RFU DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION ADVISORY GROUP

First topic message reminder :

https://www.englandrugby.com/news/article/rfu-diversity-and-inclusion-advisory-group-formed

Think this probably deserves it's own topic given it's something a few people have banged on about for years. Finally the RFU have given the go ahead to have a look at who is perhaps not able or even wanting to play the game. Although it's changed ever so slightly there is still the overwhelming thought that Rugby Union in England is about the rich, posh kids who in turn are more likely to be white. How many people miss out on rugby and vice versa the talent lost to clubs because they happen to go to the wrong school etc. It's changed slightly with some league or more pre-league converts e.g. Ford and Farrell, Burrell, Tomkins and some more northern voices from league strongholds. Would be great to see a conveyor belt of some of that talent and guys like Sinckler who only picked up rugby later being given more options earlier.

Ugo Monye has been picked as the chair with the remaining members made up as so:

Group members also include:

· Sue Anstiss MBE – CEO of Fearless Women, trustee of the Women’s Sport Trust and co-founder of the Women’s Sport Collective.

· James Bailey – ex-England Sevens player, England Women Sevens head coach and current RPA D&I advisor and Rugby Sevens consultant.

· Nigel Boatswain – over 20 years at Apple, including time as the executive sponsor for ‘Black at Apple’, its D&I programme. Trustee at the Dame Kelly Holmes Trust and external project board for Sport England D&I focused 2021 Code for Sports Governance.

· Josh Brekenfeld – London Scottish board and executive committee member and director of global development at Aspen.

· Gill Burns MBE – ex-England Captain, Rugby World Cup winner and Lancashire RFU President 2019-21.

· Laura Kapo – player and chairwoman at Richmond Women.

'The group will provide insights to shape plans as well as challenge the RFU on its progress in delivering on its diversity and inclusion goals.

Former England player and D&I advisory group chair, Ugo Monye, said: “The RFU has made diversity and inclusion a core priority with clear plans being worked on that should make a substantive difference to the game.

“It’s really important that we get this right so that the anyone, from anywhere, feels rugby is a game for them. There is a wealth of experience in the advisory group and we’re all pleased to be able to contribute in driving an important agenda within the sport.”

Bill Sweeney, RFU CEO, said: “To be able to draw on the wealth of knowledge, experience and expertise in this group will be invaluable to us as we embark on plans to increase diversity in our sport and ensure it is open and inclusive to all. Consulting with others outside our organisation will provide us with different perspectives and help us to ensure that our plans are robust, meaningful, and result in tangible action.”

Within each of these four areas, the RFU is committed to better understanding where it is today compared to the wider population in terms of demographic, behavioural and attitudinal data and insight, establishing what it wants to change and how it will achieve it. Priorities include raising awareness, educating a wide range of stakeholders and delivering critical interventions alongside refreshed policies and guidance and ultimately monitoring progress, and adapting plans based on outcomes and updated insight. Currently the priority areas for action are ethnicity, gender, socio-economic status, sexual orientation and age. '


England and the clubs have some great players coming through but it could be even stronger and tapping into some working class environments etc can only be a good thing in my eyes for healthy grass roots participation and the number of supporters.

No 7&1/2 wrote:So in your minds eye just have the England players kneeling. Bingo, now its nothing to do with BLM (same as before really).

What other gesture would you guys prefer? It's going to get booed by people like Andrew quoted by the BBC anyway.

Or I could go about my life how I choose to and not be told what to do by you.

OK, well you're a smart guy Soul, you know that the England team kneeling has as much to do with BLM as someone kneeling to tie their shoelace. What gesture would you encourage them to make?

Geordie, can't find the BBC one but have this one for the Guardian as I look further. https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/mar/07/us-cities-defund-police-transferring-money-community

Think the better links to MH services are a key thing myself. We're very new to this in the UK as well.

Nah...you have said you would happily boo through a remembrance silence, and now you actively support defund the police.

