Huw Richards is qualified to play for either Wales or England and was only prevented from doing so by being slow, short-sighted, averse to pain and lacking in any compensating talent. Denied sporting success he became a journalist and, after contributing to the demise of several short-lived rugby magazines, was the FT's rugby writer between 1995 and 2009 and currently writes for the International Herald Tribune and the Sunday Herald.

He has reported nearly 300 international matches, including all six World Cups. He co-wrote Robert Jones's autobiography and analysis of the Welsh game Raising the Dragon and is also the author of Dragons and All Blacks, which was short-listed for the William Hill prize and A Game for Hooligans: The History of Rugby Union. His latest book The Red and the White, a history of the England-Wales match, was published in 2009.

He lives in Walthamstow, writes on cricket for the International Herald Tribune and his other enthusiasms include Swansea City FC and rugby league.