Maro Itoje Decides to Stop Singing England Anthem, Says It 'Shouldn't Be Banned'

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by Rugby Rucker

Friday, 21 June 2024 at 06:07

byRugby Rucker

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Maro Itoje has announced his decision to abstain from singing the England rugby anthem "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot."

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However, he maintains that he doesn't support the idea of prohibiting fans from singing it at Twickenham.

The RFU recently carried out an evaluation of the song, which originates from an American slave spiritual. The review acknowledged that numerous supporters were unaware of its historical origins.

“I’m not going to tell people what they should or shouldn’t do but, personally, I won’t sing this song anymore,” he said when speaking with French newspaper L’Equipe..

“I sang it before when I was naive and didn’t know its origins but, knowing now the context in the creation of Swing Low, Sweet Chariot, it’s not an anthem that I’m going to repeat anymore.”

Tande

@tanndde

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Maro Itoje will NOT sing 'Swing Low, Sweet Chariot' ever again due to its origins in American slavery - as England star admits 'I sang it before when I was naive but it's not an anthem that I'm going to repeat any more' appurl.io/t3rKW0HLih

1:14 PM · May 26, 2022

Read 13 replies

It is believed the song was first sung at Twickenham when Martin “Chariots” Offiah featured at the 1987 Middlesex Sevens tournament. In 1988 it became popular among England supporters when Chris Oti scored a hat-trick against Ireland.

The song, which has been a staple at England matches since 1987, came under review by the Rugby Football Union (RFU) in 2020 due to the Black Lives Matter movement.

Although the RFU decided not to ban the song, attributed to Wallace Willis, a freed slave from the 19th century, they produced a video explaining its historical context and stopped using it in marketing and merchandise.

Telegraph picks 2025 British & Irish Lions squad with Marcus Smith missing out

With the conclusion of the Six Nations, marked by England's resurgence and Ireland's triumphant performance once again, The Telegraph have revisited their squad predictions.

Check out who they selected below.

Props:

Zander Fagerson (Scotland)
Tadhg Furlong (Ireland)
Finlay Bealham (Ireland)
Andrew Porter (Ireland)
Ellis Genge (England)
Pierre Schoeman (Scotland)

Ellis Genge, Captain of England during the Summer Nations Series Rugby match between Wales and England at Principality Stadium on August 5, 2023 in Cardiff, Wales. Photo: Phil Mingo/PPAUK

Hookers:

Dewi Lake (Wales)
Dan Sheehan (Ireland)
Ronan Kelleher (Ireland)

Locks:

George Martin (England)
Maro Itoje (England)
Joe McCarthy (Ireland)
Tadhg Beirne (Ireland)
Dafydd Jenkins (Wales)
Scott Cummings (Scotland)

Back-row:

Jac Morgan (Wales)
Tommy Reffell (Wales)
Ben Earl (England)
Caelan Doris (Ireland)
Josh van der Flier (Ireland)
Ollie Chessum (England)

Ben Earl of England celebrates after winning during the Guinness Six Nations Match between England and Ireland at Twickenham Stadium, Twickenham, London on March 9th 2024. - PHOTO: Tom Sandberg/PPAUK

Halfbacks:

Jamison Gibson-Park (Ireland)
Tomos Williams (Wales)
Alex Mitchell (England)
Finn Russell (Scotland)
George Ford (England)
Jack Crowley (Ireland)

Finn Russell, Captain of Scotland Rugby during the Six Nations Rugby match between Wales and Scotland at Principality Stadium on February 3, 2024 in Cardiff, Wales. Photo: Phil Mingo/PPAUK