From dating app dopamine to locker room breakdowns, the messy overlap of rugby and mental health. Episode 16 of The Gay Rugby Podcast is less polished highlight reel and more raw post-match debrief. We dig into using dating apps for validation and rugby and mental health, pulling no punches on how those late-night swipes blur into dating app addiction, how the highs of a “like” hit feel like a dopamine loop, and why those same patterns leave players limping emotionally by Monday practice.We ask the uncomfortable question: is this toxic behavior? The answer takes us back to the childhood, where trauma first wired us to chase approval and into the present, where we mask it with locker room jokes and humor as a coping mechanism.The conversation sprawls out like an open pitch: seeking validation online, online dating burnout, the weight of hookup culture burnout, and how gay men’s mental health too often gets hidden behind “I’m fine, mate.” We talk queer masculinity, body image in the gay community, and the uneasy marriage between sports culture and toxic masculinity. Rugby is supposed to be an escape, but the algorithm follows you onto the field, whispering about abs, likes, and worth.But this isn’t just a therapy session in boots. It’s strategy talk: carving out space for LGBTQ athletes’ mental health, building mental fitness for rugby players, and exploring what it looks like to attempt a dating app dopamine detox or rewire toxic dating patterns. We’re finding scrums of support in the queer rugby community-proof that identity runs deeper than algorithms, and recovery can be a team sport.

An Olympic rugby prop eats like it’s a full-time job. For Episode 15, Elliot Norris joins us on The Gay Rugby Podcast to find out what it really takes to get through a day on that kind of fuel.We hand him the daily meal plan built for an elite front-rower: thousands of calories spread across precision-timed meals, heavy carb loads before training, protein spikes after, and recovery shakes that taste like ambition mixed with chalk dust. It’s a diet designed to keep a body anchored at the heart of an Olympic scrum.Elliot approaches it with equal parts curiosity and skepticism. He’s no stranger to eating on camera, his own audience knows him for high-energy food content and an unfiltered personality, but this is another level. We set the table, roll the mics, and watch as the lines blur between mukbang spectacle and candid conversation.In between bites, Elliot talks about his life as a content creator with a massive online following: the balancing act between being “on” for the camera and staying grounded, the grind of turning creativity into a career, and the surprising ways food bridges the gap between his world and ours. There are moments of laughter, deadpan honesty, and a few long silences when the sheer volume of food demands all his focus.The Gay Rugby Podcast has always been about more than the sport-it’s about the people who make it what it is, and the stories that unfold where sport collides with real life. This time, the backdrop just happens to be a mountain of food and a guest willing to take on a completely different kind of challenge.If you’ve ever wondered what an Olympic rugby prop eats in a day, or wanted a front-row seat to the intersection of elite athletic routines and internet-era storytelling, this episode serves it up-messy, human, and honest.

The Gay Rugby Podcast dives headfirst into the chaos surrounding the Run It Straight Challenge reaction, peeling back the layers of a viral trend that’s become as controversial as it is captivating. Episode 14 doesn’t hold back-we talk about the brutal clips flooding feeds, the adrenaline‑hungry crowds, and the moment it all turned dark in New Zealand after a young man’s death.The conversation moves from laughter to unease as we ask the question no one in rugby wants to touch: has New Zealand, the sport’s spiritual home, turned rugby into a sideshow? Watching those run it straight rugby reaction videos feels like scrolling through modern gladiator games-raw hits, bone‑jarring collisions, fans egging it on like it’s entertainment. And then there’s the fallout: the run it straight challenge controversy, the whispers of blame, and the headlines that made the world wonder what went too far.We talk about the ugly beauty of the game, the way Kiwi rugby culture has always flirted with danger, and how this viral craze-these run it straight challenge highlights-pushes the boundary between passion and recklessness. We break down footage, swap stories from the LGBTQ+ rugby scene, and wrestle with the uncomfortable reality of watching young players throw themselves into each other with no padding, no plan, and too often, no way back.It’s messy. It’s emotional. It’s the kind of rugby reaction video that won’t leave you with easy answers-and maybe that’s the point.

Jack Higgins and Ozzie Luna just got back from Boston with bruises, stories, and a hangover or two, and they’re spilling it all on Episode 13 of the Gay Rugby Podcast. The NORAM Cup isn’t just another weekend of rugby - it’s the beating heart of the gay and inclusive rugby community, a mash‑up of bone‑crunching tackles, sideline laughter, and late‑night socials that feel more like a family reunion than a sporting event.In this episode, they unpack exactly what happens at a rugby tournament when you throw together teams from across North America under the banner of International Gay Rugby. From pool play battles and knockout rounds to the electric buzz of the all‑trans match - only the third of its kind in history - the weekend pulsed with milestones. The Fog’s A‑side steamrolled through pool play and knock‑out rounds, ultimately defeating the Washington Renegades in the final to become North American champions-an achievement they proudly crowned on their website as “2025 North America (NORAM) Cup Champions”Jack and Ozzie paint the full picture - the pre‑match nerves, the post‑match beers, the camaraderie that lingers long after the final whistle. It’s a ground‑level look at the NORAM Cup that goes beyond scores and stats, showing why gay rugby tournaments have become some of the most welcoming, chaotic, and unforgettable weekends in sports.Whether you’ve laced up for a match yourself or just want to know what really goes down when hundreds of players and fans converge on one city, this episode gives you the inside story of an LGBTQ rugby tournament that proves the game is as much about community as it is about contact.

