We need to nip racism in the bud
BIGOTS ARE NOT RIFE IN OUR SPORT SAYS SKIPPER
ENGLAND captain Courtney Lawes admitted he was stunned by Luther Burrell’s allegations of racism in rugby union but insists it is not the only problem the sport has to tackle.
Lawes, who leads Eddie Jones’ side against Australia in Perth today, is a close friend of former Northampton team-mate Burrell, who recently revealed he has been the target of racists during his career.
Lawes, 33, who has a Jamaican father and English mother, says he was the victim of bigots once – when he was a teenager at Saints – but has largely escaped such treatment.
The forward, who said he will be in touch with Newcastle centre Burrell after this tour, is convinced racism is not rampant, despite similar concerns raised by England prop Ellis Genge, but agrees it is important to stamp it out quickly should it rears its head.
“I’ve only been at Saints and the only time I’ve ever experienced racism there was when I was 16, coming through the academy,” said Lawes. “Since then, honestly, it’s just not even thought about at the club.
“I read the article and I was shocked about the stuff that’s been said to Luther because at most clubs it just wouldn’t be accepted, that kind of stuff. It’s not even a joke, it’s way beyond that.
“I’m feeling for him and I’m not sure what’s going on up there, but it’s absolutely not acceptable. I’m with Ellis Genge – the person or people who are doing that need to be outed, because it’s just not acceptable in our game.
“I haven’t heard of many players going through that. It’s not happening everywhere, which is a good thing.
“We need to squash this. We need to find out what is happening and if it’s happening at any other clubs. We need to get it sorted.”
Lawes was born in Hackney before moving to Northampton as a toddler and admits he only started playing rugby because of the school he went to – which is a massive headache for the sport.
“I think class is the main thing,” he said. “It’s just about getting the opportunities for kids from working-class backgrounds.
“If I hadn’t gone to Northampton School for Boys, I would never have played rugby. So I got lucky, and it’s probably the same for Gengey and a few other boys who come from backgrounds which are not full of wealth.
“It’s about making the game accessible for everyone and, if you do that, you will see lots of different kinds of people and different colours of people playing the game.
“We want rugby to be the best version of rugby that it can possibly be.
“And that’s why I was surprised that, at any club, any colour of player would accept that kind of behaviour. From my experience at Saints, it would be pulled up by the team.” Lawes has retained the England captaincy for the trip Down Under at the expense of Saracens star Owen Farrell, but the pair have got their heads together to find a plan to beat the Aussies – again.
“I’ve been working very closely with Owen,” said Lawes, who was – along with Farrell and Burrell – part of the squad who whitewashed Australia in 2016. “That first conversation was absolutely fine, as I knew it would be.
“We work so well together – we’re almost polar opposites but in a good way.”