Portugal Colonial - Welsh rugby league great Boston dies, aged 92

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Welsh rugby league great Boston dies, aged 92 / Photo: Aaron Chown - POOL/AFP

Welsh rugby league great Boston dies, aged 92

ECONOMY 25.08.2026

Billy Boston, who last year became the first rugby league player to be awarded a knighthood, has died at the age of 92.

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The Welsh Rugby Union confirmed his death on Tuesday.

"Sir Billy Boston, one of the best loved and most iconic figures in the history of Welsh sport, has passed away peacefully at the age of 92," said a WRU statement.

"The most famous son of Tiger Bay, he died overnight in hospital in his adopted home for the last 72 years, Wigan.

"His death came only four days after the funeral of his wife, Lady Joan, to whom he had been married for 70 years."

Boston starred for Wigan and Great Britain in the 1950s and 1960s, becoming a trailblazer for black sportsmen and one of rugby league's greatest-ever players.

He scored 478 tries in 488 matches for Wigan after making the switch from rugby union in 1953.

King Charles III knighted him at a ceremony in June 2025 after a campaign lead by local politicians and senior rugby league figures.

A.Seabra--PC

Portugal Colonial - Welsh rugby league great Boston dies, aged 92

Welsh rugby league great Boston dies, aged 92

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