The former Sharks hooker Dylan Richardson has been embracing the opportunity of bringing versatility to the Edinburgh squad.
The 26-year-old joined the Scottish club at the start of the season after spending much of his career in Durban. Here he joined fellow South Africans Duhan van der Merwe and Pierre Schoeman who both represented the club and Scotland.
Despite having previously represented the Springbok U20 at junior level, Dylan Richardson has since gone on to represent Scotland at international level after qualifying through his father.
Richardson finds inspiration in Deon Fourie
Since being reunited with former coach Sean Everett, he has been embracing the prospect of being used at both flank and hooker. For him, the most important thing is being able to execute what the game plan requires.
“Seven is always natural for me. It’s something I can play naturally; I don’t have a problem with it. I’m a natural flank,” he said.
For much of this season, flank was where he received game time; however, this has not deterred him from nurturing both skill sets.
“I am just making sure I am keeping that skill and building it because in the new modern game, being a hybrid player is kind of the go-to now. You see players like Deon Fourie who can switch from two to six; it’s an awesome attribute to have.
“Wherever I can help the team, I think that’s beneficial, and if I’m beneficial for the team, it’s just better for me as a player. So that’s what I’m working towards.”
Praise from coach Everett
Coach Everett has had nothing but praise to give since Richardson joined the club. The club mentor describes him as a player with an excellent work ethic.
“He is very industrious. He trains exceptionally hard, and he puts a lot of effort into his rugby, more so than most. It’s just great to see him getting rewarded for everything that he’s done to get here. He’s left his family at home, and he’s come across, and he wants to make Scotland his home. It’s so awesome for him.”
