| Richard Bolton | |
| Fullname: | Richard Keith Bolton |
| Birth Date: | 4 June 1943 |
| Birth Place: | New Zealand |
| Death Place: | New Zealand |
| Club1: | Unknown (ARL) |
| Teama: | Auckland |
| Teamb: | New Zealand |
| Yearbstart: | 1972 |
| Appearancesb: | 1 |
| Triesb: | 0 |
| Goalsb: | 0 |
| Fieldgoalsb: | 0 |
| Pointsb: | 0 |
| Teamc: | New Zealand Māori |
| Yearcstart: | 1973 |
| Yearcend: | 75 |
| Teamd: | New Zealand rep |
| Coachteama: | New Zealand Māori |
| Coachyearastart: | 1986 |
| Coachyearaend: | 88 |
| Coachteamb: | Waikato |
| Coachyearbstart: | 1987 |
| Coachyearbend: | 88 |
| Source: | [1] |
| New: | yes |
Richard Keith Bolton (4 June 1943 – 13 May 2024) was a New Zealand rugby league footballer, manager, and coach who represented New Zealand.[1]
Bolton was an Auckland representative and played in one Test match for the New Zealand national rugby league team, the second Test against Australia in 1972.[2] He captained the New Zealand Māori side which won the 1975 Pacific Cup.[1] [3]
After retirement Bolton turned to coaching. He coached the New Zealand Māori side to wins in the 1986 and 1988 Pacific Cups, and also coached Waikato in 1987 and 1988.[4] [5] During this time, Bolton also served on the New Zealand Māori Rugby League board between 1983 and 1984.[3] He later served as trainer of the 1990 New Zealand Māori side.[6]
Bolton served as the manager of the New Zealand national rugby league team in 1992 and 1993 under coach Howie Tamati.[7]
In 1994, Bolton was employed by the New Zealand Rugby League as the national development officer. In this role, he is credited with establishing the national secondary schools competition.[8] He retired from this role in 1997,[9] but returned to the position in 2002 and also managed the Junior Kiwis in 2005.[10] [11] In 2009, he was the Auckland Rugby League's deputy chairman.[12]
Bolton died on 13 May 2024, at the age of 80.[13]