Richard has been part of the Leeds Carnegie set up since 2006, when he signed for the Academy. He is a back rower who previously played for Harrogate and Roundheigans and he has also represented Yorkshire at and the North of England 18’s level.

In the 2010-11 season he was a regular in the first team for Otley, where he spent time on loan, making 20 appearances and also featured in the Leeds Carnegie first team games against Leicester Tigers and Sale Sharks.

He made his Leeds first team debut in the LV= Cup game against Leicester Tigers when a young Carnegie side secured a memorable 28-17 victory. He retained his place for the following Cup game against Sale, coming on from the bench in the 24-17 defeat.  That also played for Harrogate as well as Otley over the season.

In the 2011-12 season Richard was one of the stars of the campaign and made 28 appearances for the team.  He scored his first try for the club against London Scottish and registered a further three tries over the season.  His performances earned him a new two year contract.

In 2011 Richard completed his degree in Economics and Politics, earning a 2:1 hounors degree from Leeds University.

Richard’s favourite film is Pumping Iron and his childhood hero was its star Arnold Schwarzenegger. His greatest achievement was his debut for Leeds and the player he most admires is Richie McCaw. He is proud of his Leeds roots and supports Leeds United and Leeds Rhinos