Everyone at Wales Rugby League wishes Billy Boston – arguably the greatest Welsh rugby player of all time – a very happy birthday.
William John Boston MBE scored 571 tries in 564 appearances his rugby league career, the second highest all-time try scorer in the history of the sport, after Brian Bevan. Many of those were in international rugby league where he played for Wales, Great Britain and Other Nationalities. He won 32 caps for Great Britain and helped them win the World Cup in 1960, becoming their first black tourist in Australia. He scored a further 53 tries in 28 representative matches for the Lions. His two Other Nationalities caps came in the 1955-56 European Championship where he scored five tries in two games as he and seven other Welshmen were in the squad as they beat England and France to win that season’s title. Because of injuries, and the fact that Wales played few games throughout his career, Billy only wore a Welsh shirt for a match once, an uncapped game against France B in 1955. He was however later awarded a heritage number and cap by Wales Rugby League, as he was the only person in that particular side not to play a full international for Wales.
Born in Angelina Street in Tiger Bay, Cardiff, he went to South Church Street School and played for Cardiff Schools, Boys Clubs of Wales, Wales Youth, the CIACS, Pontypridd and Neath in rugby union. He signed for Wigan while still a teenager for £3,000. It was a good deal for Wigan as Billy went on to score 478 tries in 487 matches for them, helping them to win three of the six Challenge Cup finals they reached in his 15 seasons at the club. He also scored twice in their 1960 Championship final victory earn Wigan their first title in eight years, and picked up two Lancashire League and one Lancashire Cup winners medals. Towards the end of his career, he played for Blackpool Borough, making his final appearance in 1970. After finishing his playing career, he took over the running of the Griffin Hotel pub near Wigan’s Central Park ground until his retirement.
He has received many accolades since then. The Billy Boston Stand at Central Park was named in his honour. Similarly, the East Stand at the DW Stadium was officially renamed after Billy Boston in 2009. He is in the Wigan, Great Britain and Wales Halls of Fame, and in 1989 was named on the inaugural Welsh Sports Hall of Fame’s ‘Roll of Honour’ and was made MBE for his services to sport in 1986. In 2012, “Sporting Equals” named him in the top ten black sportsmen and women ever. He given a lifetime achievement award by the BBC in 2016. He has a statue dedicated to him at Wigan and is included on the Rugby League statue at Wembley Stadium. In December 2020 he was named as one of three Welsh rugby league players to be honoured with a new statue in Cardiff Bay, the other two being Gus Risman and Clive Sullivan. The statue was unveiled in July 2023. This year, a children’s book was written about him in English and Welsh by popular children’s author Jessica Dunrod. His grandson Wes Davies also went on to play for Wigan and Wales.
We hope you enjoy your day Billy. Happy Birthday from us all.
Graphic below by Sterling Designs
