Richard Buckman (born 27 May 1989) is a New Zealand

rugby union Rugby union football, commonly known simply as rugby union in English-speaking countries and rugby 15/XV in non-English-speaking world, Anglophone Europe, or often just rugby, is a Contact sport#Terminology, close-contact team sport that orig ...

player, who currently plays as a midfield back,

wing A wing is a type of fin that produces both Lift (force), lift and drag while moving through air. Wings are defined by two shape characteristics, an airfoil section and a planform (aeronautics), planform. Wing efficiency is expressed as lift-to-d ...

or fullback for the

Kobelco Kobe Steelers The Kobelco Kobe Steelers are a Japanese rugby union team owned by Kobe Steel, and based in Kobe. They were the first ever Top League champions when the League started in the 2003-2004 season. The team rebranded as Kobelco Kobe Steelers ahead of ...

in the

Japan Rugby League One Japan Rugby League One (), formerly known as the Top League (), is a rugby union competition in Japan. It is the highest level of professional rugby competition in the country. The Japan Rugby Football Union created the competition in 2003, b ...

competition.

Early life

Buckman was born in

Palmerston North Palmerston North (; , colloquially known as Palmerston or Palmy) is a city in the North Island of New Zealand and the seat of the Manawatū-Whanganui region. Located in the eastern Manawatū Plains, the city is near the north bank of the Manaw ...

, and went to Argyll School. In 2002, he was the Ross Shield player of the tournament. In 2004, he was selected for the Central Districts Under 15 Rugby League side and was a standout player. He attended

Napier Boys' High School Napier Boys' High School is a secondary boys' school in Napier, New Zealand. It currently has a school roll of approximately pupils. The school provides education from Year 9 to Year 13. Headmasters The following is an incomplete list of Na ...

and was a member of their 1st XV.

Rugby career

Buckman plays his club rugby for Napier Technical and was a member of the 2008 Magpies Wider Training Group. He made his debut off the bench for the Magpies against at

Carisbrook Carisbrook (sometimes incorrectly referred to as Carisbrook Stadium) was a major sporting venue in Dunedin, New Zealand. The city's main domestic and international rugby union venue, it was also used for other sports such as cricket, football, ...

. In 2009, he was named in the squad and got his first start against . In 2011, he made his debut off the bench for the [.

2009 season

Buckman came close to being selected for the New Zealand side for the Under-20 World Cup. He was named in the Blackbirds team and mainly used off the bench. He was selected for two starts, one against Southland at Rugby Park in Invercargill and the second in the semi-final against at Lancaster Park, AMI Stadium in Christchurch.

2011 season

In January 2011, Buckman was selected for the Wider Training Group. He played in all but one of the Hurricanes Development Team games and was then called up to train with the full squad at the end of April. On 4 June 2011, he make his debut off the bench as replacement for winger Hosea Gear at the end of the match against the

Lions The lion (''Panthera leo'') is a large cat of the genus ''Panthera'', native to Sub-Saharan Africa and India. It has a muscular, broad-chested body; a short, rounded head; round ears; and a dark, hairy tuft at the tip of its tail. It is se ...

Westpac Stadium Wellington Regional Stadium (commercially known as Sky Stadium through naming rights) is a major sporting venue in Wellington, New Zealand. The stadium's bowl site size is . The stadium was built in 1999 by Fletcher Construction and is situa ...

Wellington Wellington is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the third-largest city in New Zealand (second largest in the North Island ...

References

External links

NZ Rugby History profile

Japan Rugby Football Union profile
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Buckman, Richard Living people 1989 births New Zealand rugby union players Hurricanes (rugby union) players Hawke's Bay rugby union players Highlanders (rugby union) players Rugby union centres Rugby union wings Rugby union players from Napier, New Zealand People educated at Napier Boys' High School Saitama Wild Knights players New Zealand expatriate rugby union players in Japan Barbarian F.C. players Kobelco Kobe Steelers players