| Birth name | Dean Richards | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Date of birth | 11 July 1963 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Nuneaton, England | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.91 m (6 ft 3 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 121 kg (19 st 1 lb) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| School | John Cleveland College | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Occupation(s) | Rugby union coach | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rugby union career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Dean Richards (born 11 July 1963) is a rugby union coach and former player for Leicester Tigers, England and British & Irish Lions. He was most recently the Director of Rugby at Newcastle Falcons, a position he held for ten years between 2012 and 2022.
Richards was a number eight and played 314 games for Leicester Tigers between 1982 and 1997, he was captain as Leicester won the 1994-95 Courage League and the 1997 Pilkington Cup, and also played as Leicester won the inaugural English league title in 1987–88 and the 1993 Pilkington Cup. He played 48 times for England between 1986 and 1996, a world record number of caps for his position at the time, including the 1987, 1991 and 1995 Rugby World Cups, and represented the British Lions on their 1989 tour to Australia and 1993 tour to New Zealand playing in six international matches. He was widely regarded as one of the best number eights to have played the game.[1][2][3]
In 1998 he retired from playing and was immediately appointed Leicester Director of Rugby. Leicester won the Premiership Rugby title in Richards' first four seasons in charge and also won the Heineken Cup in 2001 and 2002, the first side to retain the trophy. Richards spent one year with FC Grenoble in France's Top 16. He then joined Harlequins from 2005 to 2009, winning the second division in 2006, and leading them to second in the Premiership in 2009. He was banned from coaching for the next three years following the Bloodgate scandal. After the expiration of his ban he was appointed by Newcastle Falcons and won the second division again in 2013.