Legendary rugby league winger Boston dies aged 92

Sir Billy Boston, the legendary rugby league winger, has passed away at the age of 92. He became the first rugby league player in history to receive a knighthood last year. Born in Cardiff in 1934, Boston initially played rugby union before being scouted by rugby league scouts during his national service in the north of England. He signed with Wigan in 1953 at the age of 19.

Despite having played only a few league games, Boston's potential was evident, and he was selected for the 1954 Great Britain side on their historic tour of Australia and New Zealand, becoming the first black British player to tour Down Under. He achieved the remarkable milestone of scoring 100 tries in just 68 matches after switching from union.

Boston's scoring ratio is extraordinary, claiming 478 tries in 488 games for Wigan, while also helping them win three Challenge Cups and the Championship. Boston scored 24 tries in 31 appearances for Great Britain, including a try in the 1960 World Cup final where they defeated Australia 10-3. After retiring as a second row with Blackpool Borough, Boston ran the Griffin Hotel near Wigan's Central Park Ground, where one of the stands was named in his honor.

Boston was a trailblazer for black rugby players, expressing regret that racial prejudice prevented him from representing his home town and nation in rugby union. He was appointed an MBE in 1986 and was inducted into the Welsh Sports Hall of Fame in 1990. In 2025, at the age of 91, Boston was awarded a knighthood by King Charles, despite being diagnosed with dementia.

Tributes have poured in, with Prime Minister Andy Burnham calling him a "giant of a man," Wigan owner Mike Danson praising his achievements and humility, and Wales Rugby League describing him as one of the best loved and most iconic figures in Welsh sport.