Often portrayed as the silent assassin at both club and international level, Richard Hill's effective and aggressive style of forward play has made him legendary in rugby union circles. He has become renowned for crunching tackles, intelligent running off the ball and unparalleled drive. Hill's showing in the 1997 Five Nations was so impressive that he earned a place on the Lions tour to South Africa that year. Hill in fact started two Tests and unsurprisingly the two that saw the Lions victorious over the Springboks. He was an integral part of England's Rugby World Cup winning team in 2003. A Saracens hero, he was also selected for the Lions against New Zealand in 2005 but suffered a bad injury which ended his tour prematurely.