Mark Richards (rugby union)

Last updated

Mark Richards
Date of birth (1989-09-09) 9 September 1989 (age 33)
Place of birth Springs, South Africa
Height1.74 m (5 ft 8+1⁄2 in)
Weight82 kg (181 lb; 12 st 13 lb)
School Michaelhouse, KwaZulu-Natal
Rugby union career
Position(s) Winger / Fullback
Current team Sharks XV
Youth career
2007–2010 Sharks
Senior career
YearsTeamApps(Points)
2010–2011 Sharks (Currie Cup) 21 (40)
2014–2015 Golden Lions 16 (5)
2015 Lions 1 (0)
2016–present Sharks (Currie Cup) 0 (0)
Correct as of 2 November 2015
National team(s)
YearsTeamApps(Points)
2011–2014 South Africa Sevens
Correct as of 18 September 2014
Medal record
Men's rugby sevens
Representing Flag of South Africa.svg  South Africa
World Games
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg 2013 Cali Team competition
Commonwealth Games
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg 2014 Glasgow Team competition

Mark Richards (born 9 September 1989) is a South African rugby union player, currently playing with the Sharks XV. [1] His regular position is winger.

Contents

Richards also won gold medals as part of the South African Sevens side that won the rugby sevens tournaments at the 2013 World Games and the 2014 Commonwealth Games.

Career

Youth

Richards went to Michaelhouse school in KwaZulu-Natal and earned a call-up to the KwaZulu-Natal Under-18 side that played at the Academy Week competition in 2007.

Richards then joined the Durban-based Sharks academy and played for the Sharks U19 side in the 2008 Under-19 Provincial Championship and for the Sharks U21 side in the 2009 and 2010 Under-21 Provincial Championships. The latter season also saw Richards scoring a hat-trick in their 106–3 victory over Boland U21 in Durban. [2]

Sharks

Richards made his first class debut for the Sharks XV during the 2010 Vodacom Cup competition when he started their match against the Border Bulldogs. [3] He appeared in all nine of their matches in the competition (starting eight of those), failing to score any points for his side as they reached the Semi-final of the competition.

Richards returned to the Sharks XV side for the 2011 Vodacom Cup competition, scoring six tries in six starts for the side, including two in their match against the Leopards in Durban. [4] He finished as the Sharks' second-highest try scorer behind Kobus de Kock and joint-7th overall. [5] He also made his Currie Cup debut in 2011; he started four of their matches during the season – a 35–16 victory over the Blue Bulls in Durban, [6] a 23–22 victory over the Pumas in Nelspruit, [7] a 43–34 home victory over the Free State Cheetahs – which also saw Richards score his first Currie Cup try in the fourth minute of the match [8] – and a 43–22 defeat to Griquas in Kimberley. [9]

Sevens

At the end of 2010, Richards was included in the South African Sevens team for the 2010 Dubai Sevens leg of the 2010–11 IRB Sevens World Series. He appeared in a further three tournaments during the 2010–11 season and in five tournaments in the 2011–12 IRB Sevens World Series. A chest injury [10] and an Achilles tendon injury [11] ruled him out of the entire 2012–13 IRB Sevens World Series, but he returned to the team for the 2013 World Games in Cali, Colombia, where he helped them win the gold medal match against Argentina, [12] scoring a try and a conversion to secure a 33–24 victory. [13]

Richards played in three tournaments during the 2013–14 IRB Sevens World Series before winning another gold medal with the team, this time at the 2014 Commonwealth Games, where South Africa beat New Zealand 17–12 in the final. [14]

Golden Lions

In 2014, Richards made a return to the 15-man version of the game when he joined the Golden Lions during the 2014 Currie Cup Premier Division. [15] He made his debut for the Lions during their Round Five match against Gauteng rivals the Blue Bulls. [16]

Southern Kings

At the end of 2015, Richards was one of a number of players that joined the Southern Kings prior to their return to Super Rugby for the 2016 season. [17] However, the Eastern Province Kings – the provincial union that was supposed to administer the Super Rugby team – suffered serious financial problems and the South African Rugby Union stepped in to assist the Super Rugby franchise; [18] however, Richards was not one of the players contracted by SARU to represent the Southern Kings. [19] After being unpaid for several months, he was one of eighteen players involved in submitting an application to get Eastern Province Rugby liquidated in an attempt to recoup unpaid salary payments. [20]

Sharks

Richards returned to Durban and was named in the Sharks XV squad for the 2016 Currie Cup qualification series. [21]

Related Research Articles

The 2010 Absa Currie Cup Premier Division was the 72nd season in the competition since it started in 1889. The competition was contested from 9 July through to 30 October.

