Out Gay Rugby Star Gareth Thomas: A Photo Retrospective

Every week we have a feature around here called The Week in Sports which gathers together the best recent photos of athletes in action from around the world. Inevitably, rugby is heavily represented in these weekly round ups. It's fair to say that this most rugged and manly of sports has a lot of gay fans.

Professional rugby also has a rather decent number of gay supportive players such as Ben Cohen, or certain members of the Australian Wallabies. But as in most professional sports, missing were star players willing to come out of the closet.

Great news then that Welsh rugby legend Gareth Thomas, a guy with one of the fiercest reputations in the sport, has come out. We thought people might enjoy a compilation of the man in action, so here's a career round up of great photos of Thomas both on and off the field. Enjoy!

Gareth Thomas of Wales looks on during the Rugby World Cup 2007 Pool B match between Wales and Fiji at the Stade de la Beaujoire on September 29, 2007 in Nantes, France.  (Photo by Shaun Botterill/Getty Images)

Thomas looks on following his team's 38-34 defeat during the Rugby World Cup 2007 Pool B match between Wales and Fiji at the Stade de la Beaujoire on September 29, 2007 in Nantes, France.  (Photo by Shaun Botterill/Getty Images)