Harlequins squad take a knee ahead of Sale Sharks clash to support Black Lives Matter movement
The entire Harlequins squad and some Sale Sharks players opted to take a knee in support of the Black Lives Matter movement ahead of Premiership rugby's return on Friday night.
After a five-month hiatus caused by the coronavirus pandemic, the interrupted 2019/20 season finally resumed with a high-profile contest at the Twickenham Stoop.
Teams, players, coaches and officials across multiple sports have shown their support for the Black Lives Matter movement over recent months, with many competitors choosing to take a knee in solidarity with the cause.
Things appeared more split in rugby union, however, with representatives from all 12 English Premiership clubs engaging in a conference call earlier this week amid fears regarding possible disagreements among players when it comes to taking a knee.
Standard Sport understands that some players, while unified in the fight against racism, want to know exactly what they will be kneeling for and there is thought to be a reluctance to be associated with any political messages that have been attached to the Black Lives Matter movement.
While there won't be the same sort of uniform approach we have already seen in other sports such as football, Premiership Rugby confirmed that every club would be taking some form of action this weekend in order to "mark their commitment to racial equality".
A working group comprised of current black Premiership players plus former Harlequins and England wing Ugo Monye and ex-Wasps and London Irish star James Bailey said in a statement: "Together, we the players stand united in the fight against racism, and we are proud to support the positive message that Black Lives Matter.
"We are not endorsing a political ideology. We are uniting as players to combat racial discrimination, in our sport and in society."
Harlequins - along with Leicester Tigers and Wasps - all confirmed that their players would be taking a knee ahead of their respective matches this weekend, while other commitments from clubs will range from huddles of unity and heart-shaped formations ahead of kick-off to the wearing of 'Rugby against Racism' t-shirts.
"It’s important that we as a club have an opportunity on Friday night to show unity and love for our friends and try to take a positive step forward. We have seen strong action from football, in particular,” said Harlequins head of rugby Paul Gustard this week.
Eight Sale players - including four members of their starting XV and an additional four replacements - also chose to take a knee ahead of kick-off at The Stoop, while the rest of the squad opted to stand wearing those 'Rugby against Racism' t-shirts over their red playing kit.
Before the match got under way, BT Sport also aired a powerful feature in which Monye and England duo Ellis Genge and Maro Itoje detailed their experiences with racism.
In addition to endorsing that aforementioned statement from the working group, Premiership Rugby also revealed this week that they were committed to several other inclusive actions, including increasing access to rugby to young people from a BAME background, a review of recruitment practices, and improving the representation of BAME players on the RFU level three coach education and referee course.
Premiership Rugby said that staff and BAME players would also be sponsored as candidates for the Sporting Equals LeaderBoard programme, while the league is also committed to "engaging with BAME players to build protocols ensuring all professional players feel safe and protected".