Pat Richards
Encyclopedia
Pat Richards is an Australian professional rugby league
footballer for the Wigan Warriors
of Europe's Super League
. An Ireland
and Exiles international representative winger, he previously played in the National Rugby League
for Sydney clubs the Parramatta Eels
and Wests Tigers
, winning the 2005 premiership with Wests. Following his move to Super League
, Richards was awarded the 2010 Man of Steel Award, finishing as the season's top point scorer before helping the Wigan Warriors
to victory in the 2010 Super League Grand Final
.
to Irish parents, Richards attended St Therese Primary School and Westfields Sports High. He played junior rugby league for the Cabramatta club.
between 2000-2003. In 2001 he was unable to play in the grand final
due to a broken leg. After the 2003 season Richards moved to Wests Tigers
.
. Richards' drop kicks/outs and towering kick-offs were instrumental in gaining valuable field position for the team during their premiership year.
Despite suffering an ankle ligament injury the week prior, Richard's was cleared to play in the 2005 NRL Grand Final
against the North Queensland Cowboys
. Richards' try from a Benji Marshall
flick pass was a highlight of the Wests Tigers' win.
passport he did not count in Wigan's overseas quota
.
He started his Wigan Warriors career playing in the centres rather than his usually position of winger. He scored 12 tries and kicked 12 goals in 25 appearance during the 2006 season but there was some criticism of Wigan coach Ian Millward
for playing him out of position as it was clear that Richards was not suited to playing in the centres. At the end of the 2006 season winger Brett Dallas
retired from rugby league which allowed Richards to move back to his usually position of winger for the 2007. At the start of 2007 he was given the squad number 5 and was also promoted to first goal kicker after the other goal kickers, Michael Dobson, Danny Orr
and Wayne Godwin
left Wigan at the end of 2006. Despite not previously being a regular goal kicker, Pat quickly developed the skills. After 27 appearances in 2007 he scored 14 tries, kicked 103 goals and was man of the match 4 times. Mid-way through the season, Richards was moved to full back after Michael Withers
' retirement.
On 21 September 2007 he kicked the vital drop goal to give Wigan a 31-30 win over Bradford Bulls
. It completed the biggest comeback in Super League history.
In 2008, Richards was the Wigan Warriors
' Player Of The Season scoring 19 tries and getting a total of 375 points in one season meaning he was the top points scorer in Super League that year as he was the previous year. He also signed a new 3 year deal with Wigan Mid-2008 stating he and his family were settled at the club and loved the town.
Richards made himself available for Ireland's
2008 Rugby League World Cup
campaign.
In August 2008, Richards was named in the Ireland training squad for the 2008 Rugby League World Cup
, and in October 2008 he was named in the final 24-man Ireland squad. He featured prominently in the tournament; in Ireland's win over Samoa on 5 November, Richards scored 22 of the team's 34 points, including three tries.
Richards continued to be a stand out performer for Wigan in 2009 and was again selected to play for Ireland in the 2009 European Cup.
Richards' try-scoring exploits and accuracy with the boot proved vital for the Warriors push for honours in 2010. He often had to occupy the full back position in the absence of the injured Cameron Phelps and Amos Roberts.
Pat Richards is the first Australian player to score 1,000 points or more for the Wigan
club. On 27 February 2010 Richards scored 5 tries and kicked 9 goals against the Catalans Dragons
in a 58-0 victory for Wigan. His 38 points was the most in one match for a Wigan player in the Super League era.
On 3 September 2010, in a game against the Bradford Bulls
Richards equalled the record for the most points in a regular Super League season. Scoring 14 on the night he matched Andrew Farrell's
impressive 388 points. Later in September it was announced that Richards is one of three players nominated for the prestigious man of steel award.
Pat won the Man of Steel award on Monday, 27 September 2010, beating Adrian Morley
and Team mate Sam Tomkins
to the accolade. He was also the joint Albert Goldthorpe Medal
winner with team mate Sam Tomkins as the Super League player of the 2010 season. The total of 462 points that Richards scored over the 2010 season set a new club record at Wigan.
