Wales’ rugby league great players are going to be honored by three statues. The three statues will be displayed in Cardiff. This is going to ensure that their achievements are never going to be forgotten. For punters that have used their betstar referral code to bet on their favourite sports, it was important to be aware of the players’ performances on and off the field. The players will be commemorated in permanent artwork.
There is the ‘One Team- One Race’ fundraising whose aim is to raise money to aid in creating the three statues. The fundraising is in honor of the Cardiff Bay Rugby Codebreakers, and it will be launched on Wednesday to mark the Sporting Heritage Day.
The three statues will be for players chosen among 13 players who grew up within a three-mile radius of Cardiff Bay. Many of these players fought racism and prejudice in Wales before going to England to find fame as rugby stars.
The list is led by Billy Boston, who played for Wigan as a winger. He was the first black player to play for the Great Britain Lions, where he scored a total of 571 tries in 562 games. He came second in the history of the rugby league after Brian Bevan.
In Wigan, Boston has been honored since there is his statue. His statue is also in Wembley. Unfortunately, his achievements have not been recognized in his home city.
The philanthropist, Sir Stanley Thomas, will chair the fundraising committee. He said that Cardiff has never honored enough its sporting greats, especially in the community of Butetown, where most of the great rugby players came from. He added that he wished that the statues be established within the next two years so that players like Boston, who are old (86 years), will have a chance to see them completed when they are still alive.
The other nominees are Dennis Brown, Joe Corsi, Roy Francis, Colin Dixon, Gerald Cordle, Gus Risman, Jim Sullivan, Clive Sullivan, William’ Wax’ Williams, Frank Whitcombe, and Dave Willicombe. They comprise three world cup winners and nine Great Britain internationals. There are also twelve Wales internationals and three Rugby League Hall of Famers.
To come up with the three, the nominees’ images will be projected on the walls of Cardiff Castle, and the public will be allowed to vote. The photos will signify the takeoff of the fundraising campaign. The statutes’ project has the full backing of the Cardiff Council. The council hopes that the artwork will be displayed permanently in the next two years in Cardiff Bay.
Gareth Kear, who is the Chief Executive of the Wales Rugby League, said that the project is massive since many of the best Welsh rugby players of the past will be honored. Kear went ahead to say that in the north of England, they talk about Tiger Bay and the great players that went to play rugby league from Cardiff. He added that they needed to reflect on their rich past and use it as a signpost for the future. He also said that apart from erecting statues, the project has at its heart education, social justice, and sporting excellence.
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