Peter Richards (rugby player)

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Peter Richards
Full name	Peter Charles Richards
Date of birth	1978-03-10
Place of birth	Portsmouth, England
Height	1.75 m
Weight	88 kg
Rugby union career
Position	Scrum-half
Professional clubs
1996-99 1999-01 2001-02 2002-03 2003-05 2005-	London Irish Harlequins Benetton Treviso Bristol Shoguns London Wasps Gloucester
correct as of 13 Sept 2006.
National team(s)		Caps	(points)
2006-	England	6	(0)
correct as of 13 Sept 2006.
7's National teams
2005	England	{{{ru_sevensnationalcomp}}}
correct as of 13 Sept 2006.

Peter Charles Richards (born 10 March 1978 in Portsmouth) is an English rugby union player, who plays for Gloucester. A very versatile player, he has played in any one of three positions - scrum half, his preferred role, fly-half and centre. His rugby career began playing mini rugby at 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. 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 when he was part of the winning England team at the Hong Kong Sevens. In summer 2005, Pete moved to Gloucester to replace Andy Gomarsall. This decision reaped its reward when he was named in Andy Robinson's 2005 Autumn test squad, though he did not feature in any of the games.

Richards was included in England's 2006 Tour of Australia and won his first Test cap againstWallabies 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.

Richards is known for being a feisty, aggressive, sniping scrumhalf who is always a threat to make breaks from scrum and ruck situations, he is also a very good defensive player.