Richards named director of rugby by Norfolk club
Dean Richards moved into coaching in 1998 following his retirement as a player
- Published
Former Leicester Tigers, Harlequins and Newcastle boss Dean Richards says he wants to "put something back" at grassroots level after being named as director of rugby by amateur club Wymondham.
His last role at Newcastle came to a close in 2022 when he stepped down at the end of the season after 10 years in charge at Kingston Park and since then he has been helping Tynedale RUFC on a voluntary basis.
The opportunity at Wymondham, an area of Norfolk he knows well, came about after his daughter spotted an advert for the job.
"I literally put it down and didn't think about it but then casually glanced at it a little bit later, started to read the job description and I thought why not? I've done the Premiership for 25 years," the 62-year-old told BBC Radio Norfolk.
"After a series of interviews I was offered the job and I think one of the things that was most refreshing about the whole thing was the sense of community, the values the club have got and more than anything, the people.
"I've been part of what is perceived to be a broken business for a long time. Every [Prem] club is scratching around and trying to make ends meet. They do have benefactors who help them out in various ways but they tend to lose the values you have with community rugby and junior rugby."
Wymondham were founded in 1972 and current Northampton and England back Tommy Freeman played for them at junior level before moving on to Leicester's academy and then to Saints in 2019.
They are currently fourth in Regional 2 Anglia, the sixth tier of English rugby, under head coach Aaron Beaumont.
"I've got connections here. I've been to Wymondham before, I've got good friends and when I saw the advert and made a couple of calls, they couldn't speak highly enough of the club," said Richards.
"The scepticism is pushed to one side as soon as you start speaking to people. And then you come down and visit, you have a look round – I've been here loads of times before and I love the area so it almost became a no-brainer in some respects."
With Tom Armes set to step down, the club last month advertised the director of rugby role, which involves overseeing the entire rugby strategy and playing budget, supporting the coaching staff and driving their programme in local secondary schools.
A club statement said the appointment of Richards "marks a major milestone" in their development.
"The growth of Wymondham Rugby Club in recent years has been remarkable since we moved to our purpose-built site six years ago," said chairman Paul Wootton.
"The huge interest received for this role — including from across the UK and overseas — shows how far our club has come.
"Bringing Dean on board is a hugely exciting moment for us. His experience and knowledge of the game is unrivalled as we continue to build a club that offers ambitious rugby for minis, youth, women and men alike."
Wymondham's Barnard Fields is very different to Welford Road or The Stoop
Richards won 48 England caps and went on two British & Irish Lions tours during his playing career.
He took the coaching reins at Leicester in 1998 and guided them to four Premiership titles and two Heineken Cup wins.
Following a spell in France with Grenoble, he was appointed by Harlequins but in 2009 was involved in the infamous Bloodgate affair when player Tom Williams popped a blood capsule in his mouth so the team could make a tactical injury replacement, which led to a three-year ban from the game.
He became director of rugby at Newcastle in 2012 and in 2017-18 they finished in the Premiership's top four and qualified for the European Champions Cup.
Now, though, he is looking forward to a more relaxed environment at Barnard Fields and building on the work of his predecessor.
"Everything is about creating an opportunity for people to enjoy themselves, whether it be on a Saturday or Sunday or throughout the week - that is the most attractive thing, rather than it being about results and being top of the league which ultimately Prem rugby is all about," Richards said.
"It's a different sort of atmosphere and you'll hear every voice [in the crowd] which is different to the Premiership where it's just a [volume of] sound and everything is focused on what happens out on the pitch on the day."
Dean Richards was speaking to BBC Radio Norfolk's Phil Daley