Welsh sporting great Sir Billy Boston dies aged 92
Nation.Cymru staff/ agencies
Welsh rugby league great Sir Billy Boston, who last year became the first player in the sport’s history to receive a knighthood, has died aged 92.
The Cardiff-born sporting legend, who overcame racism and prejudice to become one of rugby league’s greatest players, died overnight in hospital in Wigan, his adopted home for more than seven decades.
His death came just four days after the funeral of his wife Lady Joan, to whom he had been married for 70 years.
The Welsh Rugby Union announced his death, describing him as “one of the best loved and most iconic figures in the history of Welsh sport”.
It said: “The most famous son of Tiger Bay, he died overnight in hospital in his adopted home for the last 72 years, Wigan.”
Born in Cardiff’s Tiger Bay, Boston grew up playing rugby union before switching codes to join Wigan in 1953 at the age of 19.
He went on to score 478 tries in 488 appearances for the club during the 1950s and 1960s and remains Wigan’s record try scorer.
Boston was also a pioneering figure for black sportsmen in Britain.
In 1954, he became the first non-white player selected for a Great Britain rugby league Lions tour.
He scored 36 tries in 18 appearances during the tour of Australia and New Zealand, including a then-record four in one match against the Kiwis.
Boston went on two further Lions tours in 1958 and 1962 and finished his international career with 24 tries in 31 Test appearances for Great Britain.
Boston was one of three celebrated Cardiff Bay “codebreakers”, alongside Clive Sullivan and Colin Dixon, who left Wales to make their names in professional rugby league.
His contribution to the sport was finally recognised with a knighthood in June 2025, making him the first rugby league player to receive the honour.
Campaign
Boston, who revealed in 2016 that he was living with vascular dementia, was knighted by the King in June 2025 during a private ceremony at Buckingham Palace amid concerns over his health.
The honour followed a campaign involving politicians, councillors and leading figures from rugby league.
At the time, his son Stephen said the recognition had been a long time coming.
He said: “It’s a really great honour. I think it has come a little bit late. It could have come a little bit earlier.
“130 years before a rugby league player got knighted.
“We’re all really appreciative and very appreciative of all the support we’ve got from Wigan the rugby league club, the local MP and all the fans.”
Support our Nation today
For the price of a cup of coffee a month you can help us create an independent, not-for-profit, national news service for the people of Wales, by the people of Wales.
Get more trusted Welsh news
Choose Nation.Cymru as a preferred source in Google News to see more of our journalism.
