Words by Jeffrey Arthur
Ahead of the release of his Amazon documentary, Prep To Win: Harlequins, we sat down with the Bath and England rugby star about the need to increase access to the sport.
Rugby’s long had a reputation as the sport of choice for the middle and upper classes. Whilst that may be of little concern to some, it’s an image that needs changing – fast. In the age of social media and easy access to information, we’re all looking for a fairer, more equal world. In other sports, the same demands are being made – the beautiful game being an obvious example. From coaches to greater opportunities for those from poorer backgrounds, a lot needs to be done to ‘level the playing field.’ In rugby, 27-year-old Beno Obano, an England and Bath prop star, is leading the way, leveraging his star power and the unavoidable reach of Amazon to spark important conversations.
I met him in a studio in London, and we shot the breeze about all things, rugby, life and his upcoming documentary, Prep To Win: Harlequins, on Amazon. He’s right at home in the nation’s capital – he was born here: “I was born in an estate in Peckham.” He’s from humble beginnings, something he makes no attempt to hide. In the first part of our chat, he recollects memories from his childhood with impressive ease, smiling and weaving through details of his formative years. On the environment he grew up in, he tells me everything was “normal”, adding that his parents did well to shield him from trouble: “I was separate from it.” The 27-year-old rugby player spent his early educational years at The London Oratory School, before receiving a scholarship to attend the prestigious Dulwich College.
It was at the 403-year-old institution – where the likes of Chiwetel Ejifor were educated – that Beno Obano got introduced to rugby, a sport he owes his career to. The introduction was less out of choice, though, and more out of force: “I went to the school in West London, and they played rugby. And they forced me to play rugby.” In fairness, had I been Obano’s PE teacher, I’d have probably made the same call. He’s physically imposing, a unit, and any other word capable of describing his impressive physical presence.
To date, he’s amassed impressive numbers, taking to rugby like a duck to water. Practice made perfect – and he’s grateful for all the lessons he’s had to learn along the way. Comfortably slouched in an old (but very nice) wooden chair, the 27-year-old strikes an impressively confident tone.
Asked where that quiet, self-assured confidence comes from, he points to his time at Dulwich – and more importantly, how everyone else around him seemed to it, too: “they had so many expectations in life…and what they’re meant to achieve. That sort of rubs off on you.” But even with obvious physical advantages and a helping hand from scholarships, his journey to the top of his profession wasn’t always smooth sailing. Adjusting to a new school environment – especially Dulwich – isn’t easy. His first year wasn’t “great” – and in his own words, he didn’t play “too well.” To step up his game, he had a good, long conversation with himself: “I said[ to myself], Beno if you’re gonna do this, you’re gonna do this properly. The second year I played, and played really well”.
Since joining Bath (academy) in 2014, he’s racked up more than 100 appearances. Then came the big England debut, a recognition of his obvious on-field talents. Since then, he’s gone on to play two more games in an England shirt, impressing against Scotland in the Six Nations.
“I went to the school in West London, and they played rugby. And they forced me to play rugby”
Of late – injuries aside – it’s all going swimmingly well. So much so, that the London-born star just put pen to paper on a new deal with Bath. Once upon a time not too long ago, things weren’t looking so good. For sports stars, few things are worse than injuries. Pointing to his back, he tells the story of when he suffered a major back injury. And to make matters worse, he hardly had the financial means for an operation. His way out? A trusted friend with a good job: “so one of my bredrins, he was working at KPMG at the time, and he had money. So I asked him: can you lend me some money to get an injection?” With that favour, Beno Obano carried on playing – signing a three-year contract with his club solemn after.
All-in-all, as we chat about his career to date, there’s little to fuss about. Playing a sport you love at the highest level is the stuff of dreams. There’s not a lot he’d change – except on the topic of what more the sport could do to open up opportunities for others. He’s not making a complaint, and he’s definitely not pointing the finger at anyone. He wants that noted, in writing, offering a half-serious smile as he tells me so. He’s all about opening up the game of rugby to a whole new audience.
