Robert Hiller (born 14 October 1942) is a former

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

international

rugby union player Rugby union, commonly known simply as rugby, is a close-contact team sport that originated at Rugby School in the first half of the 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand. In its m ...

. Hiller was England's first choice fullback between 1968 and 1972. He made his England debut against

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the Wales–England border, east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the ...

Twickenham Twickenham is a suburban district in London, England. It is situated on the River Thames southwest of Charing Cross. Historically part of Middlesex, it has formed part of the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames since 1965, and the boroug ...

on 20 January 1968 and won the last of his 19 caps against

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

at Twickenham on 12 February 1972. He captained England in seven internationals and scored 138 points, an England record at the time of his retirement which has subsequently been beaten. Hiller fell out with the rugby authorities on numerous occasions. He was dropped three times: in 1970 against France, even though he had been appointed captain at the start of the season, and England were thrashed, and he was immediately reinstated; in 1971 when he was left out against Wales; and in 1972 when he had already decided to retire at the end of the season. He made two tours with the

British and Irish Lions The British & Irish Lions is a rugby union team selected from players eligible for the national teams of England, Ireland, Scotland, and Wales. The Lions are a test side and most often select players who have already played for their national ...

- to South Africa in 1968 and to New Zealand in 1971 although he played in no international matches for the Lions. He played club rugby for

Harlequin F.C. Harlequins (officially Harlequin Football Club) is a professional rugby union club that plays in Premiership Rugby, the top level of English rugby union. Their home ground is the Twickenham Stoop, located in Twickenham, south-west London. Foun ...

In 1966, while he was studying at

St Edmund Hall, Oxford St Edmund Hall (sometimes known as The Hall or informally as Teddy Hall) is a constituent college of the University of Oxford. The college claims to be "the oldest surviving academic society to house and educate undergraduates in any university ...

, before he began his international rugby career, Hiller played eight

first-class cricket First-class cricket, along with List A cricket and Twenty20 cricket, is one of the highest-standard forms of cricket. A first-class match is one of three or more days' scheduled duration between two sides of eleven players each and is officiall ...

matches for the

Oxford University Cricket Club Oxford University Cricket Club (OUCC), which represents the University of Oxford, has always held first-class status since 1827 when it made its debut in the inaugural University Match between OUCC and Cambridge University Cricket Club (CUCC). ...

. He took 17 wickets, at an average of 29.05, and won his cricket

blue Blue is one of the three primary colours in the RYB colour model (traditional colour theory), as well as in the RGB (additive) colour model. It lies between violet and cyan on the spectrum of visible light. The eye perceives blue when obs ...

. He later taught at Bec Grammar School in Tooting, London, where he had been a pupil. From 1978 until his retirement, he taught mathematics at

King's College School King's College School, also known as Wimbledon, KCS, King's and KCS Wimbledon, is a public school in Wimbledon, southwest London, England. The school was founded in 1829 by King George IV, as the junior department of King's College London an ...

, Wimbledon.Old King's Club Newsletter 120, p.11, 2014
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References

External links

Lions profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hiller, Bob 1942 births Living people Alumni of St Edmund Hall, Oxford English rugby union players British & Irish Lions rugby union players from England England international rugby union players Rugby union fullbacks English cricketers Oxford University cricketers Harlequin F.C. players Rugby union players from Woking Surrey RFU players