Dre’s been one of our teammates for years — but he’s also Mr. Mega Woof 2024, a staple in West Hollywood’s go-go scene, and one of the most magnetic performers we know. So when he invited us to learn a few moves, we showed up… completely unprepared.What started as a friendly tutorial turned into a full-on spectacle: a bunch of sweaty rugby players trying to keep up with a seasoned go-go dancer. There was glitter. There were body rolls. There were a few pulled hamstrings. And somehow, it turned into the most unexpectedly wholesome moment of queer team bonding we’ve ever had.This wasn’t a joke, and it definitely wasn’t just a gay dance challenge — this was the overlap of gay rugby culture, inclusive sports culture, and the kind of masculine dance challenge you don’t usually see outside of a late-night club in the Castro. And yeah, it turns out go-go dancing for beginners is way harder than it looks.You’ll see Dre Thee Cyborg dancing, coaching, roasting, and teaching us how to move like we mean it. You’ll also see some very awkward attempts at men’s go-go dancing, plus a few rugby locker room comedy skits that came out of it.Filmed at Jam in the Van, hosted by Jack Higgins & Ozzy Luna.

Before rainbow laces, viral TikToks, and international tournaments, there was a handful of gay men in Los Angeles brave enough to build a rugby club from the ground up—one scrum at a time. In Episode 11 of the Gay Rugby Podcast, hosts Jack Higgins and Ozzy Luna sit down with Gabriel Galluccio, co-founder of the Los Angeles Rebellion, to trace the untold story of queer rugby in Southern California.Galluccio, a sports producer who worked behind the scenes at Fox Sports, didn’t set out to become a community trailblazer. But after witnessing the silence around HIV, the isolation of gay athletes, and the aftermath of 9/11, he helped launch what would become a safe haven for queer men on the field—a place where strength, identity, and belonging weren’t contradictions.It was the heroic actions of Mark Bingham, an openly gay rugby player who lost his life on Flight 93, that became the catalyst for the first international gay rugby tournament. In 2002, the inaugural Bingham Cup brought queer athletes together from across the globe—transforming grief into legacy, and visibility into power.This episode doesn’t just chart history—it revisits the early 2000s, the stigma surrounding HIV/AIDS, and how rugby became more than a sport for many gay men. It became resistance. It became joy. It became home.Whether you're a player, a fan, or someone who's never touched a rugby ball, this one’s for anyone who’s ever felt like the locker room wasn’t built for them.

When Brazilian rugby star Izzy Cerullo took the field at the 2016 Olympics, she had no idea she was about to become a queer icon. But after her then-girlfriend proposed on live television-mid-Games, mid-glory-Cerullo found herself at the center of a global moment that said everything about visibility, identity, and the politics of being queer on the world stage.

In Episode 10 of The Gay Rugby Podcast, Jack Higgins and Ozzie Luna unravel how an impromptu proposal turned into a cultural flashpoint. Was it empowerment? Exploitation? Or just love in a very public place?

We get into the messy, beautiful truth: how queer athletes often become symbols whether they like it or not, how the media spins a moment into a movement, and why Cerullo’s story still hits hard nearly a decade later.

Expect candid talk about LGBTQ representation in sports, the unintentional politics of being visible, and what happens when your private life becomes Olympic history.

New episodes drop weekly. This one? You won’t want to miss.

Episode 9 of the Gay Rugby Podcast drops straight into the action at NORAM Cup 2025 in Boston, where something unprecedented unfolded on the pitch: the third-ever all-trans rugby match. In a tournament known for celebrating inclusive sport, this year’s moment felt bigger-more urgent, more electric. Trans athletes came together from across North America, uniting in a game that wasn’t just about rugby, but about identity, visibility, and taking space in a world that hasn’t always made room.At the heart of the match was Val Pizzo, president of Baltimore Flamingos RFC and the founder of the All Trans Match. Val joins us in this episode to talk about how a radical idea—bringing together trans and nonbinary rugby players for one unified match-turned into a full-blown movement. From the first match in Charlotte in 2023 to Boston’s record-breaking showdown, the Trans Match has become a symbol of resistance and joy, one scrum at a time.Shot on location at the NORAM Cup, the largest LGBTQ and inclusive rugby tournament in North America, the episode captures what it means when community and sport collide. We go behind the scenes with players, reflect on the evolution of trans-inclusive rugby, and dig into what makes these moments matter—not just to rugby fans, but to anyone who believes sport should belong to everyone.The Gay Rugby Podcast is more than banter and breakdowns-it’s where the lines between grassroots rugby, queer culture, and collective resistance get blurred. In this episode, you’ll hear how International Gay Rugby (IGR) continues to back this growing wave of trans visibility in sports, and how clubs like the Baltimore Flamingos are building platforms that are reshaping what inclusive sport looks like.This isn’t just a game. It’s the start of something bigger.