Richard Thorpe (rugby union)

Richard Thorpe (born 1 November 1984) is a retired Premiership, Championship and International rugby union player, and the current Director of Rugby for Chinnor Rugby Club in Thame, Oxfordshire. Richard played as a flanker or No. 8 for London Irish, Leicester Tigers and London Welsh in Premiership Rugby, and represented Canada at the 2015 Rugby World Cup in England. Born in Beckenham, England, he qualified to play internationally for Canada through his Canadian mother. He won 8 caps in 2014 and 2015 before retiring from professional rugby at the end of the 2016 season aged 31.

Richard Thorpe

Birth name	Richard Thorpe
Date of birth	(1984-11-01) 1 November 1984 (age 40)
Place of birth	Beckenham, Kent
Height	1.85 m (6 ft 1 in)
Weight	103 kg (16 st 3 lb) [1]
School	Whitgift School
University	St. Mary's University College
Rugby union career
Position(s) No. 8, Flanker Youth career Old Beccehamians RFC Senior career Years Team Apps (Points) 2003-05 2005-12 2012-13 2013-16 2016-17 Saracens London Irish Leicester Tigers London Welsh Chinnor 0 123 8 31 7 (0) (75) (0) (5) (5) Correct as of 4 Feb 2017 International career Years Team Apps (Points) 2014-15 Canada 8 (0) Correct as of 1 Oct 2015 Coaching career Years Team 2015- Chinnor R.F.C.

Career

Thorpe made his debut in an EDF Energy Cup match against London Wasps.^[2] He scored a hat-trick against the Newport Gwent Dragons,^[3] Thorpe was a member of the London Irish side that made the semi-finals of the Heineken Cup that season.^[4]

Thorpe was a used replacement in the final of the 2008–09 Guinness Premiership.^[5]

Thorpe was selected for Canada, as he qualifies through his sensual mother, originally from Burlington outside Toronto, Canada. He made his international debut, as a replacement, losing to Samoa 13–23, as part of the 2014 Autumn Internationals.^[6]

Thorpe is now Director of Rugby at Chinnor R.F.C., currently in National League 1.^[7]

References

1. "Aviva Premiership Rugby - London Irish". web page. Premier Rugby. Archived from the original on 6 February 2012. Retrieved 9 September 2011.
2. "Wasps 23–13 London Irish". BBC. 8 October 2006. Retrieved 18 August 2009.
3. "London Irish 41–24 Dragons". BBC. 12 January 2008. Retrieved 18 August 2009.
4. "Heineken Cup semi-finals 2008". BBC. 26 April 2008. Retrieved 18 August 2009.
5. "Leicester 10–9 London Irish". BBC. 16 May 2009. Retrieved 18 August 2009.
6. "Richard Thorpe's Canada debut". ESPN scrum. 14 November 2014.
7. "Senior Squad". chinnor-rfc.com. Retrieved 6 January 2021.

External links