Richards' 2011 season
was delayed after the Achilles tendon
injury picked up during the 2010 Grand Final kept him out for five to six months. His first appearance in Super League XVI
came in Round 9 against Catalans Dragons
, where he took over the kicking duties and landed four goals. Three tries over the Easter period, including a brace against St Helens RLFC gave him his first tries of the campaign, and this was followed up at Crusaders RL with another touchdown, as well as seven goals.
Pat Richards was selected for the Exiles squad for the inaugural International Origin Match against England
at Headingley on 10
June 2011.
Rugby league
Rugby league football, usually called rugby league, is a full contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular grass field. One of the two codes of rugby football, it originated in England in 1895 by a split from Rugby Football Union over paying players...
footballer for the Wigan Warriors
Wigan Warriors
Wigan Warriors is an English rugby league club based in Wigan, Greater Manchester. The club's first team squad competes in the engage Super League and the team are the current Challenge Cup holders as of the 27th August 2011....
of Europe's Super League
Super League
Super League is the top-level professional rugby league football club competition in Europe. As a result of sponsorship from engage Mutual Assurance the competition is currently officially known as the engage Super League. The League features fourteen teams: thirteen from England and one from...
. An Ireland
Ireland national rugby league team
The Ireland national rugby league team, known as the Wolfhounds, represent the island of Ireland in rugby league football. The team is organized by Rugby League Ireland and are accredited as an affiliate member of the Rugby League International Federation...
and Exiles international representative winger, he previously played in the National Rugby League
National Rugby League
The National Rugby League is the top league of professional rugby league football clubs in Australasia. The NRL's main competition, called the Telstra Premiership , is contested by sixteen teams, fifteen of which are based in Australia with one based in New Zealand...
for Sydney clubs the Parramatta Eels
Parramatta Eels
The Parramatta Eels are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in the Sydney suburb of Parramatta. The Parramatta District Rugby League Football Club was formed in 1947, with their First Grade side playing their first season in the New South Wales Rugby Football League...
and Wests Tigers
Wests Tigers
The Wests Tigers are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in Sydney's mid-western suburbs. They have competed in the National Rugby League since they were formed at the end of the 1999 season as a joint-venture club between the Balmain Tigers and the Western Suburbs...
, winning the 2005 premiership with Wests. Following his move to Super League
Super League
Super League is the top-level professional rugby league football club competition in Europe. As a result of sponsorship from engage Mutual Assurance the competition is currently officially known as the engage Super League. The League features fourteen teams: thirteen from England and one from...
, Richards was awarded the 2010 Man of Steel Award, finishing as the season's top point scorer before helping the Wigan Warriors
Wigan Warriors
Wigan Warriors is an English rugby league club based in Wigan, Greater Manchester. The club's first team squad competes in the engage Super League and the team are the current Challenge Cup holders as of the 27th August 2011....
to victory in the 2010 Super League Grand Final
2010 Super League Grand Final
The 2010 Super League Grand Final was the conclusive and championship-deciding game of Super League XV. Held on Saturday 2 October 2010, at Manchester's Old Trafford stadium, the match was contested by English clubs St Helens and Wigan Warriors...
.
Biography
Born in Liverpool, New South WalesLiverpool, New South Wales
Liverpool is a suburb in south-western Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Liverpool is located 32 km south-west of the Sydney central business district, and is the administrative centre of the local government area of the City of Liverpool...
to Irish parents, Richards attended St Therese Primary School and Westfields Sports High. He played junior rugby league for the Cabramatta club.
Parramatta Eels (2000–2003)
Richards played for the Parramatta EelsParramatta Eels
The Parramatta Eels are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in the Sydney suburb of Parramatta. The Parramatta District Rugby League Football Club was formed in 1947, with their First Grade side playing their first season in the New South Wales Rugby Football League...
between 2000-2003. In 2001 he was unable to play in the grand final
Grand Final
Grand Final is a predominantly Australian sport term used to describe a match that decides a league champion.It originated in Victoria and South Australia and has become specifically significant Australian culture...
due to a broken leg. After the 2003 season Richards moved to Wests Tigers
Wests Tigers
The Wests Tigers are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in Sydney's mid-western suburbs. They have competed in the National Rugby League since they were formed at the end of the 1999 season as a joint-venture club between the Balmain Tigers and the Western Suburbs...
.
