Latest news with #RichardHibbard
BBC News
6 days ago
- Sport
- BBC News
Berry succeeds Kear as Wales head coach
Paul Berry has been appointed as the new Wales head coach, succeeding John Kear as the boss of the senior men's team after the 70-year-old stepped down early in July after more than a decade at the 41-year-old Berry first joined the Wales set-up in 2019 as assistant to Lee Crooks as part of the Under-16 programme and in 2021 was promoted to head coach of the Wales U17 side in the one year that it ran post-Covid, before taking over the was promoted to head of youth in 2023 and is the most successful youth coach in Wales Rugby League history, leading the U16 side to home and away wins over England in 2022, followed by three successive U16 Four Nations titles - all with a 100% winning record."I'm excited for the challenge, I'm also really grateful for chairman James Davies, CEO Richard Hibbard, and the board for showing trust in me to lead the team moving forward," said Berry. "Being involved over the last six years, I've seen first-hand the talent already within the pathway and I'm hoping these young players will come through over the next few years to add to the experienced group that we already have. "That will provide a really balanced squad as we move forward to being World Cup-ready by 2030."The long-term goal is obviously to qualify for the 2030 World Cup, but shorter term I'm looking forward to seeing the team playing regular fixtures and giving some of the younger players an opportunity to pull on our famous red jersey."There's plenty of progress happening on and off the field at the moment, and I think we're entering a really exciting period for rugby league in Wales. I'm really pleased to be able to continue to play a part of it moving forward." Berry has spent more than a decade working for Warrington Wolves in their junior development and scholarship programmes and will combine that role with his Wales will be assisted by former Wales full-back Damian Gibson and Liam Bostock, who was Berry's assistant in the Wales U16 side for a number of will be Gibson's second spell as Wales assistant coach having been involved during Iestyn Harris' reign."I'm delighted to be able to have Liam and Damian supporting me as assistant coaches," Berry added."I think it's really important to have coaches involved who understand the history, heritage and culture of Wales Rugby League."Both are very experienced coaches in their own right and will bring a wealth of knowledge into the coaching group."
Wales Online
09-05-2025
- Sport
- Wales Online
Wales international played under false name until club bosses got wind of it
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. Article continues below "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!" Article continues below 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.
