06 April 2023 , 08:25
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England star Maro Itoje has opened up on his own "experiences" of racism following the devastating findings of an RFU report.
An eight-month investigation was launched after former Newcastle player Luther Burrell made allegations of racism. The probe concluded that the second row suffered racial abuse during his 13 game stint with the Falcons back in 2020, but the RFU has ruled out taking disciplinary action.
Burrell’s allegations were found to be true "on balance of probability" but the report said there was "insufficient evidence to say whether all the allegations occurred" at the Falcons. Tellingly, the report stated: "In every area of elite rugby – men’s and women’s, national team, clubs and academies – players had experienced some form of racism."
And now Itoje, who has won 65 caps for his country, has revealed his own issues of racism: "I guess I’ve had a few experiences where things weren’t exactly what I’d have liked," he said
"I’ve never felt my skin colour has held me back in terms of selection, in terms of playing or how the coaches have perceived me. But I guess there have been occasions with individuals throughout my time that have been below standard.”
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As for the findings of the report, the 28-year-old was adamant that action now had to be taken: "That’s not a great place to be, that’s not what we want in our sport," he said. "As always we need to be actively trying to be anti-racist and try to eradicate this from our sport, our game and our lives. I definitely hope we can continue to improve in this area, continue to make rugby a much more accessible sport and a much more comfortable sport for all players, regardless of skin colour or creed."
Itoje has won 65 caps for England (Dan Mullan - RFU/The RFU Collection via Getty Images)The Saracens man added: "Most people don’t realise what they are saying or doing is racist until you actually explain it to them," he added. "Often it’s after you have that conversation and they reflect on what they said - because racism is racism, regardless of the intent behind it.”
Appearing on talkSPORT on Wednesday, Burrell said he felt his complaints had been 'justified' by the findings of the report. He'd previously labelled his time at Newcastle as a 'dark period' in his career.
The reports comes in the wake of a crisis at the WRU following harrowing allegations of racism, sexism and misogyny. The 'toxic culture' led to the resignation of CEO Steve Phillips.