Wests Tigers (2004–2005)
He enjoyed a successful 2005 season with the Tigers. He scored a club record 20 tries during the season, since surpassed by Taniela TuiakiTaniela Tuiaki
Taniela Tuiaki is a retired New Zealand professional rugby league player who played for the Wests Tigers in the Australian National Rugby League competition. Tuiaki was a versatile player but primarily played on the wing.-Club :Tuiaki played junior football with North Curl Curl...
. Richards' drop kicks/outs and towering kick-offs were instrumental in gaining valuable field position for the team during their premiership year.
Despite suffering an ankle ligament injury the week prior, Richard's was cleared to play in the 2005 NRL Grand Final
2005 NRL Grand Final
The 2005 NRL Grand Final was the conclusive and premiership-deciding game of the 2005 National Rugby League season. It was played on the night of Sunday, 2 October at Sydney's Telstra Stadium between 4th-placed Wests Tigers and 5th-placed North Queensland Cowboys, the only two clubs in the...
against the North Queensland Cowboys
North Queensland Cowboys
The North Queensland Cowboys are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in Townsville, Queensland. They compete in Australasia's elite rugby league competition, the National Rugby League premiership...
. Richards' try from a Benji Marshall
Benji Marshall
Benji Marshall is a professional rugby league footballer with the Wests Tigers of the National Rugby League . A goal-kicking five-eighth, he is the current captain of the New Zealand national team, with whom he won the 2008 World Cup and 2010 Four Nations tournaments...
flick pass was a highlight of the Wests Tigers' win.
Wigan Warriors (2006–present)
Richards signed a two-year contract with Wigan Warriors for the 2006 and 2007 seasons in June 2005. Speaking from Sydney on the day of his signing for Wigan, Pat Richards said, "I had three enquiries from leading Super League clubs but I feel sure that Wigan is the club for me. They are strengthening well for next year and Ian Millward is a very successful coach. I am looking forward to joining the club." Head Coach Ian Millward also commented, "Pat is the ideal player for the modern game. He is over 6ft tall, fields high balls very well and has a special and powerful kicking game. In keeping with the modern game he gives us cover for several positions. He also has an Irish background and he may bring a bit of the Irish luck with him." Because of his Irish EUEuropean Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
passport he did not count in Wigan's overseas quota
Quota players
Quota players is a term in sport referring to the limit of foreign players on a domestic team.-Rugby League:Each English Super League team is allowed to have three foreign players. Harlequins Rugby League are permitted four quota players as they are considered to be a non-heartland team...
.
He started his Wigan Warriors career playing in the centres rather than his usually position of winger. He scored 12 tries and kicked 12 goals in 25 appearance during the 2006 season but there was some criticism of Wigan coach Ian Millward
Ian Millward
Ian Millward is an Australian rugby league coach and former player. Millward is currently the head coach at Super League side Castleford....
for playing him out of position as it was clear that Richards was not suited to playing in the centres. At the end of the 2006 season winger Brett Dallas
Brett Dallas
Brett Dallas is an Australian former rugby league footballer of the 1990s and 2000s. An Australian international and Queensland State of Origin representative winger, his club career included stints with both Canterbury and North Sydney in Australia's domestic competition, and the Wigan Warriors...
retired from rugby league which allowed Richards to move back to his usually position of winger for the 2007. At the start of 2007 he was given the squad number 5 and was also promoted to first goal kicker after the other goal kickers, Michael Dobson, Danny Orr
Danny Orr
Danny Orr , is an English rugby league footballer for Castleford in the European Super League. A Great Britain international representative stand-off or scrum half, Orr previously played for Harlequins RL and Wigan.Danny Orr played much of his rugby career for Castleford Tigers, making it into the...
and Wayne Godwin
Wayne Godwin
Wayne Godwin, born 13 March 1982 in Pontefract, West Yorkshire, England is an English rugby league player.Wayne Godwin plays for Salford City Reds in the Super League.Godwins's position of choice is at hooker...
left Wigan at the end of 2006. Despite not previously being a regular goal kicker, Pat quickly developed the skills. After 27 appearances in 2007 he scored 14 tries, kicked 103 goals and was man of the match 4 times. Mid-way through the season, Richards was moved to full back after Michael Withers
Michael Withers
Michael Withers is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer of the 1990s and 2000s who represented at international level for Ireland. He played club football in Australia for the Balmain Tigers of the National Rugby League, and in England with Wigan Warriors and Bradford Bulls of...
