NZ 'behind the eight-ball' in supporting gay rugby

Gay rugby promoters are pushing for New Zealand supporters to step up their game. Photo / Thinkstock

Gay rugby promoters are pushing for New Zealand supporters to step up their game - and a tournament kicking off in Auckland tomorrow should help.

Gay and gay-friendly trans-Tasman teams will go head-to-head for the Purchas Cup at Western Springs on Saturday.

It's the first time New Zealand has hosted the event, with teams from Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane competing against New Zealand's only gay-inclusive team New Zealand Falcons RFC.

It's an unprecedented opportunity, NZ Falcons captain Jeremy Brankin said.

"We get to connect with a diverse range of people from across the globe and share our love for rugby," he said.

A NZ Falcons spokeswoman said New Zealand has been traditionally "behind the eight-ball" when it comes to supporting gay rugby.

The team was excited about the impending face-off with its rivals from across the ditch and was using the match as preparation for the Bingham Cup, also known as the Gay Rugby World Cup, held in May 2016.

An event to raise money for the team to get to the world Cup was held last Sunday with Sir Graham Henry, Sir Peter Leitch and 70's All Black great Bryan Williams lending their football mana to the team.

"You don't have to be gay to play. You just have to be wanting to challenge the status quo and address homophobia in sports," the spokeswoman said.

And legendary former All Black coach Sir Graham Henry agrees, saying the NZ Falcons were no different from any other rugby team in the country.

"It's just a normal rugby team playing sport," he said.

The first international study about homophobia in sport was released in May this year and made for some uncomfortable reading for New Zealanders.

The study, titled Out On The Fields, focussed on sexuality in team sports in Canada, Australia, the UK, Ireland, the US and New Zealand.

It found gay Kiwi men were among the most likely in the world to stop playing sport due to discrimination, with 71 per cent also believing youth team sports were not welcoming or safe for gay men or women.

The Falcons spokeswoman said it was an obvious sign Kiwis needed to be more inclusive.

Supporting or playing for the NZ Falcons was an easy first step, she said.

"There has been a lot of the, 'I'm not homophobic but...', comments," she said.

"Having the team makes [the issue] easier to address. It's a safe space, it's people that have never played before and people that have played for a long time they all just support each other and say we can give this a go."

More than 140 players, 40 support staff and hundreds of supporters will flock to the Ponsonby Rugby Club at Western Springs for the seven-game competition on Saturday. Play kicks off at 9.45am.

• For more information go to Facebook.com and search 'NZ Falcons RFC'.