Jason Robinson is widely regarded as a legendary sportsman, who mastered the art of playing Rugby in both the Rugby League and the Rugby Union and was the first Black British man to Captain the England Rugby Team. Renowned for his trademark sidestep, speed and ability to defeat defenders, Jason initially began playing rugby for Wigan, before playing for Bath, Sale Sharks, Fylde, the England National Team and the British & Irish Lions. Across the course of his illustrious career, Jason played an impressive 281 games, solidifying his name in the history books of the sport with an incredible 171 tries - having also been appointed MBE and OBE. Having since retired from professional sports, Jason is now the Founder of JR Talks and JR Sports Stars, inspiring people from urban city underprivileged communities to achieve their life goals and increase their confidence.
Talent spotted whilst playing for Hunslet Boys Club, Jason’s illustrious rugby career began playing for Wigan. During his time at Wigan, Jason was a pivotal player in their victories of a Super League title, three Challenge Cup titles, three Regal Trophy wins, four Championships and four Premiership titles. Having also played as the Captain of Sale Sharks, Jason was able to help the team place third in the tables, win a European Challenge Cup, reach the quarter-finals of the Heineken Cup and win the 2005 Guinness Premiership final. Having played 159 games for Sale Sharks and achieved an impressive 248 points, Jason’s talent also earned him a spot playing for England, Great Britain and the British Lions – having played in three World Cups, scored England’s only try in the 2003 Rugby World Cup and been capped five times for the Lions. Across the course of his England career, Jason scored an impressive 28 tries in 51 caps and was also the Captain of the England National Team in 2004.
Jason is now a leading keynote speaker – having been voted one of the world’s best social mobility speakers. Having grown up in an abusive family in a poor part of Leeds, Jason was witness to horrific domestic abuse throughout his childhood, and was the first to have a job in his family at the age of 16. Jason inspires all with his personal experiences of overcoming adversity, having forged his success in an industry where private schooling is prolific with no qualifications, talent-spotted training in his older sister’s hand-me-down clothing and shoes, navigated childhood being the only Black member of his family and not meeting his father until he was 36 years old. Having struggled to find his place not only within his family, but society too, Jason reached his lowest point in life whilst securing 6 figure contracts and winning World Cups – having attempted suicide and experienced suicidal thoughts. Such experiences have inspired Jason to become a vocal advocate for mental health, racism, abuse, diversity and inclusion. In recognition of his prominence, Jason has been awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Lycamobile British Ethnic Diversity Sports Awards.
Today, Jason shares his story with his company JR Talks, motivated to build mental resilience in all walks of life. Having navigated finding his own place in society and authored Finding My Feet, Jason is hired not only to share how he forged his inspirational success as a prolific rugby player, but his personal experiences of adversity and how he forged mental resilience to overcome such adversity. A passionate and powerful speaker on social mobility, diversity and inclusion, Jason emphasises the true importance of equality no matter a person’s background or circumstances - and Champions Speakers are proud to be an official speaker agent of Jason Robinson. Jason is also a passionate advocate for racial equality. If you are looking for a passionate advocate on social mobility, racial equality, diversity, inclusion and building resilience, don’t hesitate in hiring Jason Robinson today.
In April 2023 we sat down with Jason Robinson and conducted interviews discussing diversity in sport & inspiring future generations and how to best manage the pressures of elite sport. Watch our Exclusive Interviews with Jason Robinson.
