| Date of birth | 3 December 1964 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Place of birth | Timaru, New Zealand | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.68 m (5 ft 6 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 67 kg (148 lb) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rugby union career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Anna Mary Richards MNZM (born 3 December 1964) is a former New Zealand rugby union player. She represented New Zealand and won four Rugby World Cups — 1998, 2002, 2006, and 2010. [1] [2] [3]
After being dropped from the Canterbury netball team an invitation from her family law lecturer, Laurie O’Reilly, who was married to then Canterbury netball coach, Kay O’Reilly, to come watch a game kickstarted her rugby career. She eventually played for the University of Canterbury side and toured America and Europe. [4]
Richards debuted for the Black Ferns on 26 August 1990. [3] Her test debut at the 1991 Rugby World Cup came against Canada on 6 April at Glamorgan.
In 1992, when the Black Ferns was formally recognised. She was a member of the squad that defeated Auckland 36–0 at Eden Park. [5] She scored a try in the game. [5] [6]
She played 54 matches for the Black Ferns of which 49 were full internationals, she has won four Women’s Rugby World Cups before she retired in 2010. [7] [4]
She was a member of the first official New Zealand women's sevens team, who took part in the 2000 Hong Kong Sevens. [8] [9] She captained the side again at the 2001 tournament. [10]
Richards was appointed as head coach of the Hong Kong women's sevens team in 2013. [11] [3] She completed her coaching role at the end of 2017. [12] [13]
As at January 2023 she is the women's player development manager at Auckland Rugby. [14]
Richards has a law degree and a BA. [3] She played representative tennis and netball. In the 2005 Queen's Birthday Honours, She was appointed a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit, for services to women's rugby. [15]
Richards was inducted into the IRB Hall of Fame on 17 November 2014. [7] [16]
The New Zealand women's rugby union team, called the Black Ferns, represents New Zealand in women's international rugby union, which is regarded as the country's national sport. The team has won six out of nine Women's Rugby World Cup tournaments.
Melodie Robinson is a New Zealand sports journalist and presenter, and former international rugby union player for the New Zealand women's national rugby union team. She played 18 tests for the New Zealand women's team, the Black Ferns, from 1996 to 2002. Robinson won two world cups in that time, playing blindside or openside flanker. She also represented New Zealand in sevens at the Hong Kong 7s and Japan 7s.
Dame Farah Rangikoepa Palmer is a professor at Massey University and a former captain of New Zealand's women's rugby union team, the Black Ferns.
Helen Mahon-Stroud is a New Zealand netball coach and former rugby union player.
Linda Itunu is a New Zealand rugby union player. She plays for the Black Ferns, New Zealand women's sevens and Auckland.
Kendra Margaret Cocksedge is a retired New Zealand Rugby Union player and Cricketer. She played for the New Zealand Women's national rugby union side, the Black Ferns and for the Canterbury provincial side. She was a member of the 2010, 2017 and 2021 Rugby World Cup winning squads. In 2018 she won the Kelvin R Tremain Memorial Player of the Year Award at the annual New Zealand Rugby awards.
Hannah Porter is a former female rugby union player. She represented New Zealand in fifteens and sevens rugby, and played for Auckland and Otago provincially. She was in the squad that won the 2002 and 2006 Rugby World Cups.
Dianne Kahura is a former rugby union player for the Black Ferns. She debuted in 1998 and played 12 tests for New Zealand. She played in the 1998 and 2002 Women's Rugby World Cup.
Suzy Shortland is a former New Zealand female rugby union and sevens representative. She played at the 1998 and 2002 Women's Rugby World Cup.
Annaleah Bodle is a former New Zealand rugby union player. She was a member of New Zealand's Champion 1998 and 2002 Rugby World Cup squads.
Tammi Wilson Uluinayau is a New Zealand former rugby union player. She represented the New Zealand women's national rugby union team, the Black Ferns, at the 1998 and 2002 Women's Rugby World Cup.
Portia Woodman-Wickliffe is a New Zealand rugby union player. She plays fifteen-a-side and seven-a-side rugby union, and was a member of the New Zealand women's national rugby sevens team and New Zealand women's national rugby union team. Woodman was a member of the New Zealand Women's Sevens team that won a silver medal at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro and gold medals at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo and at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris. She retired from international sevens rugby after the Paris Olympics.
Selica Winiata is a New Zealand Rugby union player and referee. She plays for the Black Ferns, the Black Ferns Sevens and provincially for the Manawatu Cyclones. She was part of the Black Ferns 2014 and Champion 2017 Rugby World Cup squads. She won a silver medal with the Black Ferns Sevens team at the inaugural women's 2009 Rugby World Cup Sevens tournament and a gold medal at the 2013 Rugby World Cup Sevens.
Theresa Matauaina Setefano is a New Zealand rugby union player. She was a member of the Black Ferns champion 2017 and 2021 Rugby World Cup squads. She has also represented New Zealand in rugby sevens; she won gold medals at the 2018 Rugby World Cup Sevens, 2018 Commonwealth Games, 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo and at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris. She played for the Blues Women in the 2022 Super Rugby Aupiki season.
Arneta Honey Hireme-Smiler is a former New Zealand rugby football player who has represented her country in rugby league, rugby sevens and rugby union. Due to her multi-sport career, Hireme-Smiler has been referred to as Honey Bill Williams, in reference to her New Zealand male counterpart Sonny Bill Williams.
Eloise Blackwell is a New Zealand rugby union player. She was a member of New Zealand's squad at the 2014 Rugby World Cup, and was also a part of their champion 2017 side. She also plays for the Blues Women in the Super Rugby Aupiki competition and represents Auckland provincially.
Chelsea Bremner is a New Zealand rugby union player. She plays for the Black Ferns internationally and was a member of their 2021 Rugby World Cup champion squad. She previously played for Matatū in 2022, but now plays for the Chiefs Manawa in the Super Rugby Aupiki competition. She represents Canterbury at a provincial level.
Grace Steinmetz is a former New Zealand rugby union player. She made her test debut for the Black Ferns in 2022. She played for Chiefs Manawa in the Super Rugby Aupiki competition, she previously played for Matatū. She also represented Canterbury provincially.
Tafito Lafaele is a New Zealand rugby union player. She made her Black Ferns test debut in 2022. She plays for the Blues Women in the Super Rugby Aupiki competition and represents Auckland provincially.
Tamaku Paul is a former New Zealand dual-code international. She played for the Black Ferns and the Black Ferns sevens teams. She also competed for the Kiwi Ferns in the 2003 Rugby League World Cup.
 | This biographical article relating to New Zealand rugby union, about a person born in the 1960s, is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
