ADVERTISEMENT
RugbyDump
REGISTER
LOGIN
ADVERTISEMENT
RugbyDump
Wednesday Jun 15, 2022

Ex-England winger claims rugby must change drinking culture

Much has changed since the golden days of amateur rugby. An aspect that has not changed however is the social side of the game.

ADVERTISEMENT

One of the draws of the grassroots game has always been the social side. A few beers after the game with your mates can be just as enjoyable as the game itself.

This attitude has been a staple of rugby for as long as many can remember, but there are a few who now believe things now need to change.

Speaking to the Telegraph, BT Sport pundit, Ugo Monye had the following to say on the matter:

“Rugby, just by the dynamic of the game, really and truly is a game for all shapes and sizes from the physical aspect, beyond that, it should also reflect every single attitude. It should be the best reflection of society.

“There has always been a heavy drinking culture within rugby. I invested heavily into that as well during my playing days, and I enjoyed it.

“But if I was in Birmingham, in a densely populated Muslim community, and my teenage kids wanted to play rugby, as a parent, my perception of rugby would be: ‘All they do is drink after every match – I don’t want my children to be a part of that.’

“Rugby can’t be afraid of what it is, but I do think it also needs to mirror the present day and where we are in society.”

In regards to ensuring the inclusivity of the LGBQT+ community, Monye referred to his old Harlequins teammate Simon Miall, only feeling comfortable coming out as gay after he left the rugby environment.

“When Simon came out when he retired, automatically you think, ‘oh gosh, what kind of environment did we foster at Harlequins for him to maybe not be comfortable enough? Where did the pressure come from for him not to be his full self at work where he spent a lot of time with us – away trips, tours, pre-seasons?’

“I think we had what I’d call a fairly laddish changing room. I ashamedly say it not because I think we purposely went out to hurt people or upset people or anything like that. But when the consequence of that is someone potentially not wanting to reveal the core of themselves within that setting, you start to understand.”

Video Spacer

Related Articles

  • 33 WEEKS AGO

    Ellis Genge puts on his boxing gloves ready...

  • 33 WEEKS AGO

    Crazy scenes as player deliberately kicks...

  • 33 WEEKS AGO

    RFU make decision on transgender players...



ADVERTISEMENT

Great Tries

  • 2 DAYS AGO

    Heart Breaking Six Nations Ending For Italy As Scotland Score Long Range Try

  • 2 WEEKS AGO

    Montpellier Number Eight Zach Mercer Outlandish Attacking Skill

  • 5 WEEKS AGO

    Damian Penaud Pulls Off a "van der Merwe" in Outrageous French Try

  • 5 WEEKS AGO

    Ireland Winger James Lowe With World Class Finish In Titanic Battle With France

  • 6 WEEKS AGO

    Sonny-Bill Williams Gives Irish U20 Star A Shoutout For Classy Offload

View All

Big Hits & Dirty Play

  • 2 DAYS AGO

    England and Ireland fans express disappointment in grand slam refereeing decisions

  • 2 DAYS AGO

    England Fullback Shown Red For Collision With Opposite Number

  • 5 DAYS AGO

    Springbok Flyhalf Back With A Bang In Huge Development For World Champions

  • 1 WEEK AGO

    Shocking Scenes As Rugby Players Attacked Following Rivalry Clash In South Africa

  • 5 WEEKS AGO

    A Look Back At Rugby’s Greatest Ever Film

View All

See It To Believe It

  • 5 WEEKS AGO

    Ardie Savea Moment Of Magic In Super Rugby Aotearoa

  • 5 WEEKS AGO

    'Armchair athletes' berate Arundell's seriously impressive bench press

  • 6 WEEKS AGO

    Worcester Warriors - The End

  • 7 WEEKS AGO

    Sevens magic as 'headed' try brings stadium to its feet

  • 8 WEEKS AGO

    Almost 35,000 have now signed petition to reverse new grassroots tackle laws

View All

Funnies

  • 1 WEEK AGO

    Jonathan Sexton Fantastic Comeback Caught On Ref Mic

  • 2 WEEKS AGO

    Hilarious Footage Of English Players Post Leg Day Workout

  • 3 WEEKS AGO

    Mack Hansen leaves viewers in stitches with hilarious post-match interview mistake

  • 5 WEEKS AGO

    A Look Back At Rugby’s Greatest Ever Film

  • 5 WEEKS AGO

    "Talk Is Cheap" - Jamie Ritchie Responds To Dan Biggar's Pre-Match Comments

View All

Amateur

  • 10 WEEKS AGO

    You Won’t See Many Better Than This Silky-Smooth Try From Llandovery RFC

  • 10 WEEKS AGO

    Incredible Scenes As Caldy RFC Hand Ealing First Championship Defeat Of The Season

  • 33 WEEKS AGO

    Dubious Score Decides Result Of Rugby's Biggest Schools Fixture

  • 33 WEEKS AGO

    Incredible Scenes At School Boys Rugby Match

  • 34 WEEKS AGO

    The Next Dominant Backrow?

View All

Player Features

  • 2 WEEKS AGO

    Youth and experience combine in an effort to repeat Six Nations upset

  • 2 WEEKS AGO

    Wales international releases emotional statement after being offered contract that isn’t enough to feed family

  • 2 WEEKS AGO

    Ardie Savea causes outrage with ‘throat slitting’ gesture

  • 3 WEEKS AGO

    Smith, Marchant and Murley released from England camp to take part in 'Big Game 14'

  • 3 WEEKS AGO

    Mack Hansen leaves viewers in stitches with hilarious post-match interview mistake

View All