to why England looked far from the world beaters they would eventually become[4].
He was in the starting line up for the semi-final against France. England easily coped with the much-vaunted French back-row[5]. Hill played a key role in helping England defeat Australia in the final.
The present
Since Neil Back's retirement in 2003, Hill switched back to the openside flanker role. He is the only player never to have been dropped during Sir Clive Woodward's England tenure[6], due to his prolific work in the rucks and mauls. He played for Saracens and was selected for the England Saxons (A-Team) squad for the 2007 internationals.
Hill injured the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee in a match against London Irish on 3 October 2004, and underwent surgery on 6 October, 2004. He was out for the following seven months,[7] but returned to be named in a Lions touring squad for the third time in 2005. He was named in the starting fifteen for the first Lions Test against the All Blacks, but suffered a knee injury during the first half, ending his tour.
In January 2008 he announced that he would retire at the end of the current Guinness Premiership season, due to the toll taken upon his knee since his two injuries - he now walks with a permanent limp.[8] However, in April 2008, his man-of-the-match performance in the Heineken Cup victory over Ospreys confirmed his continued ability to perform at the highest level, even when playing on almost one leg. On May 11, 2008, Hill played his last game for Saracens with a 25-20 win over Bristol.
References
- ^ "RWC Greatest XV - Flankers". Sports Asylum. 2007-11-08. Retrieved 2007-11-08.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ Llewellyn, David (2003-07-03). "Hill's return gives Saracens the feel-good factor". The Independent. Retrieved 2007-11-08.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ Roe, Nigel (2003-11-07). "On Richard Hill's hamstring". Planet Rugby. Retrieved 2006-09-13.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ "Richard Hill England Profile". RFU. 2003-09-12. Retrieved 2007-11-08.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ "England into World Cup final". BBC Sport. 2003-11-16. Retrieved 2007-11-08.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ "What happened to the class of 2003?". BBC Sport. 2007-08-29. Retrieved 2007-11-08.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ "Richard Hill returns to the fray". Guiness Premiership. 2005-04-05. Retrieved 2006-09-13.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/rugby_union/my_club/saracens/7207647.stm
The End
Hill's last game of the season ended on a high note, but only just with a last minute try by kameli Ratuvou (fijian winger). Richard's closing ceremony was held at the stadium mk in milton keynes, immediately after the bristol game. over 8000 spectators attended the match and said farewell to the silent assasin.