Richard Anthony Hill (born 23 May 1973) is a former

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 ...

footballer who played as a

flanker Flanker may refer to: * Flanker (perfume), a newly created perfume sharing attributes of an existing one * Flanker (rugby union), a position in rugby union (not found in rugby league) * ''Su-27 Flanker'' (video game), a 1996 computer game modelin ...

for

Saracens file:Erhard Reuwich Sarazenen 1486.png, upright 1.5, Late 15th-century History of Germany, German woodcut depicting Saracens ''Saracen'' ( ) was a term used both in Greek language, Greek and Latin writings between the 5th and 15th centuries to ...

and

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

. He won 71 caps for England, and 5 for the British, later British & Irish, Lions. He was part of the England team that won the 2003 Rugby World Cup. He has a namesake, Richard John Hill, who played for

scrum half Scrum may refer to: * Autozam Scrum, a microvan and pickup truck sold in Japan by Mazda * Line of scrimmage, line separating football teams before a play * Media scrum, an impromptu press conference, often held immediately outside an event such a ...

between 1984 and 1992.

Early life

Hill was born on 23 May 1973 in Dormansland, Surrey. On his mother's side, he is a

second cousin A cousin is a relative who is the child of a parent's sibling; this is more specifically referred to as a first cousin. A parent of a first cousin is an aunt or uncle. More generally, in the kinship system used in the English-speaking world, ...

removed of film director

Peter Jackson Sir Peter Robert Jackson (born 31 October 1961) is a New Zealand filmmaker. He is best known as the director, writer, and producer of the ''Lord of the Rings'' trilogy (2001–2003) and the ''Hobbit'' trilogy (2012–2014), both of which ar ...

(Richard Hill's maternal grandmother and Peter Jackson's mother are

first cousins A cousin is a relative who is the child of a parent's sibling; this is more specifically referred to as a first cousin. A parent of a first cousin is an aunt or uncle. More generally, in the kinship system used in the English-speaking world, c ...

both by father's side). His nephew is left back,

Ben Purrington Ben Purrington (born 20 May 1996) is an English professional footballer who plays as a left back, left wing-back, left midfielder or left winger for club Exeter City. Career Plymouth Argyle Purrington was born in Exeter, Devon. He joined the ...

. Hill attended Bishop Wordsworth's Grammar School in

Salisbury Salisbury ( , ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and civil parish in Wiltshire, England with a population of 41,820, at the confluence of the rivers River Avon, Hampshire, Avon, River Nadder, Nadder and River Bourne, Wi ...

, and gained early prominence as a schools international. It is coincidental that his

namesake A namesake is a person, place, or thing bearing the name of another. Most commonly, it refers to an individual who is purposely named after another (e.g. John F. Kennedy Jr would be the namesake of John F. Kennedy). In common parlance, it may ...

, who coaches

Bristol Bristol () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, the most populous city in the region. Built around the River Avon, Bristol, River Avon, it is bordered by t ...

, had also attended the same school and both played for Salisbury Rugby Club. Hill graduated from the

West London Institute of Higher Education The West London Institute of Higher Education (WLIHE), a two-campus academic establishment, was located in Isleworth and East Twickenham, West London, UK from 1976 until 1995 when it became Brunel University College. In 1997 it was fully integra ...

in Sports Science and Geography, in 1995. He also won the IB Mac prize in recognition of his combined academic and athletic achievements. On 16 July 2002,

Brunel University Brunel University of London (BUL) is a public research university located in the Uxbridge area of London, England. It is named after Isambard Kingdom Brunel, a Victorian engineer and pioneer of the Industrial Revolution. It became a university ...

conferred upon Hill the honorary degree of Master of the University.

Playing career

Early years

He made his first Saracens appearance in 1993. Hill made his

debut in the 1997

Five Nations Championship The Six Nations Championship (known as the Six Nations, branded as Guinness M6N) is an annual international rugby union competition by the teams of England, France, Ireland, Italy, Scotland and Wales. It is the oldest sports tournament contes ...

against

Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...

, playing at

openside flanker Flanker is a position in the sport of rugby union. Each team of 15 players includes two flankers, who play in the forwards, and are generally classified as either blindside or openside flankers, numbers 6 and 7 respectively. The name comes from ...

. He was selected ahead of

Neil Back Neil Antony Back Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire, MBE (born 16 January 1969) is a former international rugby union footballer for England national rugby union team, England and the British & Irish Lions who also played ...

