Rugby League statue in Wales (Merged Threads)

[Pie tries]

Great to see the code breakers statues in Tiger Bay, Cardiff. Big Jim Mills did his friend BB proud.

WRU should acknowledge and apologise for its past racism, they won’t, their carpet too big and values too small.

Now Wigan’s stadium is under one owner the statue in Wigan town centre should be moved to the stadium.
The BB stand should return too…

Edited July 22, 2023 by Pie tries

[Wolford6]

8 hours ago, Pie tries said:

Now Wigan’s stadium is under one owner the statue should be moved to it from the town centre. The BB stand should return too…

You're a bit free with Welsh peoples' money there. Build your own statue.

This is quite a good article from the Western Mail. Even though they got got Gus Risman's ancestry wrong ... he wasn't black, his father was Latvian.

 

https://www.walesonline.co.uk/sport/rugby/rugby-news/giant-statue-three-welsh-rugby-27353769

[Man of Kent]

Hats off to them for commemorating three who went North. Times have changed. 

[Ned Smiley]

12 minutes ago, Wolford6 said:

You're a bit free with Welsh peoples' money there. Build your own statue.

This is quite a good article from the Western Mail. Even though they got got Gus Risman's ancestry wrong ... he wasn't black, his father was Latvian.

 

https://www.walesonline.co.uk/sport/rugby/rugby-news/giant-statue-three-welsh-rugby-27353769

I think he means the BB statue in Wigan

[Wolford6]

4 minutes ago, Ned Smiley said:

I think he means the BB statue in Wigan

Apologies all round.

Big shout out to Caroline Hitt for her fantastic documentary on the issue.

[sam4731]

Slightly annoying that the BBC article seems very reluctant to acknowledge them as league players, instead choosing to constantly mentioning the fact that they are 'rugby' players.

[Human Punk]

There was a good bit about it on the ITN news last night, plenty of acknowledgement of their RL history. Great to see the statue unveiled.

[The Future is League]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/wales/66248935

[Chronicler of Chiswick]

Brilliant!

[fighting irish]

Hear hear! 

[Wolford6]

5 hours ago, The Future is League said:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/wales/66248935

Though a cousin of Johnny Freeman, British and Commonwealth Boxing Champion Joe Erskine wasn't black He was Jewish.

He was in charge of the bouncers at Cleopatras nightclub in Newport when I was a teenager.

There was huge racial mix in Cardiff ... e.g. longstanding Egyptian and Yemeni communities and the listed Norwegian Church.

 

[The Future is League]

6 hours ago, Human Punk said:

There was a good bit about it on the ITN news last night, plenty of acknowledgement of their RL history. Great to see the statue unveiled.

That's where i first heard about it

[Pie tries]

12 hours ago, Ned Smiley said:

I think he means the BB statue in Wigan

I do - apologies…

[JohnM]

18 hours ago, sam4731 said:

Slightly annoying that the BBC article seems very reluctant to acknowledge them as league players, instead choosing to constantly mentioning the fact that they are 'rugby' players.

Immediately under the headline:

"Three of the greatest rugby league players in history – Billy Boston, Gus Risman and Clive Sullivan - have been honoured for their achievements in the sport."

Edited July 21, 2023 by JohnM

[Nate90]

Brilliant to see them finally get recognition in Cardiff

[sam4731]

6 hours ago, JohnM said:

Immediately under the headline:

"Three of the greatest rugby league players in history – Billy Boston, Gus Risman and Clive Sullivan - have been honoured for their achievements in the sport."

I'm not disputing the fact that they do mention rugby league, I'm just saying that the theme of the article seems to be that they are the first statues of rugby players in Wales which gives the wrong impression to the casual reader.

[Hopping Mad]

On 20/07/2023 at 07:44, Man of Kent said:

Hats off to them for commemorating three who went North. Times have changed. 

Still a lot of ignorance (and prejudice), I fear. A couple of years ago, while cycling along the canal towards Brecon, I got talking to a couple who turned out to be Neath RU fans. Carolyn Hitt's 'codebreakers' documentary had been a revelation to them. The bloke said: "As far as we were concerned, when Welsh players left for rugby league, they might as well have died. We never gave them another moment's thought."

Edited July 22, 2023 by Hopping Mad

[burnleywelsh]

5 hours ago, Hopping Mad said:

Still a lot of ignorance (and prejudice), I fear. A couple of years ago, while cycling along the canal towards Brecon, I got talking to a couple who turned out to be Neath RU fans. Carolyn Hitt's 'codebreakers' documentary had been a revelation to them. The bloke said: "As far as we were concerned, when Welsh players left for rugby league, they might as well have died. We never gave them another moment's thought."

Not all Welsh ‘rugby’ followers thought that. Their new careers were followed closely by many. I remember the 1995 World Cup. Packed out in Swansea and thousands travelled to Old Trafford for the semi final.

[Damien]

12 hours ago, burnleywelsh said:

Not all Welsh ‘rugby’ followers thought that. Their new careers were followed closely by many. I remember the 1995 World Cup. Packed out in Swansea and thousands travelled to Old Trafford for the semi final.

10,000 wasn't it who travelled to Old Trafford

[Pen-Y-Bont Crusader]

On 21/07/2023 at 09:30, sam4731 said:

I'm not disputing the fact that they do mention rugby league, I'm just saying that the theme of the article seems to be that they are the first statues of rugby players in Wales which gives the wrong impression to the casual reader.

BBC Wales news had is at the headline story and Lucy Owen the presenter referred to them throughout the piece as rugby players not rugby League players. 

[Boyny]

Does anyone know who are all the other players names around the statue?

[Jean de Bordeaux]

3 hours ago, Boyny said:

Does anyone know who are all the other players names around the statue?

On the photo , I can see plates with "Roy Francis", "Jim Sullivan" , and I assume Jim Mills, who was here...

[Pen-Y-Bont Crusader]

One thing wrl hopefully will be pushing is the educational aspect of this. The new curriculum for wales that HAS to be implemented from September also HAS to focus on diversity in wales. I know there is a parallel educational aspect to the statue unveiling which hopefully schools get into across wales and not just in Cardiff.