Wales international played under false name until club bosses got wind of it
The Wales international revealed how he used to get back fit by playing for a number of local clubs using a pseudonym
Former Wales star Richard Hibbard
(Image: BBC )
Richard Hibbard has revealed he used a fake name to play local rugby matches while at Ospreys. The 38-cap Wales international appeared as a guest on the latest episode of BBC's Scrum V 'The Warm Up'.
Speaking about his career, Hibbard touched on how he almost switched to rugby league when he was a teenager, before Ospreys snapped him up.
Host Lauren Jenkins then asked Hibbard about the time he used a pseudonym while playing. Sign up to Inside Welsh rugby on Substack to get exclusive news stories and insight from behind the scenes in Welsh rugby.
"I used to hate training," began Hibbard. "I used to get fit by playing.
"They (Ospreys) weren't playing me much at the time, so I used to play for everyone. Taibach... anything on a Wednesday night or a Sunday evening - anything I could.
"In the summer, instead of training I used to play a bit of rugby league. The team manager had the genius idea to hide my identity.
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"They came up with some real good names. They called me Hubert Richards. It was going well, as well. Hubert was my name every week in the paper.
"Sean (Long) came down to investigate and he actually caught me."
"How long did you get away with it for?" asked Jenkins.
"I was the Man of Steel that year," responded Hibbard. "It was brilliant, my trophy came in a different name though!"
"Was position were you?" asked Jonathan 'Foxy' Davies.
"I was prop and loose forward. A lot of carries, a lot of tackles. My favourite part, to be fair!"
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Hibbard announced his retirement from rugby in 2022 at the age of 38.
Having closed out his career with Dragons RFC, he featured for Ospreys, Gloucester, Wales and the British and Irish Lions, enjoying a stellar career at the elite level of the game.
Since he hung up his boots three years ago, Hibbard has focused on business and sports leadership. The former front-row star has two restaurants in his home town along with his 'Mortal Bunny' rum brand, and has stepped into a chief executive role with Wales Rugby League in recent times.
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