When choosing the most homoerotic of all the (sanctioned) ball sports, rugby (either union or league) would certainly be near the top of the list. And good! The Brisbane Hustlers are testament to this celebrating, their twentieth anniversary this week.
In 2004, founding member and former president Nunzio Lo Castro felt like he had to abandon the sport, without an inclusive club to support himself and fellow players.
“I played in rugby clubs for most of my life through high school and uni,” he told Q News‘ Jordan Hirst. “I just felt uncomfortable, and I knew that I couldn’t do it anymore.”
However once seeing the London gay team The Kings Cross Steelers (who had been operating for nine years at that time,) Lo Castro and fellow rugby players and enthusiasts decided to replicate the Steelers’ success. The club formed around a dining table in Coorparoo. But, it wasn’t all smooth sailing.
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Finding A Place To Play
“Once we got a team of guys together, we had to find a field to play on. Many turned us away,” Nunzio said. And that wasn’t the only challenge.
“At the start, only maybe eight of us out of 18 had played rugby before. As a coach, combining the players’ different levels of ability and watching them grow as people was personally a very satisfying challenge.”
So, ten years on, the club has placed on the number two world rankings for the Bingham Cup in 2015 and won the Purchas Cup in 2014.
The Brisbane Hustlers recently participated in the 2024 Bingham Cup held in Rome where they reached they placed 3rd, being kicked out of the running by fellow Australian team (and five-time Bingham champions) the Sydney Convicts. The Convicts placed 2nd overall after a surprise defeat by first-time champions Les Gaillards of Paris.
Sources: Instagram, OutSports, QNews
