Shropshire Star

On this day in 2004: Jason Robinson and England make history

.The former rugby league winger led England against Canada at Twickenham.

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On this day in 2004, Jason Robinson became the first black player to captain England in a rugby union Test.

The former rugby league winger was selected by coach Andy Robinson to lead the side against Canada at Twickenham, taking over from the injured Jonny Wilkinson.

Robinson marked the occasion with a dazzling hat-trick of tries as England put their opponents to the sword with a 70-0 victory.

Josh Lewsey (2), Mike Tindall, Mark Cueto (2), Charlie Hodgson, Will Greenwood, Lewis Moody and Hugh Vyvyan also crossed in a dominant display.

Robinson, who won 51 caps for England and was part of the team that won the World Cup in 2003, scoring a try in the final against Australia, said last month on Twitter that becoming the first black player to captain England was “a very proud moment in my career”.

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