Doncaster Knights appoint Dean Richards as Director of Rugby

Doncaster Knights have appointed former England international and British & Irish Lion Dean Richards as their new Director of Rugby with immediate effect.

Dean Richards Joins Doncaster Knights

Richards arrives at Castle Park with extensive experience as both a player and coach. The appointment is a major statement from Doncaster as the club looks to strengthen its rugby structure and push its long-term ambitions.

As a player, Richards made 314 appearances for Leicester Tigers at No.8, earned 48 caps for England and represented the British & Irish Lions six times.

Doncaster Knights Target Promotion Push

Since moving into coaching, Richards has held senior roles with Leicester Tigers, FC Grenoble, Harlequins and Newcastle Falcons. He spent a decade in charge of Newcastle between 2012 and 2022, adding significant top-level experience to his new role at Doncaster.

Knights President Steve Lloyd said Richards’ rugby pedigree spoke for itself and added that his plans for the club’s development would excite existing supporters while helping attract new fans to Doncaster and Yorkshire rugby.

“Dean’s rugby pedigree speaks for itself and his thoughts and plans for the future development of The Knights will excite our existing support base and also attract new supporters to The Knights and, potentially, to Yorkshire Rugby in general.

"We look forward to welcoming Dean into the ‘Knights Family’ and working as a team to achieve the success the Club constantly seeks”

Dean Richards Sets Out Castle Park Vision

Richards said the opportunity to join Doncaster came unexpectedly but was one he could not ignore. He described the club as ambitious and said the aim was to build a team capable of challenging for promotion.

“The opportunity to join Doncaster came completely out of the blue, but it is one I simply couldn’t ignore.

"Doncaster is a club with genuine ambition, and the vision of everyone involved is clear.

"The aim is to build a club capable of challenging for promotion, and that’s a challenge I’m incredibly excited to be part of.

"I’m now looking forward to meeting the players, coaches, volunteers and supporters at Castle Park. There’s a great deal of hard work ahead, but it’s an exciting project and one that I’m privileged to lead.”