What is it about American gay men and rugby?!

[Scripps2]

Posted: 4/25/10 at 4:28pm

I’m still astonished that anyone here has even heard of Ben Cohen, let alone that he has a thread devoted to him.

Anyway(s), at the behest of a friend who trains with them, I went over to Manchester this weekend to watch the gay rugby team there play their final match of the season. Naturally they won (one of the coaches is one of Ben’s team-mates) and came out top of the league (the other teams in the league all being straight) and are now looking forward to going to Minneapolis in June for the world gay rugby championship, the Bingham cup.

Now I was already aware that Mark Bingham was one of the heroes of United Airlines Flight 93. What I didn’t know was that there was a gay rugby world tournament honouring him, and that of the four bi-annual tournaments that have taken place two of them have been won by American teams.

I then discover that two of the Manchester Spartans are American ex-pats and I’m beginning to wonder what’s going on here!

Is this American gay infiltration of one of our national sports some kind of payback for all the Menier Chocolate Factory transfers?

[jrb_actor]

Posted: 4/25/10 at 4:29pm

I know at least two guys who play(ed) rugby. Both rather yummy. lol

[CATSNYrevival]

Posted: 4/25/10 at 6:04pm

Maybe it's simply due to the fact that a lot of the European guys that play rugby are super hot and pose nude every year for the annual calendar? Hence the fascination with rugby over here. Just a guess.

[Weez]

Posted: 4/25/10 at 6:12pm

The thing I've always noticed about football (well, soccer, if you want to be American about it) is that none of the guys are that attractive. Some of them are more attractive than others, and they get a ton of attention for it, but if you put them next to attractive men from other fields, they would just look plain and ordinary. I know some people would disagree when it comes to David Beckham, and Thierry Henry is definitely an exception, but on the whole, footballers are rather plain.

Rugby players, on the other hand? DAYMN. Their sport is manlier, they're less mimsy generally, and they're legitimately freakin' HOT. Rugby players are like the world of sport's best kept secret or something; not massively well-known but bloody fabulous for those who are in the know. I guess it might be surprising that that American gay men are in the know, but it's not surprising that they like them a whole bunch.

[WestEnd2]

Posted: 4/25/10 at 6:28pm

Rugby players are like the world of sport's best kept secret or something

It's not a secret here in Wales.... :p Way way way ahead of you.

[Weez]

Posted: 4/25/10 at 7:23pm

I spent several years in Wales, and several years in Bath. I'm familiar with rugby being the more popular sport. But not to the majority of the UK. ;P

[PalJoey]

Posted: 4/25/10 at 7:43pm

they're less mimsy generally,

Mimsy? That's a word we never use over here. I haven't a clue what it means.

[wonderwaiter]

Posted: 4/25/10 at 7:53pm

It means Virginia!

Updated On: 4/25/10 at 07:53 PM

[TnGuy05]

Posted: 4/25/10 at 8:14pm

I would say this is why I like Rugby

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dieux_du_Stade

[Urban]

Posted: 4/25/10 at 8:27pm

I am always incredibly disapointed when I watch French Rugby and nobody that looks like that calender ever seem to play!

I actually play rugby myself for a gay team over here (Melbourne, Australia), I am actually going to be going to the Bingham Cup in a couple of months time. I am also nursing a sore shoulder that I properly will need to go see an osteopath about (but he is incredibly hot - so there is the side benefit of eye candy).

I am not totally familiar with the politics of USARugby other then it can get rather bitchy (and what little I know is from a friend on the Boston Ironsides). I have enough politics over here where to worry about the US stuff!

[TheatreDiva90016]

Posted: 4/25/10 at 8:31pm

"I’m still astonished that anyone here has even heard of Ben Cohen, let alone that he has a thread devoted to him."


Considering when he came out, it was all over our sports news, you shouldn't be astonished.

And, no, American sports has nothing to do with those Chocolate Factory transfers. We're just better at sports.

[Roscoe]

Posted: 4/25/10 at 8:47pm

"And, no, American sports has nothing to do with those Chocolate Factory transfers. We're just better at sports."

And based on those Chocolate Factory transfers, we're better at musical theater, too.

[PalJoey]

Posted: 4/25/10 at 8:51pm

Ben Cohen is not gay. He loves his gay fans but he's married and has twins.

He loves posing for his gay fans too.

[TheatreDiva90016]

Posted: 4/26/10 at 12:40am

Whoops!

How many sexy rugby players ARE there?~!

[Hulmeman]

Posted: 4/26/10 at 2:56pm

Well, Gareth Thomas is everything "mimsy" isn't!

A top flight Welsh international rugby player, who is humorous and, well read for yourself........

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/rugby_union/welsh/8421956.stm

and here......

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gareth_Thomas_(rugby_player) Updated On: 4/26/10 at 02:56 PM

[Q]

Posted: 4/26/10 at 3:22pm

"We're just better at sports."

Guffaw!

[TulitaPepsi]

Posted: 4/26/10 at 7:39pm

Oh yes, PJ. Ben is such a nice young man who loves making people happy.

[Scripps2]

Posted: 4/27/10 at 4:01pm

Well impressed Urban!

Particularly since, socialising after the match, I happened to mention that some of the Americans on the theatre chat site I posted on were Ben Cohen fans and was greeted with hard stares and the unexpected but perfectly natural question:

"What are you doing talking about rugby on a theatre chat site?"

[TheatreDiva90016]

Posted: 4/27/10 at 4:08pm

And then they beat the crap out of you, right?

[Scripps2]

Posted: 4/27/10 at 4:30pm

Right!

But I died with a smile on my face.

And they still can't get the coffin lid on.

[Urban]

Posted: 4/28/10 at 7:10am

Thanks!

Anything you wanna know about Rugby, just ask!

[Hulmeman]

Posted: 4/28/10 at 5:29pm

Urban, please explain to me the "forward Pass" rule to me.
Updated On: 4/28/10 at 05:29 PM

[Urban]

Posted: 4/29/10 at 9:57am

Easy, when running with the ball you cannot pass it to somebody in front of you - you always need to pass it to somebody behind you. It doesn't need to be a huge distance really - a nice slim degree backwards is the most desirable pass but you have to basically pass it backwards.