HOW BLACK GIRLS RUCK ARE CHANGING THE GAME

One day, a youngster who began playing rugby because of Black Girls Ruck will go on to represent England.

They will step out in front of sold-out Twickenham crowds, wear the red rose with pride and collect memories from across the globe.

They could be a prop or a fly-half, or perhaps a wing. In their Allianz Premiership Women’s Rugby career, they might find themselves at home in the Quarters, as a Shark or within the Circus.

That is the dream for Anne Onwusiri, founder of Black Girls Ruck RFC, the first black women’s and non-binary rugby team.

What started out in 2020 as a podcast to highlight the voices of black women and non-binary people within the sport, Black Girls Ruck has become an all-encompassing community.

“The main aim initially was to put ourselves out there as black women who play rugby and start a community through there,” Onwusiri said.

“The good thing about rugby is that it is diverse in terms of you can be any size or shape you want.

“We can be a way more inclusive space than a lot of other sports and it’s so important to have that community where you unite over a sport.

“When we established Black Girls Ruck RFC, we’d never played with each other, but we clicked straight away because we have two things in common already so it’s easier to build from that.”

Onwusiri, 29, began playing rugby at university but their journey gathered momentum with Hackney RFC five years ago.

They were drawn to the East London club because of its inclusivity and the feeling of being within a squad where players looked liked them, valuing the basis of friendship the team was built on.

Alongside Lamees Idris, Onwusiri built Black Girls Ruck upon the same foundations, expanding their experiences as a non-binary black player beyond a local level.

“There were loads of people that looked like me on the team and it was very inclusive,” Onwusiri said.

“But it was interesting going to the away games at these other clubs and seeing there was only one other black person on the team.

“I was really interested in what their experiences were and whether they felt they had a community there.

“I feel like there’s a bit more freedom for black female rugby players to discuss that part of their identity.

“It’s probably a British thing where, ‘we know you’re a bit different but we won't talk about it’ but that in itself can be an alienating experience.”

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Black Girls Ruck has gone from strength to strength since, launching an invitational team who played for the first time in the Matt Elliott Cup last July.

Harlequins’ Makeda Lewis and Loughborough Lightning’s Sadia Kabeya supported at Hackney RFC on a powerful weekend for all clubs involved.

“It was such an empowering experience, there was one game where it was Black Girls Ruck vs Hackney and I was so torn, I was thinking my best friends are on one team but also my babies are here.

“We had everyone really rooting for us, we had Sadia Kabeya come down and Makeda from Quins, it was just really nice to have that level of support.

“Some of the people didn’t want the day to end, I absolutely loved it, it was my favourite day ever.

“Talking to Sadia, who is very open about her blackness, being a woman and playing rugby and going to university.

“There is definitely a shift where people are much more open to talking about their identities, I’m not sure that I would’ve seen that growing up and I think it’s important to acknowledge."

Onwusiri’s full-time job as a sports account manager in the charity sector goes hand-in-hand with their cause to make all sport as accessible as possible to minorities.

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Time and funding are in short supply for the entirely volunteer-run collective but one day Onwusiri hopes Black Girls Ruck can inspire the next generation to pick up a rugby ball as an official charity.

The collective has established a Hardship Fund designed to break down financial barriers that stand in the way, in a bid to make rugby a sport for all.

“I want Black Girls Ruck to eventually go into schools and encourage more young black girls to join their local rugby clubs,” they added.

“There’s a bit of an issue with young girls in general playing rugby, especially girls tending to stop playing sport when they hit puberty and all the other societal barriers around that.

“For young black girls who don’t see themselves in a rugby sphere, that adds another barrier.

“The aim is to get more young people into rugby, if one of the children that I coach can one day go and play for England internationally, I will have achieved a huge goal.”

To donate to the BGR Hardship Fund, please click here.

Image credit: Leonard Martin