It wasn’t a Pride parade, a music festival, or a cheeky dating app campaign—though it certainly had all the vibes.
After an adrenaline-charged Top 14 final, Toulouse teammates Jack Willis and Blair Kinghorn shared a moment that went far beyond the final whistle: a kiss. And not a subtle peck either—this was a full, heartfelt mouth-to-mouth moment, captured on camera and soon broadcast across the world.
The now-iconic image, posted by CANAL+ Sport with the caption “Love is in the air 🫶,” quickly went viral. Both players were shirtless, glowing from their team’s 39–33 victory over Bordeaux Bègles—their third consecutive Top 14 title. But it wasn’t just the scoreboard lighting up. Social media exploded in response.
Rugby fans, queer sports communities, and admirers of raw, tender masculinity embraced the image as more than a celebration—it was a cultural moment. A locker-room kiss transformed into a statement about camaraderie, affection, and the evolution of masculinity in sport.
Let’s face it: rugby has always carried a certain homoerotic undercurrent. It’s gritty, emotional, and intensely physical. If American football is all butt slaps and wrestling is “accidentally intimate,” rugby sits somewhere in between—blunt, muddy, and thigh-forward.
And then there’s the Budgy Smugglers.
Following the game, Kinghorn embraced the post-match euphoria in cherry-red swim briefs, posing confidently behind the championship trophy. His energy didn’t just lean into camp—it cartwheeled into it.
But what truly resonated with fans was the authenticity of the moment. This wasn’t shock-value performance. It felt real—an affectionate celebration between close teammates. The kiss read as spontaneous, joyful, and completely unbothered by convention.
It also signals a refreshing evolution in sporting culture. Jack Willis and Blair Kinghorn model a version of masculinity that is both strong and sincere, athletic and emotionally open.
Rugby, in fact, has become one of the more queer-inclusive codes in global sport. With gay rugby clubs flourishing from Sydney to San Francisco and trailblazers like Gareth Thomas, Dan Palmer, and Sam Stanley paving the way, moments like these feel less like anomalies and more like signs of progress.
For the curious: neither Willis nor Kinghorn identifies as queer. Kinghorn is engaged to nutritionist Dina Celina, and Willis is partnered with Megan Ely, with whom he shares a child. But their kiss wasn’t about sexual orientation—it was about connection, joy, and shedding outdated stereotypes.
Because truly, who says straight men can’t kiss and mean it?
At a time when many athletes still mask vulnerability, these two made a statement—not with words, but with a shared, intentional moment of tenderness.
Call it a bromance. Call it joy. Call it a game-changing kiss.
Either way, rugby just got a little gayer—and a lot more human.
