Singing for England
Richard Hadfield used to dream of singing the National Anthem as part of the England front row.
Having switched professional rugby ambitions to life as a professional singer, he will be leading the team and the 82,000 crowd in a rendition of God Save the Queen when England take on Wales.
His dad Lester and mum Diana will be in the crowd along with his brother James, who plays hooker for Richmond, who will be carrying the Next Level banner onto the pitch.
"They are really proud to see me singing the National Anthem for England," said Hadfield. "It was always my dream and I’m incredibly proud to sing for my country and my sport which is so near and dear to my heart.”
Dad, Lester, played prop for Wasps and Ealing Trailfinders and was a coach at Worthing RFC, taking his boys along as soon as they were old enough to play.
Richard used to play prop but now mostly plays centre for his club, Old Streetonians in Hackney.
“Although they often come to my shows, the boys at the club thought I was winding them up about singing the anthem at Twickenham," said Richard. "I’ve had to ask them not to heckle on this occasion! They're so excited to see me perform at Twickenham.”
Richard won Britain’s Got Talent as part of Collabro in 2014 and since 2016 he’s been a solo artist focusing on both classical music and jazz.
During lockdowns he tried to cheer up the nation with 100 days of online performances in ‘A song a day keeps corona away’, which included rugby favourites like Jerusalem and Land of Hope and Glory.’
Mikado after the match
“I played rugby at my school St Christopher’s in Hove and at Hurstpierpoint College. I loved it, absolutely loved it but I always sang as well," said the 28-year-old. "I remember playing against Bishopsgate and then going to appear as Nanki Poo in the Mikado with makeup covering my black eye!”
As a teenager he joined Harlequins Academy and played for South East Counties.
“Rugby was my first choice for a profession but there was a big difference between wanting to be a professional athlete and becoming one,” said the Old Streetonian player. “I had a real problem with shin splints and couldn’t train regularly enough.”
So, in his hometown of Brighton, he gathered all his courage and began busking, as his mum sat in a coffee shop nearby.
“I was shaking like a leaf the first time, but it certainly helped me when it came to containing nerves in front of live audiences,” he said. “My biggest problem in front of 82,000 at Twickenham will be trying not to cry!”
Despite dedicating himself to a career in music, Hadfield still finds the time to play for his local side.
80 minutes with Old Streets
“I’m still playing rugby because I absolutely adore it," said Hadfield. "It’s a big part of my life, playing with a bunch of friends, having each others’ backs, your role in the team, the whole camaraderie and family values. Being out there with Old Streets for 80 minutes is exhilarating."
“It’s a wonderful club which started as a bunch of creatives: artists, actors, journalists around Hackney," Hadfield said. "There were some very creative pieces in the Hackney Gazette, like the one that reached the nationals claiming we had a tai chi manager who wanted to move the pitch because the feng shui was wrong. Well, we were losing at the time!"
Passions are set to run high on the pitch but also in the stands as the singer made clear that it would be an emotional moment for his parents as much as himself.
"Mum and dad are flying over from their home in Spain and originally I only had the one ticket, but dad said he couldn’t come on his own; he needed mum to stop him getting emotional," said Hadfield. "The guys at the stadium said as it’s a family sport they would sort tickets for both of them."
