Statue of Wigan rugby legend Billy Boston unveiled in his hometown of Cardiff

A statue of Wigan rugby league legend Billy Boston has been unveiled in his hometown of Cardiff.

The statue celebrates Billy and his fellow players Clive Sullivan and Gus Risman, the three legendary Welsh ‘Rugby Codebreakers'.

It is the first statue in Wales ever to feature non-fictionalised, named black men.

All three players grew up within a three-mile radius of the Cardiff Bay area, and went on to become some of the country's greatest sporting heroes.

Billy Boston was born on 6 August, 1934 and played for Cardiff Schools, Cardiff and District Rugby Union, Boys Clubs of Wales, Wales Youth, the CIACS and Neath in rugby union.

While still a teenager, he signed for Wigan RL for £3,000. He went on to score 478 tries in 487 matches for them, helping them to win the six Challenge Cup finals they reached in his 15 seasons at the club.

Billy also scored twice in Wigan's 1960 Championship final victory to earn them their first title in eight years, and picked up two Lancashire League and one Lancashire Cup winners medals.

Internationally, he won the World Cup with Great Britain and played 31 times for the Lions, becoming their first black tourist in Australia.

Billy is in the Rugby League and Wigan Halls of Fame, on the Welsh Sports Hall of Fame's ‘Roll of Honour' and was made MBE for his services to sport.

He also has a statue dedicated to him at Wigan and is included on the Rugby League statue at Wembley Stadium.

The statue was the idea of a project called ‘One Team. One Race: Honouring the Cardiff Bay Rugby Codebreakers', which was established in 2020.

It began fundraising for a statue following calls from the Butetown and wider Cardiff Bay community for a fitting tribute to the players who did so much to improve race relations across Britain.

Businessman and philanthropist, Sir Stanley Thomas OBE, took on the role as the chairman and kick started the fundraising campaign with a significant personal donation.

The three players featured on the statue were selected by a public vote.

Cardiff Council Leader, Cllr Huw Thomas, said: "These incredible players brought honour to themselves, their families, the game, and the proud multi-cultural communities where they were brought up.

"The statue will ensure their stories live on as a constant source of inspiration for future generations."

Want a quick and expert briefing on the biggest news stories? Listen to our latest podcasts to find out What You Need To know...