Afraid i cant debate with someone who would do that .

Im out of this debate now.

GeordieFalcon wrote:Nah...you have said you would happily boo through a remembrance silence, and now you actively support defund the police.

Afraid i cant debate with someone who would do that .

Im out of this debate now.

I have him on ignore, I am not out of this debate, but I am out of debating with him, forever, he has really shown his true colours on this thread, I have got into trouble on this forum for trying to debate with him in the past, but he always seems to get a free ride.

There is a word and a meaning for people like him, he knows what he is doing, and he keeps on doing it.

Put him on ignore, and debate the topic with everybody else, thats what I am doing.

The point re booing was a throw away line in response to views like Andrews that a political stance in sport deserves booing. I'd disagree with that clearly but the wording of the mickey take allows an easy out I suppose to avoid the point. Also allows you to side step what you don't agree with Defund the Police. Pretty good article there and helped me understand the point. You probably know more than me on it as you know the ins and outs of the BLM political aims, shame I won't be able to hear them.

LordDowlais wrote:

GeordieFalcon wrote:Nah...you have said you would happily boo through a remembrance silence, and now you actively support defund the police.

Afraid i cant debate with someone who would do that .

Im out of this debate now.

I have him on ignore, I am not out of this debate, but I am out of debating with him, forever, he has really shown his true colours on this thread, I have got into trouble on this forum for trying to debate with him in the past, but he always seems to get a free ride.

There is a word and a meaning for people like him, he knows what he is doing, and he keeps on doing it.

Put him on ignore, and debate the topic with everybody else, thats what I am doing.

Ive just done it mate, had enough.

LordDowlais wrote:

GeordieFalcon wrote:Nah...you have said you would happily boo through a remembrance silence, and now you actively support defund the police.

Afraid i cant debate with someone who would do that .

Im out of this debate now.

I have him on ignore, I am not out of this debate, but I am out of debating with him, forever, he has really shown his true colours on this thread, I have got into trouble on this forum for trying to debate with him in the past, but he always seems to get a free ride.

There is a word and a meaning for people like him, he knows what he is doing, and he keeps on doing it.

Put him on ignore, and debate the topic with everybody else, thats what I am doing.

You're always able to debate if you still to within the rules. If you don't think I have you can complain and the mods will decide and ban me. I've been banned before for pointing out maes was a complete hypocrite for example.

GeordieFalcon wrote:

LordDowlais wrote:

GeordieFalcon wrote:Nah...you have said you would happily boo through a remembrance silence, and now you actively support defund the police.

Afraid i cant debate with someone who would do that .

Im out of this debate now.

I have him on ignore, I am not out of this debate, but I am out of debating with him, forever, he has really shown his true colours on this thread, I have got into trouble on this forum for trying to debate with him in the past, but he always seems to get a free ride.

There is a word and a meaning for people like him, he knows what he is doing, and he keeps on doing it.

Put him on ignore, and debate the topic with everybody else, thats what I am doing.

Ive just done it mate, had enough.

You were struggling tbf.

No 7&1/2 wrote:

GeordieFalcon wrote:

LordDowlais wrote:

GeordieFalcon wrote:Nah...you have said you would happily boo through a remembrance silence, and now you actively support defund the police.

Afraid i cant debate with someone who would do that .

Im out of this debate now.

I have him on ignore, I am not out of this debate, but I am out of debating with him, forever, he has really shown his true colours on this thread, I have got into trouble on this forum for trying to debate with him in the past, but he always seems to get a free ride.

There is a word and a meaning for people like him, he knows what he is doing, and he keeps on doing it.

Put him on ignore, and debate the topic with everybody else, thats what I am doing.

Ive just done it mate, had enough.

You were struggling tbf.

Drop the attitude.

Soul Requiem wrote:

No 7&1/2 wrote:

GeordieFalcon wrote:

LordDowlais wrote:

GeordieFalcon wrote:Nah...you have said you would happily boo through a remembrance silence, and now you actively support defund the police.

