Rugby World Cup 2015

Robin Walker Excerpts

Friday 11th September 2015 Commons Chamber

[Mr Robin Walker (Worcester) (Con)]

Coming from a rugby-mad constituency, I am grateful to my hon. Friend for initiating this debate. I want to mention the fantastic efforts of the Homeless Rugby community interest company. It has been doing brilliant, pioneering work in Worcester with the Warriors Community Foundation and will, in parallel with the rugby world cup, host the first homeless rugby international between England and Scotland in Newcastle later this year. Does my hon. Friend agree that raising awareness of homelessness can be a very important part of the legacy of this rugby world cup?

[Dr Mathias]

I agree with my hon. Friend. I was not aware of that programme and I hope he will get me a ticket for that match—that is always a plus. It is amazing how much of an effect one sport can have. As I was told by the people running Rugbytots, it is not just about the sport: rugby is incredibly important for children developmentally. Women’s rugby and women’s rugby 7s are doing incredibly well, and it is wonderful to hear about the project in my hon. Friend’s constituency.

Just yesterday I came across, from an experiential point of view, wheelchair rugby. I played it for about 15 minutes and was the weakest member of the team, but it is a brilliant sport that is thoroughly exciting to watch and frightening to play. It has come to everybody’s attention only because of the world cup. Rugby can provide a substantial legacy.

The hon. Member for Rhondda (Chris Bryant) tried to make a point about the legacy of the Olympics. I believe that the Olympics changed people’s sporting behaviour, but before the Olympics a social anthropologist told me that the games would not change behaviour. They said it was possible to predict that people who were sporty before, during and after the Olympics would still be sporty people now and that they might take up another sport or increase their sport participation for a time. The problem was that those who were non-sporty people before, during and after the Olympics, might watch and enjoy the games but would not change their behaviour, and would remain non-sporty people. Although I am passionate about rugby, I am concerned that a lot of people in Twickenham are not going to take it up, so the legacy has to go beyond that.

I was excited, surprised and pleased to hear this morning that the RFU has announced a community project at Murray Park in Whitton. That is fabulous, because the park is more than 100 years old and has a brilliant friends group. I am amazed and delighted that a legacy is already being created. I believe it will be of the order of £10,000, which is great, bearing in mind the annual revenue. I am also told that the community will be able to discuss and bid for other projects, which is absolutely brilliant. I am also amazed and delighted that just this morning the RFU announced that Twickenham may get a capital project. That is exactly what I wanted. Twickenham could get so many things from this once-in-a-generation opportunity.

A resident told me that there was a plan a while ago for affordable housing on the RFU land north of the stadium and that it would be wonderful if we could have such a legacy. My constituency is desperate for affordable, key-worker housing. Friends of the River Crane Environment—an incredibly important group in my constituency—tell me that the Duke of Northumberland’s River is right up against the RFU land. This is another opportunity for the community and the sport of rugby to come together to enhance our rivers and our biodiversity, which we are passionate about. That can also be part of our legacy.

Rugby is an amazingly exciting and creative game, and the legacy should also be exciting and creative. Everybody knows about the A316 because of all the lane closures and the need for a resident’s permit. One of the footbridges over the A316 needs upkeep and maintenance. It is desperately needed and used by primary schoolchildren going to St Stephen’s school, and we have campaigned to keep the bridge. How fabulous it would be if a “rugby bridge” could be one of the projects. There are so many legacy options. I am very glad that such excitement and creativity has begun today.

The volunteers have enhanced Twickenham. As I said in the debate on the Olympics, when I went from west London to the Olympics, I was blown away by the volunteers. What England Rugby 2011 have done, even at friendly games, with the Pack—that is what we call the volunteers—is transforming the experience of rugby in Twickenham. I am very pleased that the RFU will try to continue that legacy.

We have a chance to make a step change in Twickenham. It is an oval world, but a new world for rugby and Twickenham. I think that rugby has taken Twickenham for granted; perhaps Twickenham has taken rugby for granted. This is a chance to make a change. It is great that one community project has been announced today—I applaud it—but I challenge the RFU and other rugby bodies to increase the legacies both financially and by continuing them long term. We need such community involvement not just in world cup year, but in the years to come. I thank you, Madam Deputy Speaker, and other hon. Members for this debate.