Why oh Why do the England rugby team have the British anthem and not the English anthem,Land of hope and Glory

Question

This has been annoying me for years and no-one has given a justifiable reason why it is so. They are the England Rugby team not a British team. Every other country seems to celebrate the pride of their country and their people not just the head of state. You don't hear the South Africans praising Nelson Mandela!

Answer 1

Aaah, Land of Hope and Glory! I bet after falling under the mighty fire spell of the Springboks at 36-0 in Paris you really need lots of hope. May be that song will rescue you :)

Answer 2

England doesn't have a seperate national anthem. Never has - God Save The Queen serves as the British anthem and the English anthem.

Not sure I'd go for Land of Hope & Glory either. It's first verses are about building the Empire that we no longer have and is therefore British, not English. Jerusalem is based on a poem by William Blake which suggests that Jesus visited England with Joseph of Arimethea in his childhood. As that is complete rubbish I'd discount that too.

Answer 3

There ISN't an English national anthem, that's why. "Land of Hope & Glory", "Jerusalem" and others are patriotic songs/hymns, but NOT official national anthems.

Answer 4

I agree they should show some National pride as a country as England (if thats at all possible !). As an Australian Advance Australia Fair is played, than at home games the crowd sing "Waltzing Matilda" which is our Unofficial Anthem and evokes greater sentiment. It's our answer to NZ Haka. But unlike England with God Save The Queen, Waltzing Matilda isn't our official Anthem, so its not played, even though it evokes strong sentiment.

Answer 5

I sort of agree with what you say, The National anthem is still God Save the Queen, and seeing the rugby team belting it out brings tears to my eyes. When you see huge guys like Laurence Dallaglio and Phil Vickery do the same you know it means so much. Prior to the Britsih lions game they have their own anthem now and dont sing God save the Queen, which is wrong as she is Queen of the British Isles, and the Irish anthems after. England do need to sing Land of hope and Glory before a game, football has jerusalam rugby should follow and belt out our own.

Answer 6

Northern Ireland soccer team also uses the British National Anthem. I can't think of a better song to motivate British players in a British Team. May she reign over us and send us victorious.

Answer 7

"God Save the Queen" is the British national anthem. " Land of Hope and Glory is just an 'anthem'

Answer 8

You are right, however God Save The Queen is, in fact the 'official' English Anthem that was, I suppose, forced onto the other constituent members of Britain. I always think its rather unfair that Welsh, northern Irish and Scottish teams can get all nationalistic with their own anthems but Good old England have to try and be good natured.

Answer 9

It annoys the rest of Britain as well!

Why cant they get their own anthem instead of using ours!

Answer 10

Maybe you don't hear the South Africans singing about Nelson Mandela because he isn't their head of state - that's Thabo Mbeki I think.

For sure you English should be singing something stirring about England - Land of Hope and Glory or Jeruselem perhaps.

As for the Queen being Queen of the British Isles...try telling that to the people on Aranmore, Inisboffin etc.- or even Dublin.

Answer 11

Land Of Hope And Glory.

Have you not walked around our centres of population recently?

As far as I know there is no music called Land Of Despair And International Dumping Ground.

Answer 12

The same reason that every other English team does because the drones in charge do not have the guts to change, it, as they want a knighthood from the German parasites that the laughable dirge that is played before the games is for.

Answer 13

Land of Hope and Glory is a song/Hymn not the English national anthem .

God save the Queen is the English national anthem.It was our national anthem before the formation of the UK and It then became the British national anthem when we started to Rule Wales, Scotland, Ireland etc. The other countries kept there own patriotic songs but as they are now under English rule God save the Queen is actually also there official anthem.

As for one of the other comments about Jerusalem being a football song I think you will find it was nicked from Rugby.

Answer 14

England isn't technically a country. It is actually a provence of wales.

Answer 15

if england used  land of hope and glory we would be having the same discussion about why england decides not to be part of britain because god save the queen is the britich anthem!

Besides the monarchy was of england before anywhere else!

Answer 16

every few years there is a campaign to replace it with Jerusalem and a lot of English rugby fans I know from the West country boo GSTQ and then sing Jerusalem after it but the people in charge of the RFU have never been that forward thinking.