Often portrayed as the ‘silent assassin’ at both club and international level, he was renowned for his effective and abrasive style of forward play. Features of his game included big hits, shrewd driving and energy-sapping support play, all which made him one of the most highly rated flankers of his era.
Richard made his first Saracens appearance in 1993 and his England debut four years later in the Five Nations Championship, also going on to appear for the British and Irish Lions that same year in South Africa. In a career spanning 15 years, he remained a one-club player, turning out 275 times for Saracens and scoring 110 points, while also taking part in an additional two Lions tours. His finest hour came at England's victorious 2003 Rugby World Cup campaign - it saw him recover from a hamstring injury to make the final two England games to clinch the legendary Webb Ellis Cup.
Richard represented his country at every level from Under-16s upwards and since his debut in 1997’s Calcutta Cup has won over 70 caps with his exemplary attitude making him a lynchpin of the side. In January 2008 Hill announced his forthcoming retirement at the end of the season, but that April he put on a man-of-the-match performance in the Heineken Cup victory over Ospreys, confirming his status as an elite player and that was despite carrying a serious injury. Having recently retired, in September 2008, Hill appeared in a charity match for the Help for Heroes XV at Twickenham Stadium to raise funds for injured servicemen and women. He scored a try in a game which saw the Heroes' defeat Scott Gibbs' International XV, 29–10.
With a wealth of entertaining, eye-opening and hilarious stories to share about his time both on and off the pitch, as well as a desire to share his training tips and techniques in a bid to aid the younger generation of stars, Richard has become a highly desirable choice of rugby speaker.
