3 Premiership clubs will take the knee this weekend, with huddles, V shapes, a heart shape and t-shirts also planned
English rugby’s Gallagher Premiership teams will show various forms of support this weekend after other sports recently joined in worldwide protests against racism following the May death in America of George Floyd.
Floyd died after a police officer knelt on his neck, sparking worldwide protests that were followed by English Premier League and Championship football clubs displaying their solidarity in a number of ways, including players and officials taking a knee before kick-off of every match during the reconvened season in June and July.
With the Gallagher Premiership now set to resume after a near 23-week lockdown due to the coronavirus pandemic, there had been speculation as to how the dozen clubs would approach the racism issue in this weekend’s restart fixtures.
Under the banner of Rugby Against Racism, it has now been confirmed that three Premiership clubs – Harlequins, Leicester and Wasps – will collectively take the knee prior to kick-off in their respective matches.
Bath have planned a huddle, Northampton a circle, Bristol will form a heart shape, Gloucester and Worcester will form V shapes, while London Irish, Sale and Saracens will wear special t-shirts in the build-up to their games. Table-toppers Exeter have also voiced their support of the campaign.
'As a black player, you get pigeon-holed. You’re either an athlete and you’ll get stuck on the wing or he’s big, let’s stick him in the second row' @Harlequins wing @natenate174 talks about gaining coaches' trust, his ACL, BLM & more, with @heagneyl ???https://t.co/qxaJxTQeXM
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) August 2, 2020
Speaking ahead of the round 14 fixtures which begin in London with the Friday night meeting of Harlequins and Sale, a Premiership Rugby statement read: “As rugby returns this weekend, it does so with added purpose and determination to tackle the major issues that sport and society are facing.
“Premiership Rugby today commits to making English professional club rugby a more diverse, welcoming and inclusive environment for our staff, players and fans while also supporting societal change.
“We are committed to building on our work through initiatives like Project Rugby to support black communities, as well as plans to further enhance work in LGBTQ+ rights, gender equality and to improve the access to our sport for those from low socio-economic groups and those with disabilities.
“For the start of each game in the first round of Gallagher Premiership Rugby, Premiership Rugby is proud to support our clubs and players as they show respect for black lives and racial equality. Time will be given before games to honour equality, under the banner of Rugby Against Racism.
“All of our clubs will be taking action this weekend to mark their commitment to racial equality. Some of those actions include: Bath will show their commitment to racial equality at the weekend, forming a huddle in unity shortly before kick-off.
“Bristol Bears will form a heart-shaped formation before kick-off, with the 23 players in the formation representing every player, staff member and supporter of the club. The club explains that the Bears culture is about ‘love for our teammates and love for our community’. They are honoured to represent a team and a city that is unique, diverse and multicultural. The Bears culture promotes equality and the club are fully in support of rugby against racism.
“Exeter Chiefs are proud to be part of a fully-inclusive sport that does not discriminate against race, colour or creed. Ahead of our restart fixture against Leicester Tigers at Sandy Park, the Chiefs will be showing their full support for Rugby Against Racism.
“Gloucester and Worcester Warriors will take the same approach for their match with both clubs supporting Rugby Against Racism and their players acknowledging the moment in a V. Harlequins will be supporting Black Lives Matter with the squad taking a knee.
"We will judge our success not on the wearing of a t-shirt"https://t.co/Km0b0lzIE2
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) August 12, 2020
“Leicester Tigers will take part in the competition-wide acknowledgement of Rugby Against Racism ahead of kick-off in Round 14. The matchday squad will, as one, take a knee during the period allocated ahead of the match getting underway.
“London Irish will show their commitment to racial equality when the Exiles travel to Bath this weekend. The players will wear Rugby Against Racism t-shirts in the pre-match warm-up, as well as showing their commitment shortly before kick-off at The Rec.
“The Northampton Saints squad will support Rugby Against Racism when they host Wasps this Sunday at Franklin’s Gardens. The 23-man matchday squad will wear t-shirts with the message. Prior to kick-off, the players will form a circle formation which they have chosen to signify the importance of inclusivity and togetherness for everyone in the game.
“Sale Sharks stand together in the face of all discrimination. To demonstrate this, the entire Sale Sharks matchday squad will be wearing Rugby Against Racism t-shirts when the team run out this weekend at the Twickenham Stoop.
