HARLEQUINS RUGBY | RECLAIMING THE NARRATIVE.

HARLEQUINS RUGBY | RECLAIMING THE NARRATIVE.

Twickenham Stoop, matchday energy, and a group of young people ready to mix culture, sport, and creativity. This was not just a workshop, it was about celebrating Black history in rugby and giving young Londoners a way to tell that story in their own style.

Why?
Black players have made a huge impact on rugby, from the pre-professional era right through to today’s game. But their stories are often underrepresented. This workshop aimed to put those stories front and centre, while giving young people the tools to explore history, identity, and creative expression in one session.

How?
In partnership with the Harlequins Foundation HITZ programme, we ran a special Black History Month printing workshop on matchday ahead of Harlequins’ Gallagher Premiership fixture against Saracens.

The session began with:

  • Thabo Stuck sharing the history of Black players at Harlequins — from Everton Weekes to Chandler Cunningham-South and Babalwa Latsha — and their influence on and off the pitch.

  • Sagan Daniels (Rugby Black List founder) leading a discussion on reclaiming narratives, the importance of Black History Month, and why representation matters.

Then we hit the creative stage:

  • A t-shirt printing tutorial led by Kalos Creates, using Castore shirts and graphics of historical Black players.
  • Each participant designed and printed their own shirt, blending what they’d learned with their personal style.

What was the point?

By the numbers:

  • 12 HITZ programme students took part
  • 100% created their own Black history-inspired shirt
  • 90% said they learned new stories about Black players in rugby they hadn’t heard before

By the moments:
“I didn’t know about some of these players, now I can wear the history and tell people about it.”

Who was involved?
Big thanks to Harlequins Foundation, Quinssa, Sagan Daniels, Rugby Black List, Kalos Creates, and Castore for making this happen.

So, What’s Next?
We are looking at more ways to combine sport, history, and hands-on creativity to celebrate the past while inspiring the next generation of players, fans, and changemakers.

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