' retirement.
On 21 September 2007 he kicked the vital drop goal to give Wigan a 31-30 win over Bradford Bulls
Bradford Bulls
Bradford Bulls is a professional rugby league club based in the city of Bradford, West Yorkshire, England. They play in the European Super League and are currently joint 10th in the league....
. It completed the biggest comeback in Super League history.
In 2008, Richards was the Wigan Warriors
Wigan Warriors
Wigan Warriors is an English rugby league club based in Wigan, Greater Manchester. The club's first team squad competes in the engage Super League and the team are the current Challenge Cup holders as of the 27th August 2011....
' Player Of The Season scoring 19 tries and getting a total of 375 points in one season meaning he was the top points scorer in Super League that year as he was the previous year. He also signed a new 3 year deal with Wigan Mid-2008 stating he and his family were settled at the club and loved the town.
Richards made himself available for Ireland's
Ireland national rugby league team
The Ireland national rugby league team, known as the Wolfhounds, represent the island of Ireland in rugby league football. The team is organized by Rugby League Ireland and are accredited as an affiliate member of the Rugby League International Federation...
2008 Rugby League World Cup
2008 Rugby League World Cup
The 2008 Rugby League World Cup was the thirteenth staging of the Rugby League World Cup since the inauguration of the tournament in 1954, and the first since the 2000 event...
campaign.
In August 2008, Richards was named in the Ireland training squad for the 2008 Rugby League World Cup
2008 Rugby League World Cup
The 2008 Rugby League World Cup was the thirteenth staging of the Rugby League World Cup since the inauguration of the tournament in 1954, and the first since the 2000 event...
, and in October 2008 he was named in the final 24-man Ireland squad. He featured prominently in the tournament; in Ireland's win over Samoa on 5 November, Richards scored 22 of the team's 34 points, including three tries.
Richards continued to be a stand out performer for Wigan in 2009 and was again selected to play for Ireland in the 2009 European Cup.
Richards' try-scoring exploits and accuracy with the boot proved vital for the Warriors push for honours in 2010. He often had to occupy the full back position in the absence of the injured Cameron Phelps and Amos Roberts.
Pat Richards is the first Australian player to score 1,000 points or more for the Wigan
Wigan Warriors
Wigan Warriors is an English rugby league club based in Wigan, Greater Manchester. The club's first team squad competes in the engage Super League and the team are the current Challenge Cup holders as of the 27th August 2011....
club. On 27 February 2010 Richards scored 5 tries and kicked 9 goals against the Catalans Dragons
Catalans Dragons
The Catalans Dragons are a French professional rugby league club based in Perpignan, Pyrénées-Orientales. They currently play in the Super League, and are the only team in the competition from outside of the United Kingdom...
in a 58-0 victory for Wigan. His 38 points was the most in one match for a Wigan player in the Super League era.
On 3 September 2010, in a game against the Bradford Bulls
Bradford Bulls
Bradford Bulls is a professional rugby league club based in the city of Bradford, West Yorkshire, England. They play in the European Super League and are currently joint 10th in the league....
Richards equalled the record for the most points in a regular Super League season. Scoring 14 on the night he matched Andrew Farrell's
Andrew Farrell
Andrew D. 'Andy' Farrell OBE is an English former professional dual-code rugby footballer of the 1990s and 2000s. A goal-kicking forward in rugby league, he captained the Great Britain team and his club, Wigan, with whom he won several championships and Challenge Cup titles as well as a range of...
impressive 388 points. Later in September it was announced that Richards is one of three players nominated for the prestigious man of steel award.
Pat won the Man of Steel award on Monday, 27 September 2010, beating Adrian Morley
Adrian Morley
Adrian Morley is an English professional rugby league footballer for the Warrington Wolves of Europe's Super League...
and Team mate Sam Tomkins
Sam Tomkins
A pre-season unofficial friendly match provided Tomkins his first experience against top-flight opposition as he came off the bench during Lee Briers' testimonial match in a 30–22 loss to Warrington Wolves. Noble followed this up by providing Tomkins, aged 19, with his first team debut on 12 May...
to the accolade. He was also the joint Albert Goldthorpe Medal
Albert Goldthorpe Medal
The Albert Goldthorpe Medal is an award that has been created by Rugby Leaguer & League Express to honour the leading players in Super League and to honour Albert Goldthorpe who was English rugby league's first superstar at the turn of the 20th century....
winner with team mate Sam Tomkins as the Super League player of the 2010 season. The total of 462 points that Richards scored over the 2010 season set a new club record at Wigan.
