Rugby league great Sir Billy Boston dies aged 92

Sir Billy Boston, the former Wigan and Great Britain winger regarded as one of rugby league’s greatest players, has died at the age of 92. BBC Sport reported his death on Tuesday, August 25. No cause of death was given in the initial report.

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Born in Cardiff on August 6, 1934, Boston began in rugby union before moving north and signing for Wigan in 1953. He went on to spend 15 seasons with the club, establishing a scoring record that remains central to his standing in the sport. The Rugby Football League records 478 tries in 488 Wigan appearances.

Boston finished his first-class career with 571 tries, the highest total by a British rugby league player and second on the sport’s all-time list behind Brian Bevan. He combined pace and power on the wing and helped Wigan win the Challenge Cup three times, in 1958, 1959 and 1965.

His international record was also exceptional. Boston scored 24 tries in 31 Test appearances for Great Britain and was part of the team that won the 1960 Rugby League World Cup. In 1954, shortly after joining Wigan, he became the first Black player to represent Great Britain on a Lions tour of Australia and New Zealand, scoring 36 tries in 18 tour appearances, according to reporting by the Associated Press.

Boston’s career carried significance beyond his scoring totals. The Cardiff-born son of a Sierra Leonean father and Irish mother became a pioneering Black figure in British sport during the 1950s and 1960s. The RFL has described him as a trailblazer who overcame prejudice and helped open doors for other Black players.

His achievements received their highest official recognition in June 2025, when King Charles knighted him at Buckingham Palace. The honour made Boston the first rugby league player to be knighted directly for achievements in the sport. He had also been inducted into rugby league’s Hall of Fame in 1988, while statues in Wigan, Cardiff and at Wembley commemorate his place in the game’s history.