Players Who Shook the Crumbie #50: Dean Richards

[Iain]

Not the final installment despite me originally saying this feature would run til 50, two more to come after this!

A popular debate in rugby in recent years has been who was the first rugby "superstar". Does Deano fit that argument? There are cases for both sides.
The argument for "yes" points to Deano the player. Deano was an absolute collossus. Possibly the most powerful number 8 ever, a handy line out option, a talismanic captain, a try machine, the aura of greatness that oozed from him on the field, and the admiration of each and every rugby supporter in the land. Be it Welford Road, Twickenham or on a Lions tour, no other player in world rugby had ever before, or has since, had the ability to make a crowd break in to a spontaneous personal chant. "Deano, Deano, Deano....". Since Deano stopped playing, there still feels like there should be something else we should be chanting at Welford Road.
But as to why Deano might be argued not to be the world's first rugby superstar, well beneath all of the above, he was a very different man off the field. On camera, he was always a very shy and softly spoken individual; he was hardly the model professional as he openly admitted to hating training with a passion; he was merely one of the lads, who loved a pint or three with his team mates, as a battered and dented Calcutta Cup will pay testament. And despite his day job being that of a policeman, anyone who ever saw him on the beat in Hinckley will tell you that he was only too happy to stop and chat rugby with anybody who asked.
Untouchable and peerless on the field, warm, friendly and likeable off it. That characterised Deano's presence as a player in a nutshell.
But of course Deano's impact on Leicester didn't stop there. When Bob Dwyer parted company with the clubin 1998, Dean Richards was surprisingly appointed as director of rugby the same day, despite no real coaching experience. With three months of the season left, Deano managed to salvage a season that was appearing to splutter badly and salvage a respectable finish.
The following season, Deano's first full one in charge, was quite simply the start of something great. Tigers clinched their first Premiership in four years, and then went on to retain it the following year. Under Deano's leadership, Tigers were utterly peerless.
But it was to get better. In 2001 Tigers not only clinched a hat-trick of Premiership titles, but also for the first time became European Champions on a glorious day in all senses in Paris. Incredibly, Deano would lead Leicester to an identical success the following season. Had it been football, we would almost certainly be speaking of 'Sir Dean' by now.
The following season was to be a transitional one. Subtle personnel changes and inconsistency led to an uncharectaristically ordinary season, seeing Tigers scrape into Europe via the back door.
In the first half of the 2003/04 season the country was basking in World Cup glory, to which Tigers had contributed to in terms of players enormously. This was leading to problems back home, as a weakened Tigers started to suffer a catastrophic run of losses. When things didn't improve upon the return of the World Cup winners, fingers were beginning to be pointed. The end result was Dean parting company with the club, bringing a sad end to a long and distinguished association with the club.
It would be all too easy to let this ending cloud Deano's time with the club, but the truth is in comparison to the previous 20+ years of service Deano gave us, the final chapter is but a brief epilogue, and history should gloss this over. Even the most one-eyed Leicester fan with an appreciation of our history surely now has a secret liking for Harlequins now that the big man aims to make Quins a force again. For that to be the case, Deano HAS to be something special!
We all look forward to Quins' visit to Welford Road later this season for Deano's return, where surely he will receive a warm welcome.

[Bill W]

Ah! The "Man Mountain". And a great guy. I literally "bumbed into him" at Stansted airport with my son. He stopped and chatted for about 10 minutes. A great guy. Always preferred signing autographs to warming up.

Two comments I remember: "Most players got fit to play Rugby - Deano played Rigby to get fit!"

"Where ever the ball was there was Deano - but you never saw him running to get there - he was there before it!"

[Rizzo]

He was an image on the field I'll never forget - socks rolled down, shirt untucked and awry, shambling about like a prowling bear - but he knew his game and he played it to the top. Other teams and managers may have complained about Leicester's tactics of "sticking the ball up Deano's jumper" but hey, it worked!
Never managed to meet the man, but he always seemed self-effacing and plain speaking.

[Pellsey]

Well summed up Iain, Bill and Rizzo. I also remember him with his socks down etc as you described Rizzo. At the time I thought he was lazy... holding back etc.. but he was always underneath a clearance kick... somehow... But purely to do with his fantastic knowledge of the game. After he caught it he didn't have the fastist accelaration, but always kept the ball. If somebody gave him the ball with 5 metres to the tryline, I would always bet on him scoring. His power was immense.

I had a training session with him a good few years back (10+).. the aura around him was amazing. He was so gently spoken, but so powerful in his assurtions. A great chap off the field.

I do miss the cheers of Deano at Welford Road... maybe they'll roar again when the Quinns come.

Along with Dusty, my favourite player of all time. And IMHO, one of the best.

[mightymouse]

To me the greatest of all Tigers - not only as a player but as a man - only Johnson comes close.

he opitomises everything great about rugby in general and Leicester Tigers in particular - Do your talking on the field not off it - you've won nothing until you've won the lot - however good you are, you're not that good, however bad they are they deserve your respect - when the games over have a beer and keep away from the media - He's worth a thousand Lawrence Dallaglios and their like - It is no wonder to me that men followed wherever he lead, be it on the field or as a manager - he's the type of bloke you would gladly have lept out of a trench into hail of bullets for in another era.

As a player he was the rock that any team could have been built on and the failure of Englands management not to make him captain and build a team round him was the reason it took so long to win the world cup. As a manager it was his use of Johnson, his personification on the field that allowed him to translate his pragmatism into victory after victory and indeed that Leicester base that then finally did win the world cup.

One of the best quotes I heard I think was from Paul Ackford "When the going gets tough - look for Deanos :censored: and bind on!"

It is staggering that a team I despised I now look out for their results and was genuinely disppointed that they were pipped on the first game of the season - The fact that England have once again snubbed him and not realised that he could bring them another World cup baffles me and as a Scotsman I have to say that only English sport could blantlently waste talent like this - Why? - for precisely the reasons that I think he is great - he doesn't play the media game - he doesn't say what people want to hear he tells them what he thinks or he says nothing at all -

The nearest thing Scotland had to Deano was Jim Telfer and under him Scotland, a tiny country with a minute rugby base won two grand slams, a championship and the Lions won a series in South Africa

When Harlequins come, I shall be on my usual place on the terrace - and if Dean Richards comes down to the dugout - The Crumbie really will shake again - I shall take up the chant I will expect 16,500 others to be with me

DEEEEEEANOOOH DEEEEEEANOOOH DEEEEANOOOH