Author of @theputto, the Illustrated History of Rugby trilogy, Unbelievable Underdogs, Ragby, How Wales Beat the Mighty All Blacks. Editor of @theeastterrace.
May 2 โข 24 tweets โข 8 min read
For my 'Rugby Rebels' book, I interviewed Jillion Potter, former USA rugby player. I've been lucky enough to meet, work with, and interview people from sports to politics to Hollywood. But my interview with Jillion was possibly the most incredible of them all. A thread.... ๐งต๐๐บ๐ธ
As a child, Jillion was a tough cookie, loving rough and tumble play. Born in Austin, Texas, she enjoyed skateboarding and played basketball for her high school.
When she got to the University of New Mexico, she was approached to play rugby by other female players.
Mar 10, 2023 โข 29 tweets โข 14 min read
A brief history of the England ๐ด๓ ง๓ ข๓ ฅ๓ ฎ๓ ง๓ ฟ rugby jersey ahead of the #ENGvFRA game in this weekend's #SixNations.
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The white shirt with its famous red rose was first worn back in 1871.
On 27 March, 1871, 20 (yes, 20) men represented England against Scotland at Raeburn Place. The match was played under Scottish laws (laws at this point had regional variations) and played in front of 4,000 spectators.
Feb 23, 2023 โข 30 tweets โข 13 min read
A brief history of the Wales rugby shirt ahead of the #WALvENG game in this weekend's #SixNations.
A thread. ๐งต
The scarlet shirt of Wales is one of the most iconic shirts in world rugby. Wales have worn red since their first game in 1881. ๐ด๓ ง๓ ข๓ ท๓ ฌ๓ ณ๓ ฟ
Wales played their first international before the foundation of the Welsh Rugby Union. Players wore a red shirt with the Prince of Wales feathers. As can be seen from the team photo, the shirts were not 100% uniform and two players didn't even have the correct one.