Junior Nsemba on racism, family and England's World Cup dream
Junior Nsemba has spoken publicly for the first time about being racially abused online, and about why he wants his rugby to answer it.
The 22-year-old Wigan Warriors forward described the abuse in an interview published on 12 October, in the buildup to England's opening Rugby League World Cup group match against Tonga on Saturday 17 October, according to The Guardian.
The abuse followed Wigan's win against St Helens at Magic Weekend in summer 2026. Magic Weekend is Super League's annual festival round, when every club plays at the same stadium over two days. Nsemba was targeted on social media after the game. Police dealt with the case and a 56-year-old man was arrested.
Nsemba's message, reflected in the interview's headline, is that he wants to show young people that "you can rise above the hate". He had not addressed the incident publicly before this week.
His family story reaches across football and rugby. His parents emigrated to England from Cameroon before he was born. He is the nephew of former Liverpool defender Rigobert Song, who represented Cameroon at four football World Cups.
On the field, Nsemba does the heavy lifting that defines a forward in rugby league. Forwards take the ball into contact, make the tackles and win field position through six tackles, the set of six chances a team gets to attack before it must hand over possession. He has become a central part of Wigan under head coach Matt Peet, with chief executive Kris Radlinski also speaking in support during the interview.
England's coaches have tracked him for two years. He was uncapped when he was called into England's squad for the Samoa series in 2024, having just won the Grand Final, Super League's championship decider, with Wigan. He was then named in a 38-man performance programme group last summer, and confirmed in England's men's World Cup squad on 5 October, according to Rugby-League.com.
His club form has held up. Wigan were crowned 2026 Challenge Cup winners at Wembley in May, and Nsemba claimed the ball and grounded it in front of the Wigan end in the final.
The sport says it wants to back players who report abuse. The Rugby Football League runs the Respect campaign, a game-wide initiative that stretches from community clubs up to Super League.
What makes this stand out is Nsemba's choice of timing. He could have stayed silent before a home World Cup. Instead he has used the week of England's first game to talk about racism and belonging.
For fans, this means a familiar name with a new context. England face Tonga first. A young England forward from Wigan, with Cameroonian heritage and a famous footballing uncle, will run out knowing exactly what the shirt means to him.