Richards' 2011 season
2011 Wigan Warriors season
The 2011 Wigan Warriors season is the club's 16th season in the Super League, since its launch in 1996.Michael Maguire carried on as head coach in what would be his last season, and Ian Lenagan continued as the club's chairman and owner. Wigan reverted to using a solo captain in Sean O'Loughlin,...
was delayed after the Achilles tendon
Achilles tendon
The Achilles tendon , also known as the calcaneal tendon or the tendo calcaneus, is a tendon of the posterior leg. It serves to attach the plantaris, gastrocnemius and soleus muscles to the calcaneus bone.- Anatomy :The Achilles is the tendonous extension of 3 muscles in the lower leg:...
injury picked up during the 2010 Grand Final kept him out for five to six months. His first appearance in Super League XVI
Super League XVI
The 2011 Super League season was the sixteenth season of rugby league football since the Super League format was introduced in 1996...
came in Round 9 against Catalans Dragons
Catalans Dragons
The Catalans Dragons are a French professional rugby league club based in Perpignan, Pyrénées-Orientales. They currently play in the Super League, and are the only team in the competition from outside of the United Kingdom...
, where he took over the kicking duties and landed four goals. Three tries over the Easter period, including a brace against St Helens RLFC gave him his first tries of the campaign, and this was followed up at Crusaders RL with another touchdown, as well as seven goals.
Pat Richards was selected for the Exiles squad for the inaugural International Origin Match against England
England national rugby league team
The England national rugby league team represent England in international rugby league football tournaments. The team has now seen a revival, having largely formed from the Great Britain team, who also represented Wales, Scotland and Ireland. The team is run under the auspices of the Rugby Football...
at Headingley on 10
June 2011.
Career highlights
- Junior Club: CabramattaCabramatta, New South WalesCabramatta is a suburb in south-western Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Cabramatta is located 30 kilometres south-west of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of the City of Fairfield...
- First Grade Debut: Round 14, Parramatta v Melbourne at Parramatta Stadium, 5 May 2000
- Premiership: Wests TigersWests TigersThe Wests Tigers are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in Sydney's mid-western suburbs. They have competed in the National Rugby League since they were formed at the end of the 1999 season as a joint-venture club between the Balmain Tigers and the Western Suburbs...
2005, scoring 1 try in the Grand Final - 2007 Super LeagueSuper LeagueSuper League is the top-level professional rugby league football club competition in Europe. As a result of sponsorship from engage Mutual Assurance the competition is currently officially known as the engage Super League. The League features fourteen teams: thirteen from England and one from...
top points scorer with 248 points in the regular season. - 2008 Super LeagueSuper LeagueSuper League is the top-level professional rugby league football club competition in Europe. As a result of sponsorship from engage Mutual Assurance the competition is currently officially known as the engage Super League. The League features fourteen teams: thirteen from England and one from...
top points scorer. - 2009 Super LeagueSuper LeagueSuper League is the top-level professional rugby league football club competition in Europe. As a result of sponsorship from engage Mutual Assurance the competition is currently officially known as the engage Super League. The League features fourteen teams: thirteen from England and one from...
top points scorer. - 2010 Super LeagueSuper LeagueSuper League is the top-level professional rugby league football club competition in Europe. As a result of sponsorship from engage Mutual Assurance the competition is currently officially known as the engage Super League. The League features fourteen teams: thirteen from England and one from...
Man of Steel award - 2010 Super LeagueSuper LeagueSuper League is the top-level professional rugby league football club competition in Europe. As a result of sponsorship from engage Mutual Assurance the competition is currently officially known as the engage Super League. The League features fourteen teams: thirteen from England and one from...
top points, try and goal scorer.
External links
- Wigan Warriors profile
- Pat Richards Wigan Career Page on the Wigan RL Fansite.
- Ireland profile