Rugby league legend Billy Boston becomes first in sport to receive knighthood

Former rugby league legend, Billy Boston, has been knighted by King Charles in a ceremony at Buckingham Palace.

At the age of ninety, he is the sport's first player to receive a knighthood in its 130-year history.

Sir Billy made almost five hundred appearances for Wigan Warriors in the 1950s and 1960s.

He is also known as a trailblazer for black sports stars during this time.

Who is Sir Billy Boston?

Sir Billy is one of the rugby league's legends, finishing his career with a British record of 571 tries to his name.

He was born in 1934 in the Tiger Bay area of Cardiff.

As a young boy, he always wanted to play rugby union for Wales.

However, in those days, opportunities were limited for black players in the sport and Sir Billy made the difficult decision to switch sports to rugby league.

He signed for Wigan Warriors and it was at the north west club where his talent really shone through and he made a name for himself.

Boston went on to score 478 tries in 488 matches during his 15-year career at Wigan, winning three Challenge Cups for the club.

Internationally, he made history as the first non-white player to be selected for a Great Britain rugby league Lions tour in 1954.

He made 31 Test appearances for Great Britain and was also part of the team that won the 1960 Rugby League World Cup.

Sir Billy has been praised for helping to open doors for black players in the sport.

The rugby league legend was accompanied at Buckingham Palace by his family and colleagues from his former club.

After receiving his knighthood, Sir Billy's wife Lady Joan, said his family were "so proud of him" and "excited that everything he's done for the sport and for our [rugby league] community is being recognised".

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer was also full of praise for Sir Billy and his achievements.

"Boston is a legend of the game who overcame prejudice to represent Great Britain and opened the door to a more diverse game," Sir Keir explained.

He added that it was a "historic wrong" that no rugby league player had received a knighthood until now.