Queerty

Pro rugby coach Anthony Seibold recalls that time he & five other guys posed for a gay magazine

Manly Sea Eagles coach Anthony Seibold was recently recounting the risqué story.

Mark

Mar 1, 2024 - 19:00

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Pro rugby coach Anthony Seibold recalls that time he & five other guys posed for a gay magazine

The following story involves a gay magazine photoshoot, partially nude rugby players and Richard Branson.

Do we have your attention yet?

Back in the late 1990s and early 2000s, Branson owned a rugby club in England, the London Broncos. The Virgin boss attempted multiple gimmicks for publicity, including having players be drummers for the opening act of the Brit Awards, and playing on the day of Princess Diana’s death.

But one scheme was more risqué than all the others: Branson convinced six players to participate in a semi-nude spread for Attitude, a longstanding gay magazine in the U.K.

One of those players, Anthony Seibold, is the current head coach of Australia’s Manly Sea Eagles. In a recent interview with the Sydney Morning Herald, he opened up about the (ahem) cheeky experience.

“It wasn’t like we were naked, we had a towel around our waists. I was one of them. It was quite bizarre,” he said.

The topic came up because the Sea Eagles are currently involved in a publicity stunt of their own. They’re one of four clubs that will play this upcoming weekend in Las Vegas, for the National Rugby League’s first voyage on U.S. soil. They’ll take on the South Sydney Rabbitohs Saturday night at Allegiant Stadium, home of the NFL’s Las Vegas Raiders.

Seibold told a local journalist he’s accustomed to unusual promotions. He says the Attitude photoshoot took place right in a locker room.

“I remember we did it in an old rugby change room, they were trying to promote the London Broncos and that was one of the quirky ideas that Virgin came up with,” he offered.

The Australian native posts a big and bulky frame, making him the stereotypical rugger. Unfortunately, Seibold says he no longer owns a copy of the scandalous spread.

“I get enough sh*t as it is. I don’t want to give any more ammo to anyone,” he said.

Fair enough, though it’s worth noting that male athletes posing scantily clad isn’t uncommon. For years, their ripped biceps and torso graced the pages of ESPN the Magazine‘s “Body Issue,” and many have enjoyed lucrative careers as underwear pitchmen.

Just a couple of years ago, the U.S. bobsled team made an almost-nude calendar to pay for the Olympics.

The photos, or “Bob-Spread,” earned $90,000 in just one week!

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An enterprising rugby team could come up with a similar concept, given the widespread thirst for beefy men who aren’t afraid to get dirty. But the Manly Sea Eagles may not be the right club.

Two years ago, seven players on the team refused to wear Pride jerseys to support LGBTQ+ inclusion. The coach at the time, Des Hasler, apologized to the LGBTQ+ community for the embarrassing episode (none of the Pride-refusing players are still on the team today).

“Our intent was to be caring towards all diverse groups who face inclusion issues daily,” he said at the time, per the AP. “Sadly this poor management has caused significant confusion, discomfort and pain for many people, in particular those groups whose human rights we in fact attempting to support.”

There was one positive that came from the incident, however. It propelled rugby hunk Toby Rudolf to speak out about his propensity for same-sex encounters.

“Sexuality is very fluid. I’ve been out and kissed many gay men, kissed many straight women and kissed many gay women,” he said in an interview. “I’m not a one-stop shop. Love is love, and I love to share it with everyone.”