Swing Low was song of tribute to black star

THE RFU stand accused of many crass decisions and incompetencies over the decades but they really do not have to get their knickers in a twist about England fans adopting Swing Low, Sweet Chariot

as their team’s song, a process which started back in the late 80s.

Swing Low is a long standing negro spritual anthem written by a freed slave Wallis Willis in 1865. It was one of the go to songs for the Civil Rights movement in the 1960s – often sung in unison by black and white protestors together. Joan Baez often used it as a show ender at her Civil Rights gigs and it is puzzling that some are now claiming it is racist and politically unsound.

It’s morphing into a rugby anthem is a bit random but not at all sinister. With a catchy tune and easy to remember lyrics it was always a contender and it started to become a clubhouse staple in the 1970s.

Dare I suggest it was probably introduced by the ‘long haired university lefties’ returing to their home clubs, the same crowd who were stalwarts of the Civil Rights and anti-apartheid protest marches? They would have been word perfect.

Rugby added some hand actions to accompany the song, one of them rather crude. Well that’s what rugby does! Off the back of that it became THE song at the Middlesex Sevens in the 70s and early 80s. A sort of precursor to the cursed Sweet Caroline.

All of which leads up to the day in 1988 when flying machine Chris Oti became the first black player to represent England in 80 years when he made his debut against Ireland. What’s more he inspired a glorious second half revival with a superb hat-trick.

The delirious Twickenham crowd wanted to show solidarity on the delicate race issue to their new hero and Swing Low was what they instinctively came up with. A cherished Civil Rights song, written by a freed slave for a new ‘black’ hero sung by an almost totally white crowd. Frankly the Twickenham faithful that day were decades ahead of the game.