Richard Cockerill
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Richard Cockerill (born December 16 1970) is a former England Rugby union international hooker.
Cockerill was born in Rugby, where it all started. Joining Leicester Tigers, he established himself as the B of the "ABC club" alongside Graham Rowntree (A) and Darren Garforth (C).
He made his England debut as a half-time replacement for the Bath hooker Andy Long in Clive Woodward's first match in charge against the Wallabies; Long was young and clearly out of his depth. Cockerill's performance earned him a starting place against New Zealand, where he stood up to Norm Hewitt during the haka (see book cover).
A dip in form led him to lose his first choice hooking position at Leicester to Dorian West. He was also dropped from the England side after criticising Woodward in his book entitled In Your Face. He subsequently moved to France, but has signed again for Leicester for the 2004-5 season.
Bibliography
- Richard Cockerill (with Richard Tanner as a ghost writer) In Your Face: A Rugby Odyssey ISBN 1840182660