Peter Richards (rugby player)

Rugger
name = Peter Richards


caption =
birthname = Peter Charles Richards
nickname =
dateofbirth = birth date and age|1978|3|10|df=yes
placeofbirth = Portsmouth, England
dateofdeath =
placeofdeath =
height = 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)
weight = 13 st 12 lbs (88 kg)
ru_position = Scrum-half
ru_amateuryears =
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ru_nationalteam = England
ru_nationalyears = 2006-
ru_nationalcaps = 13
ru_nationalpoints = (0)
ru_ntupdate = 13 Sept 2006
ru_clubyears = 1996-99
1999-01
2001-02
2002-03
2003-05
2005-07
2007-
ru_proclubs = London Irish
Harlequins
Benetton Treviso
Bristol Shoguns
London Wasps
Gloucester
London Irish
ru_clubcaps =
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ru_clubupdate = 13 Sept 2006
ru_currentclub =
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ru_sevensnationalyears = 2005
ru_sevensnationalteam = England
ru_sevensnationalcaps =
ru_sevensnationalpoints =
ru_sevensnationalcomp =
ru_sevensupdate = 13 Sept 2006
ru_coachclubs =
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Peter Charles Richards (born 10 March 1978 in Portsmouth) is an English rugby union player, who plays for London Irish.

A versatile player, he has played in three positions: scrum half(his preferred role), fly-half and centre.

His began playing mini rugby at [http://www.farnhamrugby.org Farnham Rugby Club] , before he went to the Royal Hospital School, near Ipswich. He moved to Lord Wandsworth College, Hampshire for sixth form and played alongside Jonny Wilkinson and Ugo Monye. He featured in both the England U16 and U18 Group Schools teams before joining London Irish in 1996.

He quickly made his first team debut against Leicester Tigers and represented England at U19, U21 and A level before joining Harlequins for the 1999-2000 season.

He was part of the England “Tour of Hell” in 1998 to Australia and New Zealand when he played against the New Zealand Māori. He came home before the final leg to South Africa.

He left two years later and spent a year in Italy playing for Benetton Treviso, then returned to join Bristol Shoguns. He moved again, to Wasps at the start of the 2003-04 season, when the Shoguns were relegated from the Zurich Premiership.

In 2004 he was part of the winning England team at the Hong Kong Sevens. In summer 2005, Richards moved to Gloucester to replace Andy Gomarsall. This decision paid off when he was named in Andy Robinson's 2005 Autumn test squad, though he did not feature in any of the games. He is now moving back to London Irish at the start of the season 2007/2008.

Richards was included in England's 2006 Tour of Australia and won his first Test cap against the Wallabies in a game which Australia beat England 34-3. Richards won his second cap in the second game of the tour in which the Wallabies triumphed again in a 43-18 victory.

He took part in the Rugby World Cup 2007 in France, coming on as a replacement in the Final, and other games.

He was picked for the 2008 Six Nations Championship but was then ruled out of the whole tournament after tearing a biceps muscle while playing for London Irish against Treviso.

References

External links

* [http://www.london-irish.com/Team/1st_XV/Peter_Richards.html London Irish profile]
* [http://www.england-rugby.com/englandrugby/index.cfm?fuseaction=News.News_Detail&storyid=10915 England profile]
* [http://www.rbs6nations.com/squad_england_233928.htm RBS Six Nations profile]
* [http://www.gloucesterrugbyclub.com/323_233.php Gloucester profile]
* [http://www.wasps.co.uk/PlayerDisplaySS.ink?skip=31&squadno=2624&season=04/05&seasonl=2004/2005&Playertype=P Wasps profile]
* [http://statistics.scrum.com/rugby_stats_05.asp?ID=KRI12 Scrum.com player statistics]
* [http://www.sporting-heroes.net/rugby-heroes/displayhero.asp?HeroID=2518 Peter Richards photo by sportingheroes.net]