Five rugby lads who are out and proud – including Exeter Chiefs lock

4. Sam Stanley

England Sevens international Sam Stanley became the first English professional rugby union player to publicly come out as gay in August 2015.

Now 26, the former Saracens back played in five Sevens World Series tournaments for England and belongs to one of the sport’s most famous families.

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Love ❤️ @lorenzo_uk – Relationships have such a wonderful uniqueness, that no one can ever tell you the right or wrong way. 10 years against all odds amore mio 🥰

A post shared by Sam Stanley (@samstannerz) on Oct 4, 2020 at 2:26pm PDT

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5. Jack Dunne

Out pro rugby player Jack Dunne will have a new home next season. The Exeter Chiefs, who play in rugby union’s top division, Premiership Rugby, recently signed the promising young rugger from Leinster, a club in Ireland.

Last year, Dunne publicly came out as bisexual in an interview with the Independent, talking about his desire to be a role model for LGBTQ kids. That’s an impressive goal for any 22 year old.

‘I was 18 when I first kissed a guy. I waited for the rugby season to end before I came out because I was worried how people would react. It was grand’.

Interview with Exeter-bound Jack Dunne, who wants to normalise rugby’s conversations around sexuality https://t.co/tJV5PzkLyA

— Nik Simon (@Nik_Simon88) May 22, 2022