George Bennet
Encyclopedia
George Bennet (8 July 1913 — 31 August 1970) was a Welsh
rugby union
and professional rugby league
footballer
of the 1930s who at representative level played rugby league for Wales
, and at club level for Wigan
, playing , /, or /, i.e. number 3 or 4, 6, or 7.
acted as a bar to his selection to their national team, no black person played for Wales
(RU) before the 1980s.
In 1935, George Bennet(t) became the first black man
to represent a British
national team at rugby league
by playing for Wales
(RL).
In 1906 James Peters played for Devon against South Africa
, however the tourists belatedly noticed Peters' colour and they refused to play but eventually the South African High Commissioner, who feared a riot if the game was cancelled, persuaded the team to play. Six weeks later Peters was selected for England
's match against South Africa, there was disquiet by South Africa about his selection on the basis of his race, he was deselected before the match. Peters subsequently won caps for England in 1907 against France and Scotland, but he was later expelled from rugby union for accepting payment from Devon Rugby Club, that at the time was illegal according to the codes of rugby union, he then pursued a rugby league career with Barrow
, and St. Helens.
while at Wigan 1935…1936 3-caps.
Welsh people
The Welsh people are an ethnic group and nation associated with Wales and the Welsh language.John Davies argues that the origin of the "Welsh nation" can be traced to the late 4th and early 5th centuries, following the Roman departure from Britain, although Brythonic Celtic languages seem to have...
rugby union
Rugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
and professional rugby league
Rugby league
Rugby league football, usually called rugby league, is a full contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular grass field. One of the two codes of rugby football, it originated in England in 1895 by a split from Rugby Football Union over paying players...
footballer
Rugby football
Rugby football is a style of football named after Rugby School in the United Kingdom. It is seen most prominently in two current sports, rugby league and rugby union.-History:...
of the 1930s who at representative level played rugby league for Wales
Wales national rugby league team
The Wales national rugby league team represent Wales in international rugby league football matches. Currently the team is seventh in the RLIF World Rankings. The team were run under the auspices of the Rugby Football League, but an independent body, Wales Rugby League, now runs the team from...
, and at club level for Wigan
Wigan Warriors
Wigan Warriors is an English rugby league club based in Wigan, Greater Manchester. The club's first team squad competes in the engage Super League and the team are the current Challenge Cup holders as of the 27th August 2011....
, playing , /, or /, i.e. number 3 or 4, 6, or 7.
Historical precedent
George Bennet(t) had left Wales because the racism of the Welsh Rugby UnionWelsh Rugby Union
The Welsh Rugby Union is the governing body of rugby union in Wales, recognised by the International Rugby Board.The union's patron is Queen Elizabeth II, and her grandson Prince William of Wales became the Vice Royal Patron of the Welsh Rugby Union as of February 2007.-History:The roots of the...
acted as a bar to his selection to their national team, no black person played for Wales
Wales national rugby union team
The Wales national rugby union team represent Wales in international rugby union tournaments. They compete annually in the Six Nations Championship with England, France, Ireland, Italy and Scotland. Wales have won the Six Nations and its predecessors 24 times outright, second only to England with...
(RU) before the 1980s.
In 1935, George Bennet(t) became the first black man
Black people
The term black people is used in systems of racial classification for humans of a dark skinned phenotype, relative to other racial groups.Different societies apply different criteria regarding who is classified as "black", and often social variables such as class, socio-economic status also plays a...
to represent a British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
national team at rugby league
Rugby league
Rugby league football, usually called rugby league, is a full contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular grass field. One of the two codes of rugby football, it originated in England in 1895 by a split from Rugby Football Union over paying players...
by playing for Wales
Wales national rugby league team
The Wales national rugby league team represent Wales in international rugby league football matches. Currently the team is seventh in the RLIF World Rankings. The team were run under the auspices of the Rugby Football League, but an independent body, Wales Rugby League, now runs the team from...
(RL).
In 1906 James Peters played for Devon against South Africa
South Africa national rugby union team
The South African national rugby union team are 2009 British and Irish Lions Series winners. They are currently ranked as the fourth best team in the IRB World Rankings and were named 2008 World Team of the Year at the prestigious Laureus World Sports Awards.Although South Africa was instrumental...
, however the tourists belatedly noticed Peters' colour and they refused to play but eventually the South African High Commissioner, who feared a riot if the game was cancelled, persuaded the team to play. Six weeks later Peters was selected for England
England national rugby union team
The England national rugby union team represents England in rugby union. They compete in the annual Six Nations Championship with France, Ireland, Scotland, Italy, and Wales. They have won this championship on 26 occasions, 12 times winning the Grand Slam, making them the most successful team in...
's match against South Africa, there was disquiet by South Africa about his selection on the basis of his race, he was deselected before the match. Peters subsequently won caps for England in 1907 against France and Scotland, but he was later expelled from rugby union for accepting payment from Devon Rugby Club, that at the time was illegal according to the codes of rugby union, he then pursued a rugby league career with Barrow
Barrow Raiders
Barrow Raiders are an English professional rugby league team from Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria, who are coached by Dave Clark. Formed in 1875 as Barrow Football Club, the club is the oldest of the current professional sports teams in Cumbria....
, and St. Helens.
International honours
George Bennet(t) won caps for WalesWales national rugby league team
The Wales national rugby league team represent Wales in international rugby league football matches. Currently the team is seventh in the RLIF World Rankings. The team were run under the auspices of the Rugby Football League, but an independent body, Wales Rugby League, now runs the team from...
while at Wigan 1935…1936 3-caps.
Note
George Bennet(t)'s surname is variously spelt with two T's as Bennett, or with a single T as Bennet.External links
- Search for "Bennett" at rugbyleagueproject.org
- Search for "Bennet" at rugbyleagueproject.org
- George Bennett International Statistics at englandrl.co.uk
- George Bennet International Statistics at englandrl.co.uk
- George Bennett Statistics at rugbyleagueproject.org
- George Bennet Statistics at rugbyleagueproject.org
- Statistics at wigan.rlfans.com
- The struggle and the scrum
- Photograph “Hallmark Family”
- Photograph “Hallmark Family”
- Photograph “Wigan Rugby Players”
- Photograph “Wigan Rugby Players”
- Photograph “Hallmark Family”