“Saracens will show their commitment to racial equality. The players will wear Black Lives Matter t-shirts in the pre-match warm-up, as well as showing their commitment shortly before kick-off. Wasps will be supporting Black Lives Matter with the squad taking a knee.”
A working group comprising of black players from across the league, along with Ugo Monye and James Bailey, added: “Together, we the players stand united in the fight against racism, and we are proud to support the positive message that Black Lives Matter. We are not endorsing a political ideology. We are uniting as players to combat racial discrimination, in our sport and in society.”
In addition to Premiership Rugby endorsing the statement regarding racism from the working group comprising of black players, the league’s governing body have also committed to the following actions:
- Work to improve the representation of black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) players on the RFU level 3 coach education and referee course, along with mentoring opportunities from current DORs and match officials;
- Premiership Rugby staff and BAME players to be sponsored as candidates for Sporting Equals LeaderBoard programme to ensure there is a pipeline of board-ready candidates representative of society as a whole;
- Confirm the continuation of Project Rugby – which is run with England Rugby and Gallagher – to increase access to the sport for young people from a BAME background. In the last four years, 13,500 young people from BAME backgrounds have been introduced to the sport by Project Rugby;
- Review of recruitment practices and the measurement of protected characteristics in the staff and playing group, so that future progress can be appropriately tracked;
- Engage with BAME players to build protocols ensuring all our professional players feel safe and protected.
Premiership Rugby CEO Darren Childs said: “Improving inclusion is vital for the progress and popularity of our sport and there is an urgent need for change. I wholeheartedly support the measures set out in our Rugby Against Racism programme and will be making sure these measures underpin Premiership Rugby’s strategy to make a tangible positive difference in our sport and society.”
RPA CEO Damian Hopley added: “Positive dialogue is continuing with the aforementioned player group and we look forward to working closely with PRL, the clubs, RFU and other stakeholders to deliver tangible progress around opportunity, leadership and education.”
A familiar face will be absent this weekend https://t.co/JiA8EvL3EP
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) August 12, 2020
Comments on RugbyPass
Bell injured his foot didn’t he? Bring Tupou in he’ll deliver when it counts. Agree mostly but I would switch in the Reds number 8 Harry Wilson for Swinton and move Rob Valentini to 6 instead. Wilson is a clever player who reads the play, you can’t outmuscle the AB’s and Springboks, if you have any chance it’s by playing clever. Same goes for Paisami, he’s a little guy who doesn’t really trouble the likes of De Allende and Jordie Barrett. I’d rather play Carter Gordon at 12 and put Michael Lynagh’s boy at 10. That way you get a BMT type goalkicker at 10 and a playmaker at 12. Anyways, just my two cents as a Bok supporter.
13 Go to commentsThanks Brett, love your articles which are alway pertinent. It’s a difficult topic trying to have a panel adjudicating consistently penalties for red card issues. Many of the mitigating reasons raised are judged subjectively, hence the different outcomes. How to take away subjective opinions?
4 Go to commentsYes Sir! Surprising, just like Fraser would also have escaped sanction if he was a few inches lower, even if it was by accident that he missed! Has there really been talk about those sanctions or is this just sensational journalism? I stopped reading, so might have missed any notations.
4 Go to commentsAI is only as good as the information put in, the nuances of the sport, what you see out the corner of the eye, how you sum up in a split second the situation, yes the AI is a tool but will not help win games, more likely contribute to a loss, Rugby Players are not robots, all AI can do if offer a solution not the solution. AI will effect many sports, help train better golfers etc.
45 Go to commentsIt couldn’t have been Ryan Crotty. He wasn’t selected in either World Cup side - they chose Money Bill instead. And Money Bill only cared about himself, and that manager he had, not the team.
26 Go to commentsYawn 🥱 nobody would give a hoot about this new trophy. End of the day we just have to beat Ireland and NZ this year then they can finally shut up 🤐
13 Go to commentsTalking bout Ryan Crotty? Heard Crotty say in a interview once that SBW doesen't care about the team . He went on to say that whenever they lost a big game, SBW would be happy as if nothing happened, according to him someone who cares would look down.. Personally I think Crotty is in the wrong, not for feeling gutted but for expecting others 2 be like him… I have been a bad loser forever as it matters so much to me but good on you SBW for being able to see the bigger picture….
