SPORTS
it’s a toff old game
Is rugby shedding its posh rep or will it always be a game for thugs played by gentlemen? Christian Adofo finds out It’s an archetypal drizzle-laden afternoon in the outer echelons of East London. Amidst the hubbub of commuters running for cover and local schoolchildren making a quick poultry pitstop at cheap chicken outlets named after Deep South states, a zealous collective of experienced sports coaches and eager players are giving rugby a long-awaited conversion. The historic surroundings of Abbey Green next to Barking town centre are an unlikely sanctuary for people trying to break down the class barriers of one of Britain’s poshest sports. Back in 666 AD (cryptic, huh?) Abbey Green was once part of one of England’s wealthiest religious establishments. In the 21st century, it’s a breeding ground for budding young rugby players in one of the host boroughs for the recent London 2012 games – Barking and Dagenham. This setting on the edge of London, where the roads are lined with electricity pylons rather than trees, is far removed from the usual lush home-counties training grounds in rugby’s wealthy hotbed. The stereotype of a game played primarily by the upper and middle classes is changing. Rugby union has been an intrinsic part of my life on and off the pitch for the last seven years, whether it was playing out wide in goose-pimple winds or working at Twickenham Stadium, the home of England rugby, during the annual autumn series against southern-hemisphere teams. My enthusiasm has never waned (despite my beloved Wasps narrowly avoiding relegation last season), but a question which forever plagued me as a player was why my teammates were mostly from private schools and the supporters wore garish pink chinos and gilets. The game in New Zealand, for example, is more representative, while in Wales it’s mainly working class. So why is it viewed as shorthand for over-privileged tweedy chaps and their Jack Wills-wearing girlfriends? The class divide can be traced back to the late 19th century, when the game’s middle-class exponents had an aloof attitude to working-class players and, more importantly, the notion of paying them a wage. This resulted in a split between the northern teams, whose players typically worked in mines and mills and couldn’t compete unpaid with their wealthier Southern counterparts. The northerners went on to create their own union, which laid the foundation for the game of rugby league. That schism was over a century ago, but it’s had a lasting impact – the union game still draws heavily from the private school system, which provides a stream of talent from club to international level.
Photos Roshni Hirani 21
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Words Christian Adofo 23
England’s 30-man squad for the Rugby World Cup in New Zealand last year were almost 70% privately educated and encouraging participation outside its elitist base has been a struggle. But a community scheme began in London two years ago is helping to breaking down traditional barriers and changing this stereotype.
SPORTS
The Hitz Programme is based in inner-city London estates and targets young people at risk of exclusion. It promotes rugby as an all-inclusive team sport, allowing people of various backgrounds to play alongside one another. With the summer holidays receding onto the horizon, most schoolchildren spend their time sitting indoors glued to a screen or doing laps of local shopping centres. But regardless of the inclement weather, rugby is the main attraction for the youngsters here. Max Milkin, a rugby development officer with North London-based Premiership side Saracens, leads us to the almost eerie setting of a small field with a hectic dual carriageway on one side and a refurbished theatre on the other, only a stone’s throw away from the bustle of the high street market. Two kitted-up teenagers sitting on a damp bench acknowledge Max and query whether training will survive the weather. He reassures them it will. Coaches Keith Hughes and Michael Finnegan amble down the road on cue, the latter greeted with cries of “Finnegan” by the participants, who recognise him from a recent edition of Sky Sports’ School Of Hard Knocks. Coach Keith, himself a real-life former player for Barking RFC, explains the Hitz scheme is almost like a version of School Of Hard Knocks – a series which uses the values of rugby (teamwork, respect and discipline) to give unemployed men some structure to their lives while also expanding the rugby union gene pool. “In no other regular sport will you find a bricklayer playing against a lawyer and that’s the beauty of rugby – it’s not class specific,” says Keith. “Across five boroughs in inner-city London we have weekly sessions and even if they stop playing rugby, they’ve got a work ethic and organisation from attending Hitz that’s inspired from the core values of the game, which can help them in life, especially in a working environment.” Since Hitz started two and a half years ago, the mixture of touch rugby and informal discussion engages about 300 kids weekly across the capital and the project’s rapid ascent recently led to Hitz being named the Best Community Programme at the Sports Industry Awards. It’s a prestigious accolade for an inspiring scheme that’s set to expand nationally from next season via Premiership clubs Bath in the West and Sale Sharks in the North. While Hitz wasn’t set up with the intention of providing a conveyor belt of playing talent, Keith explains that many youngsters are sufficiently enthused to join the junior setups at local clubs and move into coaching. Many are inspired by watching professional players from similar backgrounds on the TV screen. “When I
started out it was a very white middle-class game, says Keith. “But rugby is changing with greater diversity coming through. Courtney Lawes (originally from Hackney) is an example of someone from a similar background to these guys and he is a role model for England.” One youngster who’d agree with this assessment is Denzil Agyei, a tighthead prop from Tulse Hill who plays for the Harlequins school development team. Humble and hardworking, Agyei has hopes of following one role model from similar surroundings into the professional setup one day. “Darryl Marfo went to my school and plays for Harlequins as a prop now, too,” he observes. “Hopefully next year I’ll have a chance to enter the proper academy as well.” The 14-year-old has only played the game for two years but isn’t phased by posh teammates who’ve participated from an earlier age. “Some people at school make fun of me and say ‘You’re not gonna make it’, but I know why I’m doing this,” says Denzil. “It’s not a posh sport anymore but normal people from all walks of life don’t wanna get involved. They think football is the only sport out there.” Programmes such as the Hitz scheme and School Of Hard Knocks provide opportunities to engage communities and are gradually making rugby look more like its host nation. Rugby still has some way to go before it encourages participation on the scale of football, but the core values of the game should ensure more attraction at the grassroots level. And with the next World Cup set to be held on these isles in 2015, the fervour and passion generated by recent Olympics success stories can continue to leave a legacy for young people of all classes. And who knows? Maybe one day those kids at the chicken shop will be playing on the wing rather than tucking into those of a spicy variety.
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