Rugby Stars Break Internet With Post-Match Kiss
Image: Image: top14rugby/Instagram
A post-match kiss between two rugby players has gone viral, with the steamy/sweet moment also challenging outdated notions of masculinity.
Rugby stars Jack Willis and Blair Kinghorn, who both play for Toulouse, one of the top rugby union clubs in France, shared the pash in the locker room after a tough game on the weekend.
Toulouse defeated the Bordeaux Begles by a 39-33 margin, with Willis scoring two tries during the match, securing the team a third straight league crown.
Willis and Kinghorn, who are British and Scottish respectively, are each clad in naught but a pair of budgie smugglers, and you best believe that every muscle in their upper body is on full display.
Canal+ Sport posted a video of the moment to their Instagram account alongside the caption, “L’amour est dans l’air”- love is in the air.
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“Scotland-England relations are getting better,” one user commented.
What’s even cuter is the fact that in the final moments of the video, someone shows Kinghorn a snap of the kiss on their phone, making him grin.
While the pair are certainly playing for the same team on the field, they’re not playing for the same team in the way some of us would like them to be. Kinghorn has been engaged to his partner, Dina Celina since November 2023, while 28-year-old Willis is in a long-term relationship with Megan Ely, who he has a child with.
Hot, heavy, and heartwarming
While the pash is undoubtedly hot, much of the commentary surrounding the kiss focuses on the wholesomeness of the moment, and what it means for changing ideas of modern masculinity.
It’s a surprisingly heartwarming display between two friends who aren’t ashamed to show affection to the people they love.
While men’s contact sport usually struggles with positive healthy notions of masculinity, rugby has emerged as a surprisingly queer game.
There are more than 80 gay and inclusive rugby clubs around the world, including five in Australia, and there’s even a Gay Rugby World Cup, the Bingham Cup.
“Homophobia remains a very serious problem in school and community rugby and all ‘traditionally male’ sport,” the organisers told Star Observer in 2022. “The tournament fosters a safe space for players who have experienced hate and discrimination when playing in mainstream sports.
