Richard West is a former English rugby union footballer. He played as a lock.

He was educated at Old Swinford Hospital

Old Swinford Hospital

Old Swinford Hospital is a selective voluntary aided boys' boarding school in Oldswinford, Stourbridge, West Midlands, England that has been in continuous operation since the 17th century.- History :Old Swinford Hospital opened in the late summer of 1667...

 and the University of the West of England

University of the West of England

The University of the West of England is a university based in the English city of Bristol. Its main campus is at Frenchay, about five miles north of the city centre...

 in Bristol

Bristol

Bristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...

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West played over 100 times for Gloucester Rugby as well as playing for the Barbarians

Barbarian F.C.

The Barbarian Football Club, usually referred to as the Barbarians and nicknamed the "Baa-Baas", is an invitational rugby union team based in Britain...

 8 Appearances, King Country Rugby Football Union

King Country Rugby Football Union

The King Country Rugby Football Union is a constituent union in the New Zealand Rugby Union. It is located in the central North Island of New Zealand...

, Midlands and England at U21, Students, Emerging Players and A team level. He was one of the first signings to the professional era with Richmond FC when they announced their professional proposals along with Ben Clarke

Ben Clarke

Ben Clarke , is a former England international rugby union player.Clarke played for Bath Rugby from 1992 to 1996, before joining Richmond F.C. as the first £1-million player...

 and Scott Quinnell

Scott Quinnell

Scott Quinnell is a former Welsh international rugby league and rugby union player, who was a number 8 for Wales, Llanelli RFC, the Llanelli Scarlets and the Lions. He scored 11 tries for Wales and captained his country on 7 occasions in rugby union.-Biography:Scott is the son of former Welsh...

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He was selected for England

England national rugby union team

The England national rugby union team represents England in rugby union. They compete in the annual Six Nations Championship with France, Ireland, Scotland, Italy, and Wales. They have won this championship on 26 occasions, 12 times winning the Grand Slam, making them the most successful team in...

 at the 1995 Rugby World Cup

1995 Rugby World Cup

The 1995 Rugby World Cup was the third Rugby World Cup. It was hosted and won by South Africa, and was the first Rugby World Cup in which every match was held in one country....

 finals. He was capped against Manu Samoa in Durban

Durban

Durban is the largest city in the South African province of KwaZulu-Natal and the third largest city in South Africa. It forms part of the eThekwini metropolitan municipality. Durban is famous for being the busiest port in South Africa. It is also seen as one of the major centres of tourism...

 as a starting player and retired in 1998 aged 27 with a serious neck injury. He was alleged to be the heaviest player to be capped for England at 21st 8 lbs and 6' 10".

West now runs his own surveying practice in Ledbury

Ledbury

Ledbury is a town in Herefordshire, England, lying east of Hereford, and south of the Malvern Hills.Today, Ledbury is a thriving market town in rural England. The town has a large number of timber framed buildings, in particular along Church Lane and High Street. One of Ledbury's most outstanding...

, Herefordshire.