World of Boxing and Rugby Union
Blindside Flanker
2. Richard Hill
Richard Hill played 288 times for Saracens and 71 times for England making him one of the modern greats of the English game. He also played five Tests for the British and Irish Lions between 1997 and 2005.
Hill was part of the much-vaunted England loose trio of Back, Dallaglio and Hill that took England to Rugby World Cup glory in 2003 under Clive Woodward. He was the only member of Woodward's England side never to have been dropped by him. He played primarily as a blindside flank with the emergence of Neil back despite open side being his preferred position - one which he fulfiilled at club level for Saracens.
He retired from the game in 2008 after a knee serious knee injury finally put paid to his playing career after he'd manfully played through the pain barrier to prolong his career as much as possible. He secured a fine send-off in a Saracens shirt by putting in a performance of rare aggression and graft in the Saracens back-row as the defeated the much-fancied Ospreys to progress to the 2008 Heineken Cup semi-finals.
A Lions tourist on three occasions, Richard Hill's impact on the outcomes of the 1997, 2001 and 2005 Test series' should not be underestimated.
In 1997, Hill was a fresh-faced flanker in his first season of international rugby. Despite his inexperience at the top of the world game, Hill was selected in the original touring party before impressing enough in the warm-up fixtures to earn a starting spot for the Test series against the world champion Springboks. At just 24 years of age, Hill produced the kind of performances that would typify his career as the Lions took the Boks by storm in Cape Town and Durban. Having helped Sir Ian McGeechan's men to a stunning series win with heroic performances in the first and second internationals, Hill sat out the final Test with injury as the Lions experienced their only defeat of the three-match contest.
In 2001, Hill was again a star performer in the comprehensive opening Test victory over the Wallabies in Brisbane as the Lions produced one of the most-talked about displays of the modern era. Injury reared its ugly head once more, however, in what many onlookers regarded as one of the major turning points of the tour. With the Lions playing the better rugby in the first-half of the second Test in Melbourne, Hill was struck by an elbow from Australian centre Nathan Grey. The Saracens flanker failed to reappear for the second half and the Lions duly conceded 29 points in the next 40 minutes as they fell to a 35-14 defeat. Hill's injury ruled him out of the decisive third Test and the Lions struggled without him. The tourists lost the final rubber and the series despite having looked so dominant during Hill's time on the field in Tests one and two.
Chris Hewett of The Independent summed up the impact of Hill's injury perfectly when he described the incident with Grey as the "single most significant moment of the 2001 Lions tour". Hewett, one of the most-respected journalists in the game, went on to say that, "Hill was turning in a performance of Olympian quality when Grey caught him off the ball, elbow to face, as the Lions mounted what might have been a series-clinching attack. Hill was invalided out of the tour and his team's chances disappeared with him."
After winning the World Cup with England in 2003, Hill earned selection in his third successive Lions party despite being sidelined for seven months from October 2004 following surgery on the cruciate ligament in his left knee. Typically for a man whose determination and hard work has never been doubted, Hill somehow fought his way back to full fitness to be named in the starting line up for the first Test against New Zealand. Once again, injury intervened to prevent Hill from receiving his rightful Lions send off. Without Hill's incredible work rate and vast experience, the Lions were no match for the All Blacks, losing the series 3-0 and heading home empty handed.
Outside of his involvement with the Lions, Hill was one of a dying breed. A one-club man who only ever made the headlines for the right reasons, Hill was part of England's Holy Trinity - an impressive back row unit alongside Neil Back and Lawrence Dallaglio that took the Red Rose to the top of the world.
Sir Clive Woodward's chose Hill for the semi-final and final of the 2003 World Cup despite having missed the three previous games through injury.
Despite the 71 caps for his country between 1997 and 2004, with only injury preventing him from adding to that tally up until his retirement from the club game in 2008. He spent a total of 15 years with Saracens as a player, making his debut during the amateur era and remaining one of the constant figures at a club that has seen its fair share of change since the birth of professionalism.
His standing in the sport is perhaps best summarised by former England coach Brian Ashton, who had this to say when Hill decide to call time on an outstanding career: "Richard personifies for me everything that is good about a professional rugby player. His contribution…has been a massive one."
Perhaps he was the greatest blindside flanker afterall.