Anne Onwusiri is blazing the trail in diversifying rugby

In the Black Girls Ruck podcast, Onwusiri and Lamees Idris, their co-host and Gladies teammate, break new ground disseminating the stories of Black women and non-binary people in rugby. The tagline “If you’re not uncomfortable then you’re not listening” rings true as topics jump from sex to hamstring injuries, disordered eating to the Black Girls Ruck Hardship Fund which they fundraise for. New Black Girls Ruck podcast episodes featuring the likes of The Traitors’ Jazz Boatswain are imminent after a short hiatus, and the community rugby team is scheduled to play in 7’s festivals this summer. “It’s so much, and as much as I love doing Black Girls Ruck, it has been incredibly tiring,” Onwusiri admits. “Not just in terms of admin and stuff, but also putting myself out there.” 

The 30-year-old is credited with creating the UK’s first Black women’s rugby team and a 2023 Sunday Times Sportswoman of the Year – Changemaker Award nominee. I can’t help but wonder if those accolades and coverage like this make embodying positive change so publicly any easier. “I’m so overwhelmed when anyone recognises anything that I do that I detach myself from it,” Onwusiri replies. “It takes me a long time to say ‘that was a great thing that happened’. I think it’s having Nigerian parents. I’m always like, what’s next?”

With hundreds of grassroots rugby teams around the country and no rules changes between the men’s and the women’s games, it’s interesting to consider what could make rugby more popular. “Leaning into the cultural side like football,” is what Onwusiri believes, and the enlightening panel led by Bristol Bears’ player Simi Pam that Guinness and Women’s Sport Collective hosted before the Twickenham game didn’t disagree. Here, speak to Onwusiri about their sports journey, their most challenging moments, and the importance of diversity in sports.

Can you share your earliest sports-related memory?

Anne Onwusiri: Playing football in primary school. The first time, I tripped over the ball and got a nasty cut on my leg. I cried but I wanted to play.

Define what a ‘sport’ is. 

Anne Onwusiri: Moving around and enjoying yourself. There are competition, skill, and passion elements even if you’re in the gym. I’m very competitive so I like the competition side.

Break down your rugby journey.

Anne Onwusiri: I wanted a hobby and thought rugby was cool so I started playing while doing my Masters in 2019. It was pretty much me Googling ‘East London rugby teams’ and delusion guided me through. I always think I would have been an international player if I had played in school.

Why join Hackney Gladies?

Anne Onwusiri: Everyone was so quick to help me figure out what to do. I don’t want to say that netball is a bitchy sport but [Hackney] is the complete opposite. People may have better resources but you’re not made to feel bad for not having something. I’ve made best friends and I can’t imagine going anywhere else.

What’s the set up like?

Anne Onwusiri: Our amazing head coaches are ex-England player and World Cup winner Kat Merchant and her partner Mike who coach the 1s. Then we’ve got 2s coaches Connor and Charlie and 50–60 active players. We train on Wednesdays in Homerton and play games three Sundays out of the month from September to April so it takes over your life.

Favourite skill?

Anne Onwusiri: I love scrumming. It’s the only thing I’m good at and doesn’t involve running – I hate running. I’m a prop in the front row so I’m at the front of the scrum and I lift in lineouts too.

How does rugby make you feel?

Anne Onwusiri: You don’t get many opportunities in life to smash into someone legally and get your anger out. It’s so much fun and 14 people have your back. We warm up, stretch, and do cardio and drills in training. We don’t tackle that much on the astroturf because it’s more dangerous.

Any challenging moments?

Anne Onwusiri: I used to have big braids and a player pulled my hair to tackle me. A braid fell on the floor and that pissed me off. I remember talking to another Black girl and she was like, ‘That’s happened to me many times. Pick up the braid and put it in your bra.’

Anne Onwusiri: I have ongoing wear and tear but the concussions were the worst. I had three concussions in a year and took time off work which was really stressful.

Why does Black Girls Ruck exist?

Anne Onwusiri: We have Black women on my rugby team but there’d only be one on other teams so I always wondered, what’s her experience like? How did she get here? I wanted to explore that and it’s grown into a collective and content creation about people of colour in rugby.”  I loved the name of the BET show Black Girls Rock: ‘Rock’, ‘ruck’, easy.

Tell me about your dynamic as hosts.

Anne Onwusiri: My co-host Lamees is one of my best friends. She was Hackney Gladies captain when I joined and it was nice to see someone who looked like me in charge of the team. I’ve not left her side since: we both think we’re the funniest people so we’ve got a good back and forth.

“I’m not saying that we’ll have an all-Black rugby team by 2030 but [progress is] widening participation at all levels” – Anne Onwusiri

Any unforgettable anecdotes?

Anne Onwusiri: The second time Guinness invited us to bring their flag onto the Twickenham pitch was England versus Italy [in 2023] and there were ten of us on the pitch holding the flag. In front of players that I love, on the pitch that I love, I saw people I love waving and screaming in the crowd. That got me so emotional.

Who is your all-time favourite player?

Anne Onwusiri: Bristol Bears’ Simi Pam. She’s a Black woman, a junior doctor, and a prop too. Everything about her is fabulous and so inspirational – she was one of my first non-Hackney Black Girls Ruck guests.

Describe your dream match.

Anne Onwusiri: Black Girls Ruck versus Old Dowbadians [a men of colour rugby team] and we’re forming a charity together [where I’ll be director] to gain inclusion and bring positive vibes. We’d win 20-12 in front of a sold-out crowd with Burna Boy and SZA performing at the Super Bowl-level halftime show.

Call out the key issues that you’re passionate about resolving.

Anne Onwusiri: I did a Black Girls Ruck video with England Rugby [earlier this year] and the comments under it were horrendous. Talking about my size, the way I talk; ‘Oh they’re a man’. It hurt me but validated why I do what I do and why it’s really important to widen representation. Don’t let one poor experience ruin the idea of sport: people [need] to understand that it’s for everyone.

How body-confident are you?

Anne Onwusiri: Before I started playing rugby, I wasn’t. I have put on weight since but I feel so much better and proud of what my body can do rather than what it looks like, whatever gender identity I’m feeling at the time. That confidence radiates.

Is your kit fit for purpose?

Anne Onwusiri: That depends. I wear shorts, undershorts, Black Girls Ruck navy knee-high socks, rugby boots and a scrum cap – no shin pads or mouth guard. There’s no room for boobs in the Hackney jersey and they don’t stretch much so people peel me out of my top afterwards. The Black Girls Ruck kit was made with bigger people in mind. It’s stretchy, breathable, and looks great.

Fictional or real: which sports personality do you relate to the most and why?

Anne Onwusiri: Weightlifter Emily Campbell. I just love plus-sized women in sport. She’s doing so well and she’s an Olympian.

If you could rebuild your body using the parts of iconic sportspeople, which ones would you go for?

Anne Onwusiri: Serena Williams’ arms and brain and Maro Itoje’s legs.

What is your ‘Gonna Tell My Kids This Was Me’ meme in sport?

Anne Onwusiri: Barbarians’ George Kruis scored a back-heeled conversion against England and it was the coolest thing I’ve ever seen. I like to keep telling everyone that I could do that.

What’s the future of rugby?

Anne Onwusiri: More inclusion and equity. I enjoyed the Six Nations’ use of language – ‘halfway’ after the men’s tournament and before the women’s. My role is carrying on having difficult conversations: I’m not saying that we’ll have an all-Black rugby team by 2030 but [progress is] widening participation at all levels.