, 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 Sir Clive Ronald Woodward (born 6 January 1956) is an English former rugby union player and coach (sport), coach. He was coach of the team from 1997 to 2004, managing them to victory in the 2003 Rugby World Cup. He also coached the 2005 Britis ...

, Hill was initially selected at openside, but was moved to

blindside flanker Flanker is a position in the sport of rugby union. Each team of 15 players includes two flankers, who play in the forwards, and are generally classified as either blindside or openside flankers, numbers 6 and 7 respectively. The name comes from ...

to accommodate

on the openside flank, with

Lawrence Dallaglio Lorenzo Bruno Nero Dallaglio (born 10 August 1972) is an English retired rugby union player. He is a former captain of England, and a 2016 inductee of the World Rugby Hall of Fame. Dallaglio played as a flanker or number eight for London ...

moving from blindside to number eight. It was in this combination of players that Hill gained most of his caps.

2003 Rugby World Cup

Although Hill had been named in England's

2003 Rugby World Cup The 2003 Rugby World Cup was the fifth Rugby World Cup and was won by England national rugby union team, England. Originally planned to be co-hosted by Australia and New Zealand, all games were shifted to Australia following a contractual dispu ...

squad, his place appeared in jeopardy after he suffered a hamstring strain on the eve of the tournament. Coach

decided that it was worth the risk to keep Hill in the team. Hill missed the pool games, and days out from England's quarterfinal clash with

Wales Wales ( ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by the Irish Sea to the north and west, England to the England–Wales border, east, the Bristol Channel to the south, and the Celtic ...

, scans on the injured hamstring initially revealed grim prospects, but Hill was encouraged by the team physios that it was still possible to recover in time for the semi-final. England saw off a brave challenge from Wales in the quarterfinal to advance to the semi-finals. Hill was named in the starting line up for the semi-final against

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

. England easily coped with the much-vaunted French back-row. Hill played a key role in helping England defeat

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

in the final.

Later years

After 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

's England tenure. He played for Saracens and was selected for the

England Saxons England A is England's men's second national rugby union team. The team has previously been known by a number of names, such as England B, Emerging England and, most recently, England Saxons. England A play a key role in the development of emerg ...

(A-Team) squad for the 2007 internationals. Hill injured the

anterior cruciate ligament The anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) is one of a pair of cruciate ligaments (the other being the posterior cruciate ligament) in the human knee. The two ligaments are called "cruciform" ligaments, as they are arranged in a crossed formation. In ...

in his left knee in a match against

London Irish London Irish RFC is a professional rugby union club that most recently competed in the Premiership Rugby, Premiership, the top division of rugby union in England. The club also participated in the European Rugby Champions Cup, European Champion ...

on 3 October 2004, and underwent surgery three days later. He was out for the following seven months, but returned to be named in a

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 ...

touring squad for the third time in 2005. He was named in the starting fifteen for the first Lions Test against the

All Blacks The New Zealand national rugby union team, commonly known as the All Blacks, is the representative men's national team in the sport of rugby union for the nation of New Zealand, which is considered the country's national sport. Famed for th ...

, but suffered a knee injury during the first half, ending his tour. In January 2008 Hill announced that he would retire at the end of that Premiership season, due to the toll taken upon his knee since his two injuries, which had left him with a permanent limp. 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. On 11 May 2008, Hill played his final game for Saracens, who won 25–20 against Bristol. On 20 September 2008, Hill appeared for the Help for Heroes XV in a charity match against

Scott Gibbs Ian Scott Gibbs (born 23 January 1971) is a Welsh former rugby footballer who has represented Wales and the Lions in rugby union and Wales and Great Britain in rugby league. Noted feats included his performance in the 1997 British Lions tour t ...

' International XV at

Twickenham Stadium Twickenham Stadium (; usually known as Twickenham, and for sponsorship purposes known as the Allianz Stadium Twickenham) is a rugby union stadium in Twickenham, London, England. It is owned by the Rugby Football Union (RFU), the English rugby u ...

to raise funds for injured servicemen and women. He scored a try in the Heroes' 29–10 win. In 2019, Hill was appointed Team Manager of the England rugby team, having previously served in a similar role with the

References

External links

Profile
a
England Rugby

Saracens profile

Guinness Premiership profile

Rugby Heroes
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Hill, Richard 1973 births Living people Rugby union flankers English rugby union players Saracens F.C. players Alumni of Brunel University London Members of the Order of the British Empire People educated at Bishop Wordsworth's School People from Tandridge (district) England international rugby union players British & Irish Lions rugby union players from England Rugby union players from Surrey 1999 Rugby World Cup players 2003 Rugby World Cup players