Rugby unites in support of boy told he was too ‘big’ to play

By STEVE DOUGLAS
AP Sports Writer

It started as a father’s message of support for his son who’d been abused online for being too “big” to play rugby. Now Alfie Pugsley is the talk of the sport and the subject of a wave of well-wishes and inspirational replies from many of rugby’s most famous players and teams who have offered some unlikely opportunities to the 11-year-old from south Wales. His father tweeted on Sunday to say he had removed a Facebook post because “an idiot commented saying my boy is too ‘big’ to play under 12s and isn’t healthy.” The post has provoked an outpouring of support and been liked more than 220,000 times.