A university student and rugby fan is looking forward to a dream project which will see him interview some of the greatest figures in the English game.
De Montfort University PhD student Joe Hall is to chat to 75 players, including Leicester, England and Lions legends Martin Johnson, Clive Woodward and Peter Wheeler as part of a museum exhibition at Twickenham.
Joe is working with DMU’s International Centre of Sports History and Culture and will interview internationals who played between 1945 and the advent of the modern professional game in 1995 as part of his PhD project.
The ground-breaking Arts and Humanities Research Council research project is being undertaken in collaboration with the Rugby Football Union’s World Rugby Museum at Twickenham.
Joe has been a rugby fan since watching Leicester Tigers as a youngster.
The 27-year-old now lives in south London and gained a history degree from Oxford University before being chosen for the PhD opportunity at DMU in Leicester.
He said: “I was interviewed for the PhD post at Twickenham, which was pretty cool in itself.
“I feel very lucky to have been given the chance to carry this research out.
“It’s incredibly exciting and combines my great loves of the game of rugby and of history.
“We’re trying to include all sorts of players, from the big names and captains of the past to those who scored the most tries or other record-breakers.
“But we also want to look at those who maybe played only once. I’m really looking forward to it. “
First up in Joe’s schedule of interviews in the three-year collaborative award project will be those who played for England in the 1940s and 1950s.
But he said he is particularly looking forward to chatting to Martin Johnson and Clive Woodward.
He said: “They are fascinating characters and, like every England fan, I know they were at the helm when England lifted the world cup in 2003.
“It will be a massive thrill for me as rugby fan to get up close and personal with such greats of the game.”
It is hoped that some of the most interesting material gathered by Joe can be used when England hosts the Rugby World Cup next year.
Tony Collins, head of DMU’s International Centre of Sports History and Culture, said: “The aim is to make audio recordings of players from all different eras of the game, from the different regions and from one-cap wonders to the likes of Will Carling and Bill Beaumont, who played dozens of matches for England.
“The idea is also to use it to hear a few insights into how British society changed and about the way the game reflected the changes from amateur to professionally-driven motives.
“We want to hear about their experiences on the pitch, how playing for England may have helped them in their careers outside rugby and how it might have changed their lives.”
Article source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-26107462
England rugby greats to be part of oral history at Twickenham
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