Sunday Social: Rugby pays tribute to Queen Elizabeth II

Adam Kyriacou
Sunday Social rugby tributes to Queen Elizabeth II

It is time for Planet Rugby’s Sunday Social, a recap of the talking points which this week focusses on the sport’s heartfelt messages to the Queen.

The sad passing of Queen Elizabeth II on Thursday has understandably seen an outpouring from people paying their respects and rugby was no different this week.

We begin with Premiership Rugby as they remembered the “inspirational” life Her Majesty led, with this message on the day something that many clubs followed.

For example, reigning Premiership champions Leicester Tigers kept their tribute short on Thursday while posting this lovely black and white image of the Queen.

The Queen saw plenty of memorable sporting moments and this picture from 2003 with the Rugby World Cup-winning England team was a proud day for the players.

Of course the social media messages also came from outside England as Scottish Rugby joined the rugby world in leaving a heartfelt tribute on their Twitter page.

The Welsh Rugby Union also added their own words as they remembered the Queen, who was a Royal Patron for over 50 years, accompanied by another great picture.

Further afield, the All Blacks posted images from the archives of the Queen with legends Andrew Mehrtens, Jerry Collins, Tana Umaga and Ma’a Nonu among others.

We also loved this picture of former France international captain Raphaël Ibañez with the Queen, who the hooker called “a great lady” after meeting her on the field.

Looking further back and former England captain Will Carling was quick to post this image as he remembered meeting Queen Elizabeth II on a number of occasions.

The trips down memory lane continued with former South Africa finisher Bryan Habana putting up this image alongside Victor Matfield and former Wallaby Henry Speight.

There was also a video of the Wallabies, including a young Matt Giteau with their squad’s mascot, meeting the Queen back in 2002. Moments players will never forget.

Staying in Australia, the Reds posted their own tribute as the great John Eales, a Queensland legend, was given the Rugby World Cup trophy by the Queen in 1999.

Returning to the present day and Edinburgh wore black armbands for their pre-season friendly game against Benetton as the club offered an insight into their tribute.

Finally, each Premiership game on Saturday and Sunday observed a minute’s silence before the national anthem, with pictures such as this seen around the grounds across England’s top flight as rugby paid its respects to Her Majesty in their own way.

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