RFU survey reveals racism experienced by players ‘in every area of elite rugby’

The Rugby Football Union has pledged to ramp up efforts to tackle discrimination in the game after its own inclusion and diversity survey found that “in every area of elite rugby – men’s and women’s, national team, clubs and academies – players had experienced some form of racism”.

Independent research into players’ experiences of discrimination in the elite game was commissioned by the governing body last year, following the former England centre Luther Burrell’s allegations of racism he suffered as a player at Newcastle in 2020. On Tuesday night the RFU also released the results of its investigation into those claims, which found Burrell’s allegations to be true “on balance of probability” but that there was “insufficient evidence to say whether all the allegations occurred at the club”.

The RFU said on Tuesday that Burrell’s comments in an interview with the Mail on Sunday last summer had “necessitated a deeper look at these issues and the broader culture within the elite end of the game” and, between September and December 2022, 500 people at the top of the game took part in its survey. Among the key findings is the concession that “efforts by the game to respond to discrimination to date, while well intended, have been either short‑lived or perceived as performative”.

The research also identifies classism as a significant element of discrimination existing in rugby: “Either accessing and navigating through the pathways or personal experiences within elite environments, is an issue which affects the game and fuels an elitist perception.”

As a result of the findings the RFU has now set out an inclusion and diversity action plan, incorporating three key stages: “educate”, “understand” and “change”.

In June last year