Devin André Oosthuizen is a South African professional rugby union player, who most recently played with the Free State Cheetahs. His regular position is flanker or number eight.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">SP Marais</span> Rugby player

Sarel Petrus Marais is a South African professional rugby union player for the Stormers in Super Rugby and Western Province in the Currie Cup. His position he plays is Fullback.

Jacques Jacobus "Vleis" Engelbrecht is a South African professional rugby union player, currently playing in France with French Pro D2 side Montauban. He can play as a flanker or a number eight.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shane Gates</span> South African rugby union player

Shane Edward Gates is a South African-born Japanese professional rugby union player, currently playing in the Japanese Top League with NTT Communications Shining Arcs. His usual position is fly-half or inside centre.

Monde Sakhile Hadebe is a former South African rugby union player, whose regular position is hooker. He played domestic Currie Cup rugby with the Sharks between 2011 and 2015 and Super Rugby with the Sharks in 2015. He retired from rugby in 2016 when he was given a four-year ban following a positive drugs test.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rosko Specman</span> South African rugby union player

Rosko Shane Specman is a South African rugby union player for the Bulls in Super Rugby, the Blue Bulls in the Currie Cup and the Blue Bulls XV in the Rugby Challenge. He played rugby sevens for the South Africa national rugby sevens team between 2014 and 2018 and also played Currie Cup rugby with the Sharks from 2010 to 2012, the Pumas from 2013 to 2015 and the Free State Cheetahs in 2017. His usual position is winger.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tom Botha</span> South African rugby union player

Tom Botha is a South African rugby union player, currently playing with the Ospreys in Wales for the Welsh Pro14. His regular position is tighthead prop.

Timothy Ernest Victor Kwizera Agaba is a Ugandan-born South African rugby union player for the Bulls in Super Rugby, the Blue Bulls in the Currie Cup and the Blue Bulls XV in the Rugby Challenge. His regular position is flanker or number eight.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Handré Pollard</span> Rugby player

Handré Pollard is a South African professional rugby union player who currently plays for the South Africa national team and Leicester Tigers in England's Premiership Rugby. His regular playing positions are fly-half, where he started for South Africa in their 2019 Rugby World Cup Final win, and inside-centre. He has previously played for the Bulls and Blue Bulls in his native South Africa, Osaka Red Hurricanes in Japan and Montpellier in France.

Stefan Willemse is a South African professional rugby union player for the Pumas in the Currie Cup and in the Rugby Challenge. His regular position is flanker or lock.

The 2014 Vodacom Cup was played between 7 March and 16 May 2014 and was the 17th edition of this annual domestic cup competition. This edition of the Vodacom Cup was played between fourteen provincial rugby union teams in South Africa from the Currie Cup Premier and First Divisions, as well as the Limpopo Blue Bulls and Simba XV from Kenya.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maks van Dyk</span> South African rugby union player

Nicolaas Johannes John "Maks" van Dyk is a South African professional rugby union player for Exeter Chiefs. His regular position is prop.

Johannes Jurgens Snyman is a former South African rugby union player that played for the Sharks and the Griffons between 2010 and 2014. His regular position is hooker.

Juan Louw Schoeman is a South African rugby union player for the Bath in Premiership Rugby. His regular position is loosehead prop.

Khaya Majola is a South African rugby union player who most recently played for the Southern Kings in the Pro14. His regular position is flanker.

Nqubeko Sithembiso Zulu is a South African professional rugby union player, who plays for the Wanderers and the Blue Bulls. His regular position is lock.

Marné Coetzee is a South African rugby union player for the Pumas in the Currie Cup and in the Rugby Challenge. His regular position is tighthead prop.

Barend Jackobus Potgieter is a South African rugby union player for the Griffons in the Currie Cup and the Rugby Challenge. His regular position is a loosehead prop, but he can also play as a flanker.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jean Droste</span> South African rugby union player

Jean Droste is a South African professional rugby union player for the Blue Bulls in the Currie Cup and the Blue Bulls XV in the Rugby Challenge. His regular position is lock, but he can also play as a flanker.

References

  1. ↑ "SA Rugby Player Profile – Mark Richards". South African Rugby Union. Retrieved 29 May 2016.
  2. ↑ "SA Rugby Match Centre – Sharks 106–3 Boland". South African Rugby Union. 9 July 2010. Retrieved 27 July 2016.
  3. ↑ "SA Rugby Match Centre – Sharks XV 69–8 Border". South African Rugby Union. 26 February 2010. Retrieved 27 July 2016.
  4. ↑ "SA Rugby Match Centre – Sharks XV 38–7 Leopards". South African Rugby Union. 9 April 2011. Retrieved 27 July 2016.
  5. ↑ "SA Rugby Try Scorers – 2011 Vodacom Cup". South African Rugby Union. Retrieved 5 May 2016.
  6. ↑ "SA Rugby Match Centre – The Sharks 35–16 Vodacom Blue Bulls". South African Rugby Union. 16 July 2011. Retrieved 27 July 2016.
  7. ↑ "SA Rugby Match Centre – Ford Pumas 22–23 The Sharks". South African Rugby Union. 22 July 2011. Retrieved 27 July 2016.
  8. ↑ "SA Rugby Match Centre – The Sharks 43–34 Toyota Free State Cheetahs". South African Rugby Union. 30 July 2011. Retrieved 27 July 2016.
  9. ↑ "SA Rugby Match Centre – GWK Griquas 43–22 The Sharks". South African Rugby Union. 5 August 2011. Retrieved 27 July 2016.
  10. ↑ "Sewes se skete bekyk" (in Afrikaans). Die Son. 15 February 2012. Archived from the original on 18 September 2014. Retrieved 18 September 2014.
  11. ↑ "Paul kies twee nuwelinge vir eerste toernooi in Australië" (in Afrikaans). Die Burger. 5 October 2012. Archived from the original on 18 September 2014. Retrieved 18 September 2014.
  12. ↑ "The World Games Competition Information System : Rugby Sevens". The World Games. Retrieved 18 September 2014.
  13. ↑ "Rugby Sevens: Men's Finals Gold Medal Match". World Games. 2 August 2013. Retrieved 18 September 2014.
  14. ↑ "Glasgow 2014 – Men's Rugby Sevens Gold Medal Match". Glasgow 2014. 27 July 2014. Retrieved 18 September 2014.
  15. ↑ "Lions beef up bench for Bulls". SAPA. IOL. 4 September 2014. Retrieved 18 September 2014.
  16. ↑ "SA Rugby Match Centre – Vodacom Blue Bulls 36–26 Xerox Golden Lions". South African Rugby Union. 6 September 2014. Retrieved 27 July 2016.
  17. ↑ "EP Rugby Statement". Rugby15. 16 November 2015. Archived from the original on 17 November 2015. Retrieved 16 November 2015.
  18. ↑ "SARU steps in to assist the Southern Kings Super Rugby franchise" (Press release). South African Rugby Union. 17 November 2015. Retrieved 17 November 2015.
  19. ↑ "Southern Kings announce first signings" (Press release). South African Rugby Union. 13 December 2015. Archived from the original on 22 December 2015. Retrieved 13 December 2015.
  20. ↑ "Plight of EP players revealed". SA Rugby Magazine. 22 February 2016. Retrieved 1 March 2016.
  21. ↑ "SA Rugby Squad – Cell C Sharks XV : 2016 Currie Cup Qualifying". South African Rugby Union. Retrieved 3 June 2016.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.