From Pitch to Peak: Richard ‘Juggler’ Austin Honoured for a Lifetime of Service to Rugby
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There are rugby players who give the game everything they have, and then there are those who give the game far more. Richard Austin – known universally in rugby circles as 'Juggler' – belongs firmly in the second category. A capped England international, tireless charity fundraiser, organiser, administrator and mountaineer, Austin's decades of passionate dedication to the sport and its people have been given formal recognition with an MBE in the 2026 New Year Honours List.
“I'm extremely humbled and what a wonderful accolade for what I've done in rugby and for charity”, Austin told England Rugby. “The work I've put in over 30 years has been from the heart and it's been passion. Sometimes going to bed at night, putting your head on the pillow, you're still thinking of how you can raise money, how can you make someone else's life better.”
It is a fitting reflection of a man who has rarely been in rugby's spotlight, yet has shaped it from within for the better part of his adult life.
Austin's involvement in the game began like many others, as an 11-year-old schoolboy who fell in love with rugby. He went on to play for Barnet, Saracens, Finchley and Old Brentwoods RFC. His greatest playing honour came in representing his country: 'Juggler' is a capped England International, having represented England Deaf Rugby Union. His connection to the Deaf Rugby community deepened long after his playing days: after retiring in 2014, he went on to serve as Secretary before becoming the team's President in 2024.
Austin devoted himself to the administrative backbone of the game. In 2008 he joined the committee of Essex County RFU and was instrumental in running the “Essex Bishops XV” Vets Charity side. In 2016–18 he was appointed President of the Essex Constituent Body and continues to support the county as a Past-President, with charity always being promoted.
His fundraising record is remarkable in its breadth and ambition. Among his most celebrated endeavours was the 2013 'Ruggerthon' challenge: a four-day, 26-match rugby challenge inspired by the 26-mile distance of a regular marathon. This saw Richard and various others play matches across the country, starting in Edinburgh and ending at the Allianz Stadium. The challenge raised more than £25,000 for the Injured Players Foundation, an official charity of England Rugby.
But perhaps his most physically demanding feat in service of charity came more recently, when Austin joined a group of fundraisers to climb Mount Toubkal in Morocco for The Atlas Foundation, the children's charity founded by World Cup winner Jason Leonard. Mount Toubkal is the highest peak in North Africa, with a summit standing 4,167 metres above sea level. For a man more accustomed to flat pitches than mountain trails, the ascent tested him to his very limits.
“Doing the climb was the hardest thing I've ever done and I knew I had people that had pledged money to me to support this cause. As we were climbing, there were three times I wanted to give up, but all I kept on thinking in the back of my mind was, 'what you're doing is for other people'”, he told England Rugby.
The summit, when it came, meant everything. “When I got to the top of that mountain, for me as an individual, it was a lot. It taught me to push myself harder. To get the recognition of an MBE for my work, that to me was accredited to that final stage”, he says. HRH Princess Royal presented his award on 9th June at Windsor Castle.
He told Arena, “Masonry has taught me to always think of others and provide for those in poor and distressed circumstances. There have been many times when I have put charity and the needs of others first, before my family. Thankfully, I hope that I have been a loyal husband to Rachel, caring father to Jessica, Toby and Maddy and coupled with being a great provider to them all, which hopefully makes up for it when I am not around.”
Austin was initiated into Freemasonry on 19th June 1991 and therefore has now been in the Craft 35 years. He was also Exalted on 6th October 1994. He says “I was Initiated into Camden Lodge No 704 by W Bro Ivan Kraven SLGR, who was my Proposer. He also Passed, Raised, Installed and Exalted me. It is to him who I owe a great part of the way I conduct myself in life, coupled with that of my late uncle, Bro Frank Keylock BEM, who I always looked up to for his style and demeanour. My late father John Austin was not a Freemason (but would have made a good one!): his guidance and wisdom has also shaped me into the man I am today.”
Austin has been the Master of Camden Lodge No 704, St Marylebone Borough Council Lodge No 4283, Lodge of XV No 9944, Goodwill No 5397 and – unsurprisingly – the London Rugby Lodge No 857.
In 2023 he was elevated to London Grand Rank and in 2024-25 was the Met Grand Pursuivant. He has also been an EO and currently since 2024, a VO. In Camden Chapter No 704 he is currently MEZ, an office he also held from 2021-2024 (he says he was allowed 2025 off!)
The Atlas Foundation works across 19 countries, using the power of rugby to support children's health and education in some of the world's most deprived communities. Austin has been an ambassador for the charity since its early days, and the Toubkal climb was a characteristically wholehearted act of commitment to its mission.
He has also been a driving force behind the Commons and Lords RUFC, the all-party Parliamentary rugby club – handling the unglamorous but essential work of organisation and administration. That contribution has drawn warm praise from those who see it up close. “It's the organisation, that's the difficult bit. Ask anyone, all the secretaries, treasurers, chairs of rugby clubs, that is the difficult stuff. He is a natural organiser, a person who can handle committees without screaming too loudly”, says Lord Addington, who captains the side.
Throughout it all, Austin has remained characteristically modest about the sacrifices involved. “At times I have put charity and rugby before the family because I've always wanted to do good for others”, he admits. From a schoolboy lacing up his boots for the first time, to a capped international, to a charity mountain-climber standing on top of North Africa's highest peak, Richard 'Juggler' Austin can now top that with an MBE.
This article is part of Arena Magazine Issue 61 – Summer 2026.
Arena Magazine is the official online magazine of the London Freemasons – Metropolitan Grand Lodge and Metropolitan Grand Chapter of London.
Read more articles in Arena Issue 61 here.
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