We have seen sports people known as “Kings” or “Princes” for their feats in extraordinary careers, but we rarely see authenticity in the title; a Prince who plays international rugby.
Prince Alexander Sergeevich Obolensky is one such player who had a brief but spectacular time playing for the English rugby team.
The Prince epitomised the saying “that we are only here for a short time” in the four internationals he played for England and the brief life he led.
While his Tests are few in number, his deeds are remembered by rugby followers around the globe in a fabled career.
In 1936 his two tries enabled England to defeat the All Blacks at Twickenham for the first time in a notable debut for the “Flying Prince.”
There are differing reports as to which of the two tries is the better.
The first is a classic winger’s try, searing speed takes him around his opposing player in a glorious run from halfway.
The second try reminded me of David Campese’s try in the 1991 Rugby World Cup in a diagonal burst that made the defence look hapless.
His first try has been labelled as one of the finest tries scored by an English player. Hints of the great English winger David Duckham are recalled with the Princes’ flying blond hair, pace and rare ability.
At Trent College where he attended, it was recorded that he ran the 100 metres on grass in the extraordinary time of 10.2 seconds.
Prince Obolensky was born in 1916 in Petrograd in the Russian Empire to his parents Prince Serge Obolensky and Princess Lubov Naryshkina. The family name originates from the ancient city of Obolensk.
The Prince left Russia for England as a baby with his aristocratic family after the Bolshevik Revolution of 1917.
He discovered rugby union at school at the age of fifteen and joined the Chesterfield Rugby Football Club and made appearances for Leicester Tigers and Rosslyn Park.
Obolensky attended the constituent Brasenose College of Oxford University where he won a Blue, which is the highest honour given to individual sportspeople.
He came under public scrutiny at the historical Oxford vs Cambridge rugby match where his pace and defence impressed viewers.
Fame was just around the corner when the Prince was controversially selected for England versus the All Blacks in front of 72,000 spectators at Twickenham.
I gather he was a resident of Britain rather than a citizen. His two tries created a legend in the English rugby community.
He did go tryless in his next three internationals against Wales, Ireland and Scotland. Selection for the British Lions tour of Argentina followed, where there does not appear to be a record of him playing in the “Test” against Argentina.
There is no surprise that he was invited to the Barbarians FC 1937-39, scoring three tries.
When World War II broke out in 1939 Obolensky joined the Royal Air Force as an Acting Pilot Officer, but then tragedy struck.
At the age of 24, he was picked for England again but was killed on a training mission when his Hawker Hurricane aircraft crashed on landing in Suffolk.
He was buried at the Ipswich New Cemetery where the tribute reads, “His undaunted spirit and endearing qualities live forever in the hearts of all who knew him”.
He was reported to be the first rugby international to be killed in the Second World War.
James Hehir CEO of the local council said Obo, as he was also known, “was a true rugby legend”.
Obo’s niece also unveiled a statue in Ipswich in 2008 as a tribute to the Prince. A suite and restaurant are named “Obolensky’s” at Twickenham and a building named in his honour at his old school.
The superb book, “All Black Magic” by Bob Howitt and Diane Haworth told the story of Obo’s nephew Edward, a former England under-18 trialist stating: “he cannot go anywhere without reference to both his name and the game of ’36 cropping up”.
The book also identifies the Prince as their overseas “Player of the Decade” for the 1930s.
There is something captivating about the young, dashing Prince who lived life to the fullest, providing a fascinating story from a short-lived life.
The glamorous Prince who fled Russia and became an international rugby star, any movie makers out there?