Billy Boston revalation

[Cheadle Leyther]

Phil Caplan on Forty Twenty has revealed that the death of Billy Boston was released to the media by the Welsh Rugby Union who intimated that he never played for Wales R.U. because he turned professional.

Phil rightly pulled them out over this as we all know it was because of the colour of his skin and he rightly called them the b word.

[tiffers]

What a sad state of affairs assuming that's all true...
Good on Phil Caplan for calling them out on it too.

Appalling. Abhorrent.

[Damien]

The WRU put this out on social media last week and almost everyone commenting called them out including many Welsh RU fans. This certainly wasn't a Phil Caplan thing.

[Hopie]

I wasn't overly surprised to see the BBC article say that Boston's (and other players') route to play for their home town club in Cardiff was blocked, but not explicitly say why. Even the video they put on the BBC sport website included a clip of Boston in the 90s saying he didn't "make the grade" at Cardiff, rather than something from the much more recent BBC Wales documentary showing what it used to mean to be a black rugby player in Wales, as if it was just a question of his skill that stopped him playing for them. 
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-league/videos/cx2mejl53g8o

Revisionism around racism is just what I associate with Rugby Union. 

[Padge]

In an interview with Mike Latham on radio Lancashire, to celebrate Billy's 70th birthday he was asked by Lathom about when he came to Wigan, which had a practically zero coloured population, and did he experience any prejudice. He said that the only time he experienced anything was when he went to watch a game at Wigan Rugby Union, they wouldn't let him in.

[Fevrover]

Just now, Padge said:

In an interview with Mike Latham on radio Lancashire, to celebrate Billy's 70th birthday he was asked by Lathom about when he came to Wigan, which had a practically zero coloured population, and did he experience any prejudice. He said that the only time he experienced anything was when he went to watch a game at Wigan Rugby Union, they wouldn't let him in.

Shocking - their loss.

[StandOffHalf]

2 hours ago, Padge said:

In an interview with Mike Latham on radio Lancashire, to celebrate Billy's 70th birthday he was asked by Lathom about when he came to Wigan, which had a practically zero coloured population, and did he experience any prejudice. He said that the only time he experienced anything was when he went to watch a game at Wigan Rugby Union, they wouldn't let him in.

Don't think I'm defending RU, but could that have been because he had switched and become professional?

[BadlyOverdrawnBoy]

2 hours ago, Padge said:

he went to watch a game at Wigan Rugby Union, they wouldn't let him in.

To be fair to Wigan RU, if they had let him in they would probably have faced sanctions from RU HQ in those days.

I knew lots of union players then who were league fans.

[Cheadle Leyther]

4 hours ago, Damien said:

The WRU put this out on social media last week and almost everyone commenting called them out including many Welsh RU fans. This certainly wasn't a Phil Caplan thing.

Well it’s the first time I had heard about it and am sure for most people on this forum l listen to as many podcasts as I can and it is the first time I had heard of it.

[M j M]

4 hours ago, Damien said:

The WRU put this out on social media last week and almost everyone commenting called them out including many Welsh RU fans. This certainly wasn't a Phil Caplan thing.

I can't bear to listen to that awful channel so I'll never know if he was claiming it as something he had done. But yeah plenty of people were into the WRU straight away about their choice of words. 

Edited September 1 by M j M

[Worzel]

4 hours ago, Padge said:

In an interview with Mike Latham on radio Lancashire, to celebrate Billy's 70th birthday he was asked by Lathom about when he came to Wigan, which had a practically zero coloured population, and did he experience any prejudice. He said that the only time he experienced anything was when he went to watch a game at Wigan Rugby Union, they wouldn't let him in.

That might not be Wigan RU's fault though - who knows that the RFU would have done to them, or their players, if they had let him in? Think that's a professionlism thing rather than a race thing. Still atrocious, but might not be a reflection of how the local Union players or people around that club really felt themselves. 

