Rugby league’s long history of racial diversity | Letters

16 August 2019 03:19
David Hinchliffe points out that the league code is years ahead of rugby union when it comes to the inclusion of black and mixed-race players, while Bill Tordoff points out that it’s in a different class from union tooI am not sure whether I was amused or saddened to read of Ugo Monye’s “pride” in the selection of an ethnically diverse England rugby union squad (Britain sees rugby as a white, middle-class sport. This squad can change that for good, 15 August), but it very much reinforced my pride in being firmly of the other code.Growing up watching rugby league from the late 1950s, seeing black and mixed-race players in both domestic and international matches was genuinely nothing unusual. Cec Thompson, whose father came from Trinidad, played for Great Britain as far back as 1951, and over the years I have had the privilege of seeing the likes of Billy Boston, Johnny Freeman, Colin Dixon, Henderson Gill, Des Drummond and many more representing the country, including, of course, Ellery Hanley. Continue readingread full article

Source: TheGuardian