England tie themselves in knots over rainbow laces
IN THE SPOTLIGHT: Several international teams plan to wear rainbow laces in support of former Wales captain Gareth Thomas this weekend, but England may avoid a similar gesture because they do not fit into their boots.
Thomas, 44, posted a video on Twitter on Sunday saying he had been a victim of a homophobic assault in Cardiff.
Wales and France have already said their players will be wearing rainbow laces this weekend.
But England’s Sam Underhill, facing Australia on Saturday, said: “I won’t be wearing them personally.”
“That is more to do with, it sounds a bit ridiculous given the size of the issue they are representing, the thickness of the laces, they are actually really uncomfortable in my boots,” the flank told reporters at Twickenham on Friday.
“On game day, little things can make quite big differences.”
He added: “But it is an incredibly worthy cause, an incredibly important cause.
“To see the reaction to the incident with Gareth Thomas in Cardiff earlier this week, the reaction was phenomenal and the rugby community in general has been hugely positive in its support for the LGBT community.”
Agence France-Presse