Jason Robinson's official speaking topics are listed below:
- Social Mobility & Inclusion
- Mental Health & Resilience
- High Performance Teams
- Inclusive Leadership
Official Feedback from In-Person & Virtual Events
Feedback from In-Person Events:
"The event was amazing, and Jason was great. It was very well received by our audience. Some general comments and feedback we received included: "Really open and honest", "Inspiring talk", "Really engaging" and "What I found most impressive was his modesty, which is a quality that has become much underrated"..." - Latham & Watkins
"It was such a good evening, Jason was amazing and we have had some really good feedback form people who attended. Jason arrived early so we were able to get to know him a little more ahead of the event and he kindly posed for photos with us" - Lesley, Senior Information Systems Business Partner, Howden
"The event was really great, it has been our most engaged with D&I event so far. We had 100 colleagues in person and over 440 online. Jason’ talk went down extremely well and seemed to really resonate with our colleagues here. I’ve had colleagues go out of their way to come up to the team and thank us for putting it on. I’d like to thank him again for such an open and honest talk about mental health, and how that intersects with many different aspects of his life." - Neil, Diversity & Inclusion Manager, Clyde & Co LLP
"I'm getting in touch as I was lucky enough to watch and listen to Jason's inspiring and motivational presentation at the South London Careers Hub celebration event in Twickenham yesterday." - John, Director, Resourceful Careers
"Thank you so much Jason for such a moving and inspiring session. The feedback has been outstanding. It was very well received by everyone who attended from Dentons" - Nick, Partner, Dentons
"Jason was fantastic, his story and speech was so captivating, and it really had everyone so engaged and inspired. We had really good feedback from the guests and the client. He stuck around and sat with some teams when they was doing their breakout sessions which I thought was great of him to do" - Paighton, Make Events
"Jason Robinson OBE, the first black man to captain the England team and 2003 England Rugby World Cup winner, gave a powerful speech on his experiences as a black male and the importance of diversity and inclusion in all areas of life. He touched on the topic of social mobility, and the fact that everyone should have the opportunity to succeed, regardless of their background. Jason himself is a great example of someone who has achieved success through hard work and determination, despite facing significant challenges along the way. I was particularly moved by the stories he told of his upbringing, and inspired by how he uses his own experience to empower others. Overall, the evening was inspiring, informative, and thought-provoking. I feel incredibly grateful to have been a part of such an important conversation." - Imogen, Senior Marketing Associate at Fujitsu UK | Co-Chair, Ability Matters
"Just a quick not on behalf of the Dentons partners for your great session on Tuesday. The feedback has been very very good. The heartfelt and personal messages you conveyed brought a very important subject to life in such a powerful way." - Martin, TMT Partner, Head of Commercial Division & Global Board Member, Dentons
"Thanks to Jason for his keynote speech yesterday! He was amazing, such an inspirational speaker, who took the whole audience on a journey. He really set the tone and intention for our event and drove home the message about how we can all support young people to be their best!" - Rachel, Strategic Lead, South London Partnership Careers Hub
"Just wanted to drop a line to say thank you very much for helping to arrange everything with Jason yesterday. He was an absolute pro and a brilliant guest on the show. With the episode being the first of the format/series, we appreciate it might have been a punt in the dark for both you and Jason to do this so wanted to extend our appreciation for that." - Gambling Zone Podcast
"Yesterdays event went really well. Please convey our thanks to Jason for being willing to step in on such short notice, delivering a powerful keynote message and finally just being an incredibly nice guy!" - Bank ABC
"8-year-old me would be absolute awe right now! I remember watching the game like it was yesterday and that whole tournament is what made me love rugby and attend Twickenham as often as I can." - Experian
"Fantastic session, thanks for organising. My KPI's are going to be through the roof this afternoon after listening to that." - Experian
"Amazing session. Absolute legend of the sport and very insightful to hear his personal story. Thanks all involved. Thanks, Jason, for your honest and open discussion." - Experian
"I thought Jason Robinson was truly inspirational last night—what a great character! Looking forward to catching up very soon." - Harry, Commercial Director, MTS Logistics Limited
"Jason was fantastic! His journey truly demonstrated the power of ‘breaking barriers,’ overcoming societal expectations, and pushing past limits. Jason resonated with our audience from different generations, especially younger attendees who really looked up to him. He kept everyone very engaged!"- Ajay, Gambit Partners
"The event with Jason was amazing! It has been one of our best-attended events with over 150 in-house and online. The feedback has been incredible after the event; I don’t think anyone left the session not being impacted." - Nicole, Mizuho
- 2022 - Brand Ambassador for Vodafone Business
- 2022 - Ambassador of CamperKing
- 2021 - Non-Executive Director of Sale Sharks Rugby Club
- 2020 - Partner of PE PRO APP
- 2018 - Director of JR Sports Stars
- 2013 - Brand Ambassador for Wilson James
- 2013 - Brand Ambassador & Business Development for TXM Recruit
- Founder of JR Talks
- Scored the only try for England in the 2003 Rugby World Cup final
- Appointed MBE & OBE
- Played in three World Cups
- Captian for the Sale Sharks
- First Black British man to Captain the England Rugby Team
- Secured 5 Lion caps
- Played 281 Rugby League games
- Scored 171 Rugby League tries
How to hire Jason Robinson
Contact the Champions Speakers Agency to provisionally enquire about hiring Jason Robinson for your next event, today. To get in touch, simply call an official booking agent on 0207 1010 553 or email us at [email protected] for more information.
** We do NOT accept requests for autographs, signed merchandise, fan mail, birthday messages or any other non-commercial contact with the speakers or acts. Each speaker on the website may not have necessarily worked with Champions in the past but are known to perform such engagements within the industry.
