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The Sydney Convicts are gearing up to defend their title at international gay rugby tournament the Bingham Cup, writes Adam Bub.
Buff bodies, ballgames and bare necessities – Sydney’s first gay rugby union team, The Convicts, are gearing up for their June trip to Dublin to compete in the Bingham Cup.
The team formed in 2004 to compete in the Cup in London, marking the beginning of their popular Rugger Bugger events, where teammates do the full Monty to raise funds for their trips.
At the last Rugger Bugger in March, the boys, dressed only in jockstraps, entertained revellers with choreographed routines and fluoro paint. Their next event, Rugger Bugger VII, will be held this Saturday at The Midnight Shift.
“The first time was such a success, and here we are seven Buggers later and it’s still going strong,” Angus Donald, the group’s social secretary, tells SX.
“The funds [raised] will pay for the ongoing costs of the club such as water bottles, registration, helping out any financially-challenged players, team jerseys and tour kits.”
With 50 players and 20 support staff going this year, including drag queen Maxi Shield as the ‘unofficial mascot’, the Convicts are one of the biggest gay footy clubs in the world. In 2006, the Convicts won the Bingham Cup in New York.
Launched by the International Gay Rugby Association Board, the Cup was first held in San Francisco in 2002 in honour of Mark Kendall Bingham, a gay San Francisco rugby player who perished in the September 11 attacks.
Now held every second year, this year’s three-day tournament will feature more than 50 international teams, and is the highlight of a two-week trip that also includes social events and activities.
The Convicts are not just rugby pros – they have an A and B side, who respectively compete for the Bingham Cup and the Bingham Plate. “We welcome players of all experience,” Donald says, adding that the team also features some straight men.
The Convicts have mastered many suburban rugby competitions and the team has not experienced discrimination from straight opponents.
“We beat Waverley a few weekends ago convincingly, the score was around 30 nil,” says Donald. “When they’re being beaten like that, what can they really say?”
Donald insists that the Convicts formed not to combat homophobia, but rather to unite guys with a mutual love for playing football. “It just so happens that there are positive knock-on effects. It’s great to be involved with that.” The boys hope to one day host the Bingham Cup.
The whole team will appear at Rugger Bugger VII, while 18 will strip onstage. “It’s bigger and better than ever before,” Donald says. “I don’t want to reveal anything yet, but there’s twice the amount of performers and twice the amount on stage.”
Rugger Bugger VII is on Saturday, May 24, at the Midnight Shift, 85 Oxford St, Darlinghurst from 8pm-11pm. Tickets $20 presale/$25 on the door.
Viva La Vixen, a fundraiser hosted by the Convicts, will also be held on Friday, May 23, at Slide, 41 Oxford St, Darlinghurst, from 6pm. Entry $10.
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