As you know, along with the release of the Gods of Football calendar, Nick Youngquest covered Australian gay magazine DNA, photographed by Pedro Virgil. Following the conclusion of the 2008 NRL season, the rugby player will switch codes to rugby union and the French Top 14 competition side Pia. In a long feature interview, he tells DNA about the future of his modeling career in France: “I’ll try to stay in touch. Obviously being in Europe might make it a little bit easier to do that sort of stuff, so we’ll just have to wait and see. I’m gonna see if I can get an agent over here and do some modelling stuff along with the footy.”

Nick was approached earlier this year to work with Bruce Weber for Ruehl, a brand of Abercrombie and Fitch, but his club at the time didn’t let him go to Miami for the shoot. Let’s hope that the French will give him more leeway, and that Ruehl will approach him again — they sure know how to undress a man, remember Tyler Lough? When asked if he’d accept to pose in the nude however, Nick goes: ” I don’t know. I don’t think my fiancee would be too happy. But I suppose if the price was right, maybe I would.”

On the subject of gay players in the NRL, DNA does the math, stating that out of 400 top squad NRL players some would have to be gay, statistically. “Yeah, there are always rumours flying around,” Nick says. “I don’t know how true any of the rumours are because most that you hear about are guys that are married and stuff. So I think it’s more about the boys taking the piss out of each other than any truth. I personally don’t know of any.” And he’s not too sure that the sport is open to accepting another openly gay player again after Ian Roberts: “It wouldn’t bother me but I think it’s Australia in general. It’s not an NRL thing. I reckon it’s just the country. Some of the boys from the suburbs don’t take to gay men very well. My fiancee is a dancer so we know a lot of gay men and it doesn’t bother me at all.”

The interview also contains a funny locker room anecdote: “I just thought it was funny at a couple of the clubs I’ve played at recently where all the blokes shower in their undies. I thought that was a bit weird – not doing it openly. I get my kit off straight away! I thought it was a little bit weird that blokes would shower in their undies, but they do!”

And yes, when he gets to say who he’d turn gay for, Nick laughs: “I’d have to say David Beckham, surely. But whether he’s willing to turn gay for me, I don’t know!”

DNA
Pedro Virgil photography
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