Richard Buckman, is a New Zealand

New Zealand

New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...

 rugby union

Rugby union

Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...

 player who plays for the Hurricanes in the Super 15s. His position is second five-eighth, but he can play anywhere in the backline.

Early life

Richard Buckman was born in Napier, New Zealand and went to Argyll School. In 2002 he was the Ross Shield player of the tournament. Buckman was not just a good rugby union player, he also played rugby league. In 2004 he was selected for the Central Districts Under 15 Rugby League side and was a standout player. He attended Napier Boys' High School

Napier Boys' High School

Napier Boys High School is a state secondary school on Chambers St, in Te Awa, Napier, New Zealand. It currently has a school roll of 1200 pupils.- Sport :...

 and was also a member of their first fifteen.

Rugby career

Buckman plays his club rugby for Napier Technical and was a member of the 2008 Magpies (Hawkes Bay) wider training squad. He made his debut off the bench for the Magpies against Otago

Otago Rugby Football Union

The Otago Rugby Football Union is the official governing body of rugby union for the Otago Region of New Zealand. The union is based in the city of Dunedin, and its home ground is Forsyth Barr Stadium. The top representative team competes in the ITM Cup, New Zealand's top provincial...

 at Carisbrook

Carisbrook

Carisbrook was a major sporting venue in Dunedin, New Zealand. The city's main domestic and international rugby union venue, it has also been used for other sports such as cricket, football, rugby league and motocross. Carisbrook has also hosted a Joe Cocker concert and frequently hosted pre-game...

. In 2009 he was named in the squad and got his first start against Southland. In 2011 he made his debut off the bench for the Hurricanes.

2009 season

Buckman came close to being selected for the New Zealand side for the Under-20 World Cup. He was named in the Magpies team and mainly used off the bench. He was selected for two starts, one against Southland at Rugby Park in Invercargill

Invercargill

Invercargill is the southernmost and westernmost city in New Zealand, and one of the southernmost cities in the world. It is the commercial centre of the Southland region. It lies in the heart of the wide expanse of the Southland Plains on the Oreti or New River some 18 km north of Bluff,...

 and the second in the semi-final against Canterbury at AMI Stadium in Christchurch

Christchurch

Christchurch is the largest city in the South Island of New Zealand, and the country's second-largest urban area after Auckland. It lies one third of the way down the South Island's east coast, just north of Banks Peninsula which itself, since 2006, lies within the formal limits of...

. Late in the 2009 season there was speculation that due to the departure of Crusader Casey Laulala

Casey Laulala

Casey Laulala is a New Zealand rugby union player.He attended Woodhouse Grove School in the sixth form on a scholarship.-Career:...

 Buckman was set to be selected for the Crusaders Super 14 squad, but he was not named in the team.

2011 season

In January 2011 Buckman was selected for the Hurricanes Super Rugby Wider Training Group, which provides back-up and injury cover for the full squad. He played in all but one of the Hurricanes Development Team games and was then called up to train with the full squad at the end of April. On 4 June he debuted off the bench as replacement for winger Hosea Gear

Hosea Gear

Hosea Gear is a New Zealand rugby union player. He plays for the Highlanders in the Super 15 competition as a wing. He has played six international matches for New Zealand and scored five tries...

 at the end of the match against the Lions at Westpac Stadium

Westpac Stadium

Westpac Stadium, is a major sporting venue in Wellington, New Zealand. Due to its shape and silver coloured external walls, it is colloquially known as The Cake-Tin to the locals and other New Zealanders...

 in Wellington

Wellington

Wellington is the capital city and third most populous urban area of New Zealand, although it is likely to have surpassed Christchurch due to the exodus following the Canterbury Earthquake. It is at the southwestern tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Rimutaka Range...

.