[ELBOWSEYE]

1 hour ago, Worzel said:

That might not be Wigan RU's fault though - who knows that the RFU would have done to them, or their players, if they had let him in? Think that's a professionlism thing rather than a race thing. Still atrocious, but might not be a reflection of how the local Union players or people around that club really felt themselves. 

It was was Wigan RU fault, plenty of local league players went in union clubs and played for local union club's. I remember serving a ban in the northwest leagues around 79/80, my brother played for a local union team ,when I turned up every single player had played league at some stage( some were playing u18s  league on Sunday and union on Saturday. Maybe in Wales they would have treated him that way but not in wigan. Most people who play union in league towns watch the league side.

[Damien]

17 minutes ago, ELBOWSEYE said:

It was was Wigan RU fault, plenty of local league players went in union clubs and played for local union club's. I remember serving a ban in the northwest leagues around 79/80, my brother played for a local union team ,when I turned up every single player had played league at some stage( some were playing u18s  league on Sunday and union on Saturday. Maybe in Wales they would have treated him that way but not in wigan. Most people who play union in league towns watch the league side.

Yeah in League towns the application of any ban was always pretty lax because it had to be. Some quite famous RU names like Billy Beaumont often watched RL sides like Wigan.

[Coggo]

Two obvious holes in the WRU’s claim.

Firstly, Boston was selected for the then Ashes holders and soon-to-be World Cup-winning 1954 vintage Great Britain a mere six games into his rugby league career (and became their youngest ever tourist).

Secondly, the WRU didn’t pick a black player to represent Wales until 1983 (!).

In all probability, Billy Boston would’ve very likely Gone North like so many Welsh greats. But it’s strange how black players, repeatedly, barely got a look-in by Welsh clubs before doing so. 

[Worzel]

On 01/09/2026 at 15:51, ELBOWSEYE said:

It was was Wigan RU fault, plenty of local league players went in union clubs and played for local union club's. I remember serving a ban in the northwest leagues around 79/80, my brother played for a local union team ,when I turned up every single player had played league at some stage( some were playing u18s  league on Sunday and union on Saturday. Maybe in Wales they would have treated him that way but not in wigan. Most people who play union in league towns watch the league side.

Fair enough, you guys are local. That's even more appalling then. 

[Pie tries]

On 01/09/2026 at 12:16, BadlyOverdrawnBoy said:

To be fair to Wigan RU, if they had let him in they would probably have faced sanctions from RU HQ in those days.

I knew lots of union players then who were league fans.

Pathetic 

[Jinking Jimmy]

On 01/09/2026 at 14:09, Worzel said:

That might not be Wigan RU's fault though - who knows that the RFU would have done to them, or their players, if they had let him in? Think that's a professionlism thing rather than a race thing. Still atrocious, but might not be a reflection of how the local Union players or people around that club really felt themselves. 

I agree with you, Worzel. Professional rugby players were not officially allowed into rugby union clubhouses prior to 1995. Concerning Wigan RU; there was a time when there were certain individuals there who were very “ old school” and would have objected to even the great Billy Boston entering the clubhouse. In later years, prior to rugby union going professional, attitudes did change and Ken Gee, Joe Lydon and Mike Gregory were among those always made welcome.

Edited September 6 by Jinking Jimmy

[OMEGA]

Absolutely pathetic, petulant and infantile governance at all levels of Rugby Union in those days, are they really any better now!

All the more appalling because everyone knew their players were being rewarded for playing, if not with money then in other ways.

[tim2]

8 hours ago, Jinking Jimmy said:

I agree with you, Worzel. Professional rugby players were not officially allowed into rugby union clubhouses prior to 1995. 

And some amateur ones, depending on the club. 

[fieldofclothofgold]

On 01/09/2026 at 10:01, Padge said:

In an interview with Mike Latham on radio Lancashire, to celebrate Billy's 70th birthday he was asked by Lathom about when he came to Wigan, which had a practically zero coloured population, and did he experience any prejudice. He said that the only time he experienced anything was when he went to watch a game at Wigan Rugby Union, they wouldn't let him in.

Hmm