26 Go to commentsThis sounds like a WWE idea so Americans can also get excited about rugby, RUGBY NEEDS A INTERNATIONAL CALENDER .. The rugby Championship and Six Nations can be held at same time, top 3 of six nations and top 3 of Rugby championship (6 nations should include Georgia AND another qualifying country while Fiji, Japan and Samoa/Tonga qualifier should make out 6 Southern teams).. Scrap June internationals and year end tours. Have a Elite top six Cup and the Bottom 6 in a secondary comp….
13 Go to commentsThe rugby championship would be even stronger with Fiji in it… I know it doesen’t fit the long term plans of NZ or Aus but you are robbing a whole nation of being able to see their best players play for Fiji…. Every second player in NZ and AUS teams has Fijian surnames… shame on you!!! World rugby won’t step in either as France and England has now also joined in…. I guess where money is involved it will always be the poor countries missing out….
84 Go to commentsNo surprise there. How hard can it be to pick a ball off the ground and chuck it to a mate? 😂
2 Go to commentsSometimes people just like a moan mate!
4 Go to commentsexcellent idea ! rugby needs this 💪
13 Go to comments9 Brumbies! What a joke! The best performing team in Oz! Ditch Skelton for Swain or Neville. Ryan Lonergan ahead of McDermott any day! Best selection bolter is Toole … amazing player
13 Go to commentsI like this, but ultimately rugby already has enough trophies. Trying to make more games “consequential" might prove to be a fools errand, although this is a less bad idea than some others. Minor quibble with the title of the article; it isn’t very meaningful to say the boks are the unofficial world champions when it would be functionally impossible for the Raeburn trophy not to be held by the world champions. There’s a period of a few months every 4 years when there is no “unofficial” world champion, and the Raeburn trophy is held by the actual world champions.
13 Go to commentsIts a great idea but one that I dont think will have a lot of traction. It will depend on the prestige that they each hold but if you can do that it would be great. When Japan beat the Boks (my team) I was absolutely devestated but I wont deny the great game they played that day. We were outclassed and it was one of the best games of rugby I have seen. Using an idea like this you might just give the the underdog teams more of an opportunity to beat the big teams and I can absolutely see it being a brilliant display of rugby. They beat us because they planned for that game. It was a great moment for Japan. This way we can remove the 4 year wait and give teams something to aim for outside of World Cup years.
13 Go to commentsHi, Dave here. Happy to answer questions 🥰
13 Go to commentsDon’t think that headline is accurate. It’s great to see Aus doing better but I’m not sure they’ve shown much threat to the top of the table. They shouldn’t be inflating wins against the lousy Highlanders and Crusaders either.
3 Go to commentsSuch a shame Roigard and Aumua picked up long term injuries, probably the two form players in the comp. Also, pretty sure Clarke Dermody isn’t their coach. Got it half right though.
3 Go to commentsOh the Aussie media, they never learn. At least Andrew Kellaway is like “Woah, yeah it’s great, but settle down there guys” having endured years of the Aussie media, fans, and often their players getting ahead of themselves only to fall flat on their faces. Have the “We'll win the Bledisloe for sure this year!” headlines started yet? It’s simple to see what’s going on. The Aussie teams are settled, they didn't lose any of their major players overseas. The Crusaders and Chiefs lost key experienced All Blacks, and Razor in the Crusaders case, and clearly neither are anywhere near as strong as last year (The Canes and Blues would probably be 3rd & 4th if they were). The Highlanders are annually average, even more so post-Aaron Smith and a big squad clean out. The two teams at the top? The two nz sides with largely the same settled roster as last year, except Ardie Savea for the Canes. They’ve both got far better coaches now too. If the Aussies are going to win the title, this is the year the kiwi sides will be weakest, so they better take their chance.
3 Go to commentsThe World Cup has to be the gold standard, line in the sand. 113 teams compete for what is the opportunity to make the pool stages, and then the knockout games for the trophy. The concept is sound. This must have been the rationale when the World Cup was created, surely? But I’m all for Looking forward and finding new ways for the SH to dominate the NH into the future. The autumn series needs a change up. Let’s start by having the NH teams come south every odd year for the Autumn/Spring series games?
13 Go to comments