Danny Richardson (rugby league)

Danny Richardson (born September 2, 1996) is an English professional rugby league footballer who plays as a or  for Hull Kingston Rovers in the Super League, on a season-long loan from the Castleford Tigers. He has also played for the England Knights at international level.

He has previously played for St Helens in the Super League, and has spent time on dual registration from the Saints at the Sheffield Eagles and the Leigh Centurions in the Championship.

Background
Richardson was born in Widnes, Cheshire, England.

Richardson played junior rugby league for Widnes Moorfield and Halton Farnworth Hornets. He initially signed for the Widnes Vikings academy system, before joining the St Helens scholarship side aged 16.

On 25 September 2016, Richardson was named Man of the Match for his performance in the Academy Grand Final victory against Wigan.

St Helens
On 9 February 2017, Richardson made his Super League début for St Helens (Heritage № 1234) against the Leeds Rhinos. In October 2017, he signed a new three-year deal at St Helens, with the option of a further year.

Richardson was ever-present for the Saints in 2018, making 34 appearances and scoring 6 tries, 147 goals and 7 drop goals. His outstanding personal season saw him named in the 2018 Super League Dream Team.

Sheffield Eagles (dual registration)
In July 2017, having featured just four times in his first season at professional level, Richardson played for Championship outfit Sheffield Eagles through their new dual registration deal with St Helens. In his only appearance, he scored a try and converted seven goals.

Leigh Centurions (dual registration)
Richardson made 6 appearances for the Leigh Centurions in the Championship at the beginning of the 2019 season, kicking 9 goals.

Castleford Tigers
In October 2019, the Castleford Tigers announced the signing of Richardson on a three-year deal. He arrived following the departure of Luke Gale, to partner Jake Trueman in the halves. Head coach Daryl Powell said, "He has a sharp rugby mind alongside his ability to kick the ball in a special way both for goal and tactically."

Richardson made his Castleford debut on 2 February 2020 against the Toronto Wolfpack, converting four goals. He scored his first try for the Tigers against Hull Kingston Rovers on 27 February, for an individual haul of 16 points. Richardson made a total of 16 appearances throughout the Covid-disrupted season, scoring 2 tries, 54 goals and 1 drop goal.

In round 19 of the 2022 season, Richardson scored a try, kicked five goals and one drop goal in Castleford's 35-22 victory over the Warrington Wolves. On 9 August 2022, Richardson signed a two-year contract extension to remain at Castleford until the end of the 2024 season. Weeks later, however, he sustained a torn ACL and MCL against the Salford Red Devils. This serious injury caused him to miss the remainder of 2022, as well as the entire 2023 season.

After 18 months on the sidelines, Richardson returned to training for 2024 pre-season. He made his competitive return in round 1 against the Wigan Warriors, kicking two penalty goals.

Hull Kingston Rovers (loan)
On 9 May 2024, Super League club Hull Kingston Rovers announced that they had signed Richardson on a year-long loan deal.

International career
In July 2018 he was selected in the England Knights Performance squad.

In 2019 he was selected for the England Knights against Jamaica at Headingley Rugby Stadium.