Rugby Team Drops Nickname to Reflect ‘Diversity in Society’

The Rugby Football Union (RFU) has dropped the nickname “Saxons” for one of the top England teams following a Black Lives Matter-inspired diversity review into the sport.

England’s second team, which has been referred to as the “Saxons” since 2006, will have its name changed back to the old “England A” team when they face off against Scotland A in Leicester in June, in order “to reflect the diversity in society."

Announcing their decision to scrap the “inappropriate” nickname, an RFU spokesman said: “We have chosen to revert to the traditional name of ‘England A’ for this fixture against ‘Scotland A’ as a better representation of our team today.”

The decision to scrap the “Saxons” nickname comes after the union conducted a Black Lives Matter-inspired review of the use of the song ‘Swing Low, Sweet Chariot’ because of its links to slavery in the United States.

While ‘Swing Low’ has not officially been banned, the RFU has encouraged fans to refrain from singing it while embarking upon a role in “educating” the fanbase on the song’s origins.