Richards parted company on bad terms with some Leicester officials

Richards was axed as Leicester director of rugby in February after 23 years at the club as player and coach.

"It wasn't an amicable split at all - quite the opposite really," he told BBC Radio Leicester.

"It would be fair to say that there would be some people there who I would not be speaking to very much in the future," added Richards.

"But other than that I've got a lot of friends down at Leicester who I have got a lot of time for."

Richards will coach Grenoble next season and he admitted it would be quite a culture shock working in France.

Taking over at Grenoble is quite a big challenge Ex-Tigers boss Dean Richards

"It's a slightly different kettle of fish altogether being a coach over in France because they have a slightly warped view on the way the game is played and also how it's run," said Richards.

"But I'm not saying that in a derogatory way at all. It's quite a nice view they have of the game.

"The culture is totally different - there's loads of things you have to take into account.

"But it's all about the family - Grenoble is a lovely spot. The nearest ski resort is 15-20 minutes away, so the kids will have a whale of a time.