It’s tough trying to find a celebrity more appealing than the professional sportsman or women, if for no other reason than that many of see them as who we could have been, had we just tried a little bit harder in PE or joined a few more teams as a youngster.
Rugby players in particular have a highbrow reputation; the quote that: “Rugby is a ruffian’s game played by gentlemen and football is a gentleman’s game played by ruffians” is held by many to be the gospel truth. Whether there’s anything in it or not, it’s certainly a game that’s seen as quite upper class and aspirational for many; and in keeping with that, it’s players are seen as perhaps better educated and more verbose than other stars of track and field.
Richard Hill is one of the UK’s most important rugby players of recent years, playing in some of the team’s most successful tournaments and ensuring that England Rugby has retained and grown its reputation for excellence over the last couple of decades.
Any audience with a taste for rugby is sure to find Richard Hill a fascinating guest at any kind of event – but as with many sporting heroes, there’s more to his story than the sport that he plays. With plenty to say on the subject of overcoming adversity to achieve success and more examples of that than most, you don’t need to know much about rugby to find him a fascinating character.
Read on to find out more about this star of the England Rugby team:
A rising star
It didn’t take long for Richard Hill to be recognised for his talent on the rugby field. Born in Dormansland in Surrey, he was playing internationally in youth leagues whilst still at school. Coincidentally, he attended Bishop Wordsworth’s Grammar School in Salisbury; some decades earlier, another future star of English rugby, also called Richard Hill, had attended the very same school.
Hill was born in 1973, and at the age of 20 he made his debut playing for Saracens rugby club, one of the UK’s most prestigious teams. Three years later in 1997, the player first started for the England Lions team, playing in the Five Nations Championship (now the Six Nations.)
Though he started off playing at open side in the England team, he was later moved by legendary coach Clive Woodward to the blindside flanker position where he found most success, playing alongside Lawrence Dallaglio and Neil Back.
Making waves
Perhaps the biggest success of Hill’s career – and the biggest of many players of his generation – came during the 2003 Rugby World Cup. Big things were expected of the England team, who had recently achieved a grand slam, winning every match in their Six Nations Tournament.
England went on to win the World Cup, playing Australia – also one of the bookies’ favourites – in the final and clinching the win with an unforgettable drop-goal in extra time, making the final score 20-17 to England.
It was the first time that a team from the northern hemisphere had lifted the trophy, and Richard Hill played no small role in the victory, despite suffering an injury early on in the tournament.
Retirement
Hill retired in 2008, after a spate of injuries which resulted in permanent damage to one knee and forces him to walk with a limp. The athlete played for his first team, Saracens, for his entire career, showing an impressive and unusual level of dedication for a player who was in high demand from other clubs.
Shortly before he retired, Hill put in one last performance as man of the match at a game Saracens played against Ospreys, proving beyond all doubt that he was leaving the game on a high note.
Talent management agency
Richard Hill is represented by top talent agency MN2S, which is based in London. The star is available to book for all sorts of events, whether you’re organising a conference, a charity ball or a corporate event.
He would make a particularly good speaker at sports club dinners and sporting awards ceremonies, where Richard is available to give a speech and present an award, adding some real celebrity sparkle to your event.
If you’re interested in booking Richard Hill or any of our other speakers for hire then get in touch with one of our friendly celebrity agents today to hear more about what we can do to help.