Afraid i cant debate with someone who would do that .

Im out of this debate now.

I have him on ignore, I am not out of this debate, but I am out of debating with him, forever, he has really shown his true colours on this thread, I have got into trouble on this forum for trying to debate with him in the past, but he always seems to get a free ride.

There is a word and a meaning for people like him, he knows what he is doing, and he keeps on doing it.

Put him on ignore, and debate the topic with everybody else, thats what I am doing.

Ive just done it mate, had enough.

You were struggling tbf.

Drop the attitude.

Wow he's a prize one.

No attitude from me Soul. I'd asked him a question around defund the police posted a linked article. Reading between the lines I think he thought that Defund the police just meant get rid of all the police. And again my line around join me in booing the minutes silence has been used as a reason to ignore actual points. I'm not not even going to be in a stadium in November let alone booing. It's pretty clear that its a point around separation of politics and sport being a weak point but like I said an easy point to avoid the wider issue.

No 7&1/2 wrote:No attitude from me Soul. I'd asked him a question around defund the police posted a linked article. Reading between the lines I think he thought that Defund the police just meant get rid of all the police. And again my line around join me in booing the minutes silence has been used as a reason to ignore actual points. I'm not not even going to be in a stadium in November let alone booing. It's pretty clear that its a point around separation of politics and sport being a weak point  but like I said an easy point to avoid the wider issue.

There's definite attitude and it's about time you dropped it, your sly little comments may be ignored by the mods but the rest of us see them for what they are. I don't care for your need to constantly have the last word nor do I care for your excuses for your behaviour, you ruin thread after thread on this site for nothing more than your own enjoyment. Consider this my last comment on the subject, do not bother replying.

Soul Requiem wrote:

No 7&1/2 wrote:No attitude from me Soul. I'd asked him a question around defund the police posted a linked article. Reading between the lines I think he thought that Defund the police just meant get rid of all the police. And again my line around join me in booing the minutes silence has been used as a reason to ignore actual points. I'm not not even going to be in a stadium in November let alone booing. It's pretty clear that its a point around separation of politics and sport being a weak point  but like I said an easy point to avoid the wider issue.

There's definite attitude and it's about time you dropped it, your sly little comments may be ignored by the mods but the rest of us see them for what they are. I don't care for your need to constantly have the last word nor do I care for your excuses for your behaviour, you ruin thread after thread on this site for nothing more than your own enjoyment. Consider this my last comment on the subject, do not bother replying.

Gutted. You come to a thread take it off topic then complain that I won't agree with booing an action designed to stand against racism. I'll get over it.

LordDowlais wrote:

GeordieFalcon wrote:Nah...you have said you would happily boo through a remembrance silence, and now you actively support defund the police.

Afraid i cant debate with someone who would do that .

Im out of this debate now.

I have him on ignore, I am not out of this debate, but I am out of debating with him, forever, he has really shown his true colours on this thread, I have got into trouble on this forum for trying to debate with him in the past, but he always seems to get a free ride.

There is a word and a meaning for people like him, he knows what he is doing, and he keeps on doing it.

Put him on ignore, and debate the topic with everybody else, thats what I am doing.

Nobody gets a free ride on here. Posts get archived, when you or others have action taken against them, so I can easily disprove your accusation of favouritism. I am quite happy to call you out on this.

Thread can stay locked. I have considered doing so over the past few days, but felt that maybe the “debate” would remain reasonable. Think the thread has definitely run its course now.

With regards to the talk on the moderating, there have been hardly any complaints sent to us.

In future, it’s advisable to remember that if you have an issue with a post, then complain correctly. It isn’t hard to write a considered post as to why a poster may have posted incorrectly, rather than a rant or trying to tell people how to moderate. It’s also worth noting that personal attacks against posters also contravene site rules.