Reaching for the stars
In the RFU President’s dining room at Twickenham Stadium, royalty, politicians, business leaders, rugby legends and sports organisations gather on a match day. The guests include a representation of modern Britain but until recently the traditional pictures on the walls lacked inclusivity.
That was until award winning artist Nneka Uzoigwe was commissioned by RFU Chair, Tom Ilube, to create a work epitomising the women’s game and honouring the Red Roses: Past, Present and Future.
The oil on canvas painting, loaned by Tom to the RFU in perpetuity, was officially unveiled to coincide with the TikTok Women’s Six Nations and in advance of what is likely to be a world-record crowd for a women’s international when England take on France at Twickenham in the stadium’s first-ever standalone women’s Test.
Said the recently retired England captain Sarah Hunter: “When Tom first mentioned this, I thought it was such an amazing idea to represent the women’s game and the history behind it. It shows how integral the women’s game is to rugby now, with this amazing piece of artwork taking pride of place. In another 100 years, it will have stood the test of time.”
Tom Ilube said: “This room is really in the heart of rugby and, while I was impressed by its paintings, I realised we needed to do something about the lack of diversity. People will come from all over the world when we host the Rugby World Cup final here in 2025, so I commissioned a painting on a par with all the others that would stand alongside them in this day and age and tell the story of the women’s game.”
Carol Isherwood OBE, the first ever captain of Great Britain and England, said at the unveiling: “You come into Twickenham and see giant pictures of the women players on the outside of the stadium. Now to have this painting in the heart of the stadium validates our game and is important to counteract unconscious bias. I think it’s incredible that now when people come into the room they will see respect for the women’s game, it’s a big illustration of respect and we will be proud to know it’s here.”
Artist Nneka Uzoigwe said: “It is delightful to be presented with this kinb of commission which illustrates a moment in the sport’s history. I thought a lot about how to depict the women’s assertiveness, competitiveness, camaraderie and kinetic energy and decided to depict a lineout so that they are reaching for the stars and the dream.”