To make his point, he directed and produced a new documentary for Amazon: “I felt we wanted to change the way people viewed rugby and to get people from ends playing rugby a bit more.” His first documentary, Everybody’s Game, debuted on the streaming giant’s platform in November 2020. Doing the work to increase representation requires hard work. He’s not keen to call it a “problem.” In his view, doing so doesn’t help: “I wanted to stay away from calling it a problem…If you call it a problem, it’s now somebody’s fault. It’s no one’s fault. It is a reality we live in – but we can change that and improve it”, he said, in an interview with iNews.
Getting people from “non-traditional” backgrounds playing rugby is important, it’s something Obano’s keen to do with his documentaries. Dressed in a Stone Island jumper and corduroy cargos (from the same brand), he recounts – with some excitement – “something sick” that happened as a result of his first documentary: “ a school, a big, big private school got in touch with me after watching the documentary, and they said they’ll fund a kid to go to that school for every year from 16 to 18.” It’s the only time he’s truly animated. With his latest documentary, Prep To Win: Harlequins, he’s hoping to do more of the same. And not just in rugby, either: “if people can take that model and then do tennis, which is another very middle-class sport, cricket, etc. Then, it’s sport – but it’s still changing people’s socio-economic status.”
“If you call it a problem, it’s now somebody’s fault. It’s no one’s fault. It is a reality we live in – but we can change that and improve it”
Not many can string together a decent, self-directed documentary. Even fewer can do so whilst dazzling fans on a rugby field. “I literally got in there and studied”, Beno Obano tells me, explaining how he used Youtube and social media to pick up some shooting and directing tips. “And you know what the maddest thing is about making documentaries? Music plays for the whole documentary… so I had to go on Google and Youtube and be like when do you start and stop the music. I would just Google every possible thing about filmmaking, and then just learn that way.”
Bringing out his inner Scorcese is something he clearly enjoys. More than rugby, I ask? “Nah”, he says, shaking his head with slight disapproval. “There’s nothing like playing in front of 80,000 people. There’s just nothing that compares. When you pull up to the stadium and everyone’s wearing the shirt you wear. It’s just different.” It’s something he hopes to bring out in Prep To Win: Harlequins, a film about what it takes to play at the highest level. For younger audiences, it also illustrates the obvious benefits of playing sport. It also shows – as Beno Obano hopes – that anyone is capable of playing and enjoying the sport.
Born and raised in south London, he’s the very embodiment of why sport – when accessed by people from all walks of life – can be important. To round off (as always) we chat about style, his heroes and entertainment. Dressed in a Stone Island hoodie and trousers and a pair of Nike Shox TLs, he described his style as originating from south London: “I still like to remember the things I wanted to buy when I was a youth. So like, TN’s, I used to want them – I’ve got like 20 or 30 pairs now.”
“A school, a big, big private school got in touch with me after watching the documentary, and they said they’ll fund a kid to go to that school for every year from 16 to 18.”
Like all who take style seriously, he’s no slouch when it comes to a good timepiece. On his wrist is a pretty nice Rolex, a Datejust in oyster steel and yellow gold, with a neat jubilee bracelet. It’s the same kind that adorns the wrist of some of sport’s most stylish names, including David Beckham.
On who made a big impression on him as a young boy, he gives an answer most – including me – can easily identify with: “I think it’s my mum.” Beno Obano talks openly about what it took for his parents to move from Nigeria to come to the UK, with little else but hope and determination. Having heard him talk so movingly about that, I understand a little better why he’s creating these documentaries.
It’s sort of personal I think. He’s on a mission to give someone else the same chance he’s had to make a name for themselves in one of the world’s biggest sports. In the not too distant future, I imagine someone who looks and sounds just like him standing on the field at Twickenham – all because Beno Obano was willing to have an important conversation.
Prep To Win: Harlequins airs on Amazon Prime.
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