A pint with the poshos at Twickenham
Out and about with rugby’s social elite
In 1823 during a football game at Rugby School, a young man – William Webb Ellis – picked up the ball and ran. Rugby was invented, creating a much-maligned public school culture that the sport is still trying to break away from 192 years later.
Sadly, as England kick off their 2015 World Cup campaign, the relationship between rugger and social class appears to be still very strong: a whopping 61% of professional egg-chasers admit to being privately educated, compared to just 6% of footballers.
Donning my very smartest Matalan shirt and armed with a £5 pint, I negotiated my way through a plethora of Peroni-sipping, gillet-wearing gents at Twickenham’s classiest drinking establishments and Marlborough-smoking, iPhone-wielding ladies at Richmond’s World Cup Fan Park to hear what they had to say.
Nick, 24, Surgeon & Helen, Banker
“Rugby is a quintessentially English sport, you can’t beat it, can you? Of course it’s posh and rightly so, that’s what makes the game so brilliant.”
“I played rugger at boarding school, but to be honest, so long as the best players represent England, I don’t care about their background that much. It’s different with the fans, however. Football attracts yobs whereas rugby attracts a different class of person.”
Ben, 21, Student
“I’ve always played rugby and yes it is posh, although tonight’s public Fan Park is a good way of introducing new supporters. At the end of the day though, being posh is just the way rugby is.”
Sue, School Administration Worker
“It is lovely to see such inclusive events being hosted during the World Cup so that anyone can get involved with rugby, however, the game is still synonymous with privilege and social class.”
“Rugby fans are upstanding, welcoming and communal. Football fans are fundamentally tribal people who could never truly fit into a rugby crowd.”
Alex, 23, Doctor & Pheobe, his girlfriend
“Rugby is smashing, we don’t know what we would do without it! Maybe the stereotypes associated with rugby aren’t as strong as they once were, but ultimately, the rich always prevail in the class struggle.”
“Thankfully, rugby should therefore always remain sophisticated and classy unlike football. The people involved with rugby are simply better. It’s a fact.”
David, Architect
“I’ve always preferred rugby because it’s ace. Why is it ace? Because of the people involved with it. In fairness, in the last couple of years the game has become a lot more inclusive, however, for me it is the fact that rugby attracts a better class of person that makes it better.”
Dennis, Management Consultant
“I think rugby is becoming tremendously inclusive. Both my boys play it and there are even girls in their team – so you can’t really say that rugby is that traditional any more.”
“I let my boys try lots of sports, rugby, cricket, tennis, even football – although I was nervous about the latter. There are fundamental overtones of aggression in football, like at Chelsea, where’s there’s nothing more than cold, hard abuse and violence.”
Richard, Retired
“Yes, I know I look a bit like Nigel Farage! I probably shouldn’t share my political views with you as I know what you left-wing students are like, but as far as the rugby’s concerned, yes it’s posh, and to be honest, I like the fact that the game is classy. That being said, I’d never say no to improved social inclusion.”
Kate, Online Shopper
“I’m not that posh, am I?” The Fan Park is a brilliant idea, I’ve played rugby, my daughter plays rugby, and in truth, I’m so relieved that the stereotypes connected to rugby are beginning to decline.
“That being said, there is a complete difference between supporters of rugby and football. There is no spirit at football, just a desire to cause trouble.”
Barry, Cap Seller
“Of course rugby’s posh, but I don’t care. The more money they have, the more money I can make for Help The Heroes.” – Barry, we salute you!
And so, the end of my evening at the rugby was nigh, as I dashed into Richmond station before the end of England’s victory over Fiji with a horrible sense of disdain toward some of the people I had met. As I travelled home from leafy suburban Surrey to deepest, darkest East London, I had time to reflect on what I had witnessed.
Rugby is certainly evolving as a sport. Increased social inclusion is certainly beginning to prevail within amateur and youth clubs, however, this is almost completely counteracted by the fact that the game is underpinned by a fundamental assertion of class superiority. This, unfortunately, is most obvious when observing the sport’s supporters.
Though it is unfair to make generalisations, suffice to say that the overwhelming lack of social and ethnic diversity within rugby’s general fan-base taints the game. As a football-loving cockney, I have devoted much of my life to following my team up and down the country every week. I’ve only ever watched one live rugby game in the flesh. I certainly didn’t feel at home or indeed welcome around the egg-chasing enthusiasts in the Twickenham pubs, despite approaching the occasion with an open mind.
Writer Philip Toynbee once joked that “a bomb under the West car park at Twickenham on an international day would end fascism in England for a generation.” Sadly, this old adage still has much truth to it, and as for the future of rugby, only time will tell.