By Jim Buzinski

English rugby star Ben Cohen, now playing professionally in France, made news late last year when he announced plans for a night in London to honor his gay fans. The event will be held at the Dorchester on May 28.

We sent Cohen, 29, some questions germane to his gay fans and he took time out to answer all of them.

Outsports: How did the idea for a gay fan appreciation night come about?
Ben Cohen: Over the past few years, since we won the World Cup in 2003 really, I have been receiving loads of letters and e-mails from guys. Some of them were very graphic!

At first I didn’t think much of it, but then I thought, well, if these people are taking time to write to me and are asking for more pictures etc. and they come and watch me play, then I need to give them the support they give me. So I just thought I would take notice of what they were asking for and acknowledge the fact that they were there and supporting me. I have also noticed that they seem to be very loyal and support me through the bad times as well as the good.

Outsports: What has been the reaction to the idea so far? Have you been surprised by the reaction?
Ben Cohen: I just noticed that I was getting more attention. My website stats were shooting up and when I looked where the links were coming from, I could see that 90% of them were from gay blog sites. The biggest surprise I got was knocking David Beckham off the top slot in the Sunday Times Gay Icon list. I was gob smacked quite frankly.

Outsports: What has been the most unusual reaction you have gotten?
Ben Cohen: I think I have just been really surprised at the number of gay men who are supporting me and also the fact that they are more interested in me and not just what I am doing on the [rugby] pitch.

Outsports: What has been the reaction from your teammates and others in the rugby world?
Ben Cohen: They are pretty cool really. It is a really busy time in rugby at the moment with European as well league games and of course the Six Nations [tournament] is about to start in a few weeks so we mainly talk about rugby. I have just started to play for a French Team, Brive, and I don’t think they really know too much about my fan base. I haven’t quite mastered the language yet so I am not really sure what they are saying most of the time!!

Outsports: Is elite-level rugby ready for an openly gay player?
Ben Cohen: I am just one man with my own views. My impression is that it would be fine to be able to ‘come out’ in rugby. Most rugby players are cool about it and think that people should be allowed to live their lives how they want to, but I can’t speak for everyone.

The key thing is the individual needs to be able to take the pressure of top-level rugby and the knowledge that his teammates know he is gay. I don’t know for sure, but my feelings are that if he were completely open about it, after the first bit of banter, things would calm down. We all take banter all the time about different things. It’s a bloke thing, isn’t it?

Outsports: If an active player were to come out, where would the most opposition come from: fellow players? Fans? Media?
Ben Cohen: Would there be opposition? This is the 21st century. Or would [the question] be where would the most interest come from? The media I would suggest. The players and fans would be more interested in his standard of playing I would suggest.

Outsports: Have you ever had a teammate who you knew was gay and how did you come about this knowledge?
Be Cohen: No, I haven’t.

Outsports: Do you have gay friends or relatives and what has their reaction been?
Ben Cohen: One of my aunties is a lesbian and lives with a female partner. We are all laid back about it because it has always been the same. I grew up in an open-minded environment because my Dad worked in the nightclub industry, so it has never been much of a shock to meet up with a gay guy. I am more interested in the personality of the person than what their sexuality is, and whether we can have a good conversation. I like a good chat.

Outsports: A fun question: Imagine for a second that you were gay. Which player (current or former) would you ask out on a date and why?

Ben Cohen: Sorry, can’t do that, but I can see why people think that someone like Jonny [Wilkinson] is attractive. You would have to be blind not too. He is a good-looking guy and keeps himself fit. He’s also a really nice person, which is what really matters.

Outsports: What input did your wife have in picking the calendar photos?

Ben Cohen: Not a lot really, I tend to keep my family very separate from my work. She is always interested in what I am up to but on this occasion she was pretty tied up looking after our newborn twins so didn’t really get involved.

Outsports: How long do you plan on playing and what are your plans for after your career ends?

Ben Cohen: I probably have about 5 years playing time left and I want to achieve as much as possible in that time. I am enjoying the new challenge in France and am working hard to improve my rugby and consistently get over that try line. After rugby? I have a number of business projects that I am involved with so I will be helping to develop those and see where things take me then. I may get involved with some coaching as I would like to give something back to English rugby, but that may be on a voluntary basis. So, my plans are not concrete yet but my focus is on my rugby right now.

Chabal will face the English team this weekend. He knows a few them quite well: Chabal plays in the UK, for the Sale Sharks. His nickname is Seabass.

Here is the picture that very francophile Sun published this morning. Its tiltle was "French Monster Eats Babies".

Well, in the meantime, the English team is busy rehearsing a scene that they will play after meeting Chabal: healing their bruises an ice bath (see picture).

This reminded me of a video of a respectable English rugby club (Lincoln RUFC, established in 1882) where new players had to go through a funny initiation rite: they had to undress, get out of the bus, and run back to the club house. To make it more fun, they obviously has to do it through town.

Notice how fast the first one is going. This is a guy you want to see on a field.

Women are quite aware of the dangers of breast cancer. Not so with men and testicular cancer. Yet, 1 out 250 men is hit by this cancer.

Prevention is easy: get naked, take a shower, and then feel your testicules for any strange bump. If you find something, go to your doctor’s ASAP.

This is just what the brave rugby players from the Moseley rugby club are doing in this video. Watch and learn.

One of English girls’ favorite players is James Haskell. The 23-year old is a flanker in the Wasps rugby team. He made it to the English national team for the first time in March 2007 against France. But this time, he will not be on the field against the French.

With a great body, James Haskell has attracted quite a few followers. He even has his official website: http://www.jameshaskell.com/

Here are a few pic of this rugby player:

Obviously, the English lads do not have the same money to hire world-class photographers. Yet, their yearly calendar is all what rugby is about: young men having fun, enjoying life, and practising the best sports on earth.

Their 2007 calendar has just been released, and the good news is that you may also buy the calendars from previous years, at a discount . Support the team and to the SHOP tab of their official website: http://shurugby.com

Here are some pics from the SHU Rugby calendar: