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Date of birth | 13 December 1983 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Place of birth | Neath, Wales | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Height | 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Weight | 123 kg (271 lb; 19 st 5 lb) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
School | Glan Afan Comprehensive School | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Rugby union career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Rugby league career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Playing information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Richard Hibbard (born 13 December 1983) is a retired Wales international rugby union player who last played for the Dragons.
Hibbard was born in Neath, Wales. He is married, with three children. A hooker, he started playing rugby union at age grade levels at clubs in the town of Port Talbot, including Aberavon Quins RFC and Taibach RFC. A former pupil of Glan Afan Comprehensive School, he went on to play at senior level for Taibach, Aberavon RFC and Swansea before making his name at the Ospreys.
He also played rugby league for Aberavon Fighting Irish and made one appearance for the Wales A rugby league team in their 28–18 win over England A in Aberavon in 2003.
Hibbard attained his first Wales cap against Argentina in June 2006. Hibbard missed the 2011 Rugby World Cup through injury. [1]
He was named as part of the Lions squad for the 2013 British & Irish Lions tour to Australia and won caps in all three test matches, starting the third and decisive match. [2]
On 16 December 2013, it was announced that Hibbard would join Gloucester Rugby in the English Aviva Premiership on a three-year contract from the 2014–15 season. [3]
On 18 December 2017 it was confirmed Hibbard would return to Wales to sign for regional side Dragons on a three-year contract in the Pro14 from the 2018–19 season. [4]
In recent times (2021), Richard Hibbard expanded even further than his rugby career, whereby he opened two successful restaurants including The Hideout Cafe at Aberavon Shopping Centre & The Front at Aberavon Beach, Port Talbot.
In January 2022, Hibbard announced his retirement from rugby. In April 2024 he was appointed chief executive officer of Wales Rugby League. [5]
In 2023, he expanded his hospitality business again to include Mortal Bunny (Rum) and also opened a new restaurant Sand Rabbit Bar and Grill in 2024 on Aberavon Beach, Port Talbot.
Try | Opponent | Location | Venue | Competition | Date | Result |
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1 | Scotland | Edinburgh, Scotland | Murrayfield | 2013 Six Nations | 9 March 2013 | Win |
2 | Ireland | Cardiff, Wales | Millennium Stadium | 2015 Rugby World Cup warm-up matches | 8 August 2015 | Loss |
Port Talbot is a town and community in the county borough of Neath Port Talbot, Wales, situated on the east side of Swansea Bay, approximately eight miles from Swansea. The Port Talbot Steelworks covers a large area of land which dominates the south east of the town. It is one of the biggest steelworks in the world, but has been under threat of closure since the 1980s. The population was 31,550 in 2021, comprising about a fifth of the 141,931 population of Neath Port Talbot.
Newport Rugby Football Club is a Welsh rugby union club based in the city of Newport, Wales. They presently play in the Welsh Premier Division. Until 2021 Newport RFC were based at Rodney Parade situated on the east bank of the River Usk.
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Aberavon is a town and community in Neath Port Talbot county borough, Wales. The town derived its name from being near the mouth of the river Afan, which also gave its name to a medieval lordship. Today it is essentially a district of Port Talbot, covering the central and south western part of the town. Aberavon is also the name of the nearby Blue Flag beach and the parish covering the same area.
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The Front Aberavon - https://www.thefrontaberafan.co.uk/
The Hideout Cafe - https://www.facebook.com/share/Fi7YARZpo47mrujK/
The Sandrabbit Bar and Grill - https://www.thesandrabbit.co.uk/
Mortal Bunny Rum - https://www.bunnyspirits.co.uk/