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Black Ferns legend aims to instil winning mentality in Hong Kong women

New women’s coach has never accepted less than the best in her career

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Anna Richards won it all as a player and is determined to continue that track record with the Hong Kong women's team. Photo: Nora Tam

In a career spanning 20 years, it's difficult to pick one moment that defines rugby legend Anna Richards. But it's easy to pick one that displays her grit: In a game against England in 2008, the New Zealand women's fly half collided awkwardly with an opponent, splitting her lip so severely it needed 50 stitches.

Her lip held together only by a thin fragment of skin, blood pouring down her chin, Richards acted without hesitation: she grabbed Vaseline to stem the bleeding and finished the game, spurring her teammates to victory. "I'm very determined," she says, a valiant smirk spreading over her patched-up lips.

Though resilience, raw talent and an unwavering work ethic fuelled her success - including four World Cup wins, her latest just two months shy of her 46th birthday - it's her love of the game that sustained it. "It was awesome," she reflects. "I loved the challenge, the buzz. The harder the better."

I found out right away that I was way better at rugby than I was at netball. I had good hand-eye coordination from tennis, good footwork from netball and a bit of speed
Anna Richards

One of women's rugby's most decorated players, Richards was appointed as the elite women's sevens coach at the Hong Kong Sports Institute last November. She's been tasked with developing the women's team to Olympic standard in light of the 2016 Games in Rio where rugby sevens will make its debut - no mean feat given Hong Kong rank fourth in Asia, narrowly missing out from being included in the IRB Sevens World Series.

Luckily she relishes a challenge. And if anyone knows about building a career in rugby, it's Richards. She didn't even pick up a rugby ball until she was 21. Previously she was a tennis player, then a netballer. She was good, playing at a national level for the Canterbury team, until she was unceremoniously dropped.

Seizing the opportunity, a coach for the women's rugby team invited Richards to a game. He threw her on the field the same day. The love affair was instantaneous.

"I found out right away that I was way better at rugby than I was at netball," she laughs. "I had good hand-eye coordination from tennis, good footwork from netball and a bit of speed." She fails to mention she was also smart; Richards has a law degree and a Bachelor of Arts.

Although a love of rugby wasn't fostered in a family of four girls (to watch the All Blacks play she used to have to walk to her aunt and uncle's house where there was a TV), resilience and a ferocious competitive spirit was.

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