Rugby Has Benefitted From Ill-Gotten Gains

Rugby, the winter sport of choice of many middle and upper-class white males from the moment William Webb Ellis picked up the ball and ran in 1823, has often had to grapple with the big issues in society, not least those concerning the old British Empire.

- Brendan Gallagher

For many decades it was alas the wrong side of the apartheid debate, maintaining close sporting relations with old friends in South Africa and providing succor to their hateful regime. It is a stain on rugby’s history although the sport then went a long way to redeeming itself with the triumphant staging of RWC1995 and the glorious nation defining events that ensued.

During this last week, other uncomfortable aspects of rugby’s heritage have reared their head and we should not bury ours in the sand. It’s largely been a tale of two statues.

Those of you watching the dramatic ripping down of Edward Colston’s statue in Bristol last week may have recognized the name in a rugby context without being aware of his infamy.

It was Colston, the richest and most ruthless of all the slave traders, who founded Colston’s College in 1710 on the proceeds of his monstrous business, and in modern days Colston’s have been among the strongest rugby-playing schools in Britain.

Colston’s won the Daily Mail U18 Cup on seven occasions including six in a row between 1995 and 2000. Over 50 old boys have played top tier rugby including the likes of Callum Braley, Jake Polledri, Olly Barkley, Jordan Crane, Shane Geraghty, Lee Mears, Tom Varndell and England women’s center Amber Reed.