Its a pity that rugby can be caricatured as a white sport, laments Alexandre Ruiz, manager of Soyaux/Angoulême.

Alexandre Ruiz reacts to controversy surrounding racism in amateur rugby

In the opening of the press conference of SA XV, who will play against Aix-en-Provence for the 28th day of Pro D2 on Friday, the manager Alexandre Ruiz from Angoulême felt the need to respond to comments made by LFI deputy Thomas Portes mentioning a “lack of diversity in the world of amateur rugby” and “exacerbated racist comments” on the YouTube channel Paroles d’honneur.

“I read this surrounded by some SA XV players with completely different skin colors and different origins. Some of them were shocked. It’s a shame that we can caricature rugby as a sport for white people,” said Alexandre Ruiz, explaining that he is “divorced from a Brazilian woman with two mixed-race children, one of whom plays rugby in Béziers, and I didn’t see the sports director of Béziers tell me that my son was banned from going to Béziers because he was mixed-race. […] I have never seen a child of color being banned from playing rugby.”

“Just go watch the weekend rugby tournaments for young children to see that rugby is full of diversity,” he insisted, also citing the example of the La Couronne Regional 2 club in the suburbs of Angoulême: “When I go see La Couronne, I see diversity everywhere. I see diversity in the 9000 people who were in the stadium Friday night (against Vannes). I see diversity in the city.”

“I find that creating controversies that are very dangerous,” he concluded, “proud to coach a team full of white, mixed-race, black players. Rich in completely different diversity and cultures. […] Let’s keep our values that are ours, let everyone stay in their place and the sheep will be well guarded.”