Photo: Getty ImagesEngland rugby fans could soon be banned from singing 'Swing Low, Sweet Chariot' at international matches because of its origins as an anthem for American slaves. "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot" was written in about 1865 by a former slave Wallace Willis and was widely adopted by the US civil rights movement a century later. The World Rugby Museum has dated its first use by rugby fans to 1987 in support of Martin 'Chariots' Offiah, a rugby league international who played a sevens tournament at Twickenham Stadium. Moore said he could remember "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot" being sung in rugby clubs in the 1970s when he was a junior player but had no idea why. Despite the RFU's review into Swing Low, Premiership leaders Exeter Chiefs will not be following suit despite previous accusations that they are "playing Indian".

Source: Otago Daily Times June 18, 2020 17:48 UTC