Born: 23 May, 1973 in Godstone, Surrey, England

Educated at Bishop’s Wordworth School, Salisbury and then Brunel University College, Richard Hill became one of English rugby’s greatest flankers and a member of the back-row trinity that helped England to win Rugby World Cup 2003.

While Neil Back was the link man and Lawrence Dallaglio the enforcer, Hill’s ability to do the often unseen graft of close quarter play and his innate positional sense won the respect of team-mates and opponents the world over, and the nickname, ‘The Silent Assassin’. Even the great Wigan Rugby League team of the 1990s made a move to sign him, but he stayed loyal to Saracens, his only professional club, making 288 appearances.

Initially playing as an openside, Hill made his debut for England in a 41-13 win over Scotland in the 1997 Men’s Six Nations, and toured with the British and Irish Lions to South Africa later that year, starting the victories in the first two tests against the Springboks.

Hill won five caps in total for the Lions across three tours, having also made the trip to Australia in 2001 and New Zealand in 2005, and 71 for his country, scoring 12 tries, predominantly from the blindside position.

Battling back from two ACL reconstructions, nine operations and an illness that had him hospitalised for over a month, the indefatigable Hill continued playing until 2008, when he ended a journey that had begun as a five-year-old at Salisbury Rugby Club where he progressed through the minis and juniors before playing for the First XV. Since his retirement, Hill has worked for Saracens and the Rugby Football Union.

In 2014 he was appointed RFU Player Pathway Liaison Manager, identifying and mentoring young players. Two years later, he became England’s team manager under Eddie Jones, a position he still holds – but with a wider remit, which now encompasses talent identification and development and liaising with England’s top clubs.