Having previously been perceived as being a ‘macho’ sport where no vulnerabilities were discussed, now more and more male rugby players are being open and honest about discussing issues such as mental health, how concussions are impacting them, issues to do with their physical health, the impact racism has had on black players and even being honest about their sexualility, which previously would never have been spoken about by rugby players.
So to celebrate the beginning of the tournament, here’s a XV of Irish rugby players who speak openly about issues within Diversity and Inclusion:
Jack played over 165 games predominantly for Leinster, but also for Ulster, 56 times for Ireland and 3 times for the British and Irish Lions, winning 3 Heineken Cups with Leinster during that time and 2 Six Nations Championships for Ireland.
Tragedy struck Jack’s family in 2010 after the death of his brother by suicide. When Rugby Players Ireland decided to create the Tackle Your Feelings campaign, Jack was the first to sign up.
In this Irish Independent interview, they say “Upon learning of the project (Tackle Your Feelings), McGrath immediately offered his services and, if he can, hopes to encourage anyone in the throes of internalising grief to take that first step in breaking their silence.” You can learn more about the Tackle Your Feelings campaign here.
2. Hooker: Bernard Jackman – Concussion
Having played more than 140 times for Leinster and Connacht, winning The Heineken Cup with Leinster in 2009, Bernard won 9 Ireland caps before retiring in 2010. He went on to become forwards coach with Grenoble for four years, becoming head coach in 2016 and head coach of The Dragons in Wales in 2017. Since then, he has been head coach in the AIL and one of the most respected pundits on the game with RTE and The Sunday Independent Newspaper. In addition, to being a guest speaker at different events around Ireland.
Most recently, Jackman has switched from being a High Performance Director of Horse Racing Ireland to Head of Recruitment for Bristol Bears Rugby
He is also raising awareness of the impact of concussion and CTE on current and former rugby players, telling rugbypass.com “he suffered approximately 25 concussions during his final year as a player, the majority of which he didn’t declare to his Leinster team doctor.
Unfortunately, during my last season, my ability to play or sometimes train without concussion-like sensations was next to non-existent. Even warming up and hitting a tackle bag was often giving me a blinding headache – or I would temporarily lose my balance, or have a seeing-the-stars-like feeling. I have had no signs of any lasting brain damage since I retired. I know that I, along with other current or former players, can’t predict the future, but I look back on my playing days with fondness… Every time I hear about another player I do worry about my own brain health, to be honest, but I’m good at the moment and so I try not to think about it and keep looking forward”
3. Tighthead Prop: Andrew Porter – Breast Cancer and Eating Disorders
Playing over 100 times for Leinster, including winning a Heineken Cup in 2018 and playing nearly 80 times for Ireland, winning the Grand Slam in 2023, Andrew is better known as a loosehead prop (number 1), but he has had to fill in at tighthead (number 3) on occasion. Andrew opened up to The Irish Independent about the death of his mother from Breast Cancer when he was 12 and the impact this had on him, developing an eating disorder after this.
He told the paper, “I felt on my own for a bit, not knowing how to process it. I went through a lot of mental distress. Grief led me down dark paths – I was feeling very down for a while.
“I had an eating disorder and went from being the biggest kid among my friends, to the skinniest…But all that distress and anguish I went through is what made me who I am.” Andrew is now an ambassador for The Irish Cancer Society, and in 2022 he went on The Late Late Show on Daffodil Day and shaved his (long) hair to raise money for the organisation.
According to herfamily.ie “in 2025 Andrew and his wife Elaine shared that she suffered two miscarriages, but the couple announced they were pregnant with their rainbow baby in January 2025. Alongside their announcement post, Andrew and Elaine sent their love to other couples who may be struggling.”
4 Second Row: Joe and Andrew McCarthy – Down Syndrome Ireland
Born in New York and raised in Ireland, the lock made his senior debut for Leinster during the 2021-2022 season before earning his international debut for Ireland against Australia in November 2022. Known for his uncompromising work rate, immense size, and impactful ball-carrying, he quickly became a central figure for both province and country. He was selected for the 2023 Rugby World Cup squad, starred in Ireland’s triumphant 2024 Six Nations campaign where he won Player of the Match against France, and toured with the British and Irish Lions in 2025.
In recent years, McCarthy and his Leinster and Ireland brother Gus, have shared a close and public partnership with his brother Andrew, who has Down syndrome, to champion disability inclusion and community sport. Together, the brothers teamed up with Down Syndrome Ireland to launch the national Purple Run, encouraging communities across the country to walk, jog, or run 42km during October to support vital services like speech therapy, inclusive education, and employment support. Joe has consistently used his platform to highlight the incredible work done by the organisation, emphasising that sport should be rooted in community, accessibility, and togetherness for everyone. This culminated in Andrew being appointed Leinster’s Captain of Culture and joining his brothers on the podium of the last two URC trophy presentations
5. Second Row: Paul O’Connell – Various
Paul O’Connell cemented his status as one of the fiercest, most uncompromising locks to ever grace the game, making 178 appearances for Munster and lifting major silverware including two Heineken Cups (2006, 2008) and three Celtic League/Pro12 titles. Representing Ireland with unmatched intensity, he earned 108 international caps, captaining the side 28 times and leading his country to three Triple Crowns (2006, 2007, 2009), a historic Grand Slam in 2009, and back-to-back Six Nations Championships in 2014 and 2015. On the global stage, he was selected for three British and Irish Lions tours (2005, 2009, 2013), playing 15 matches total (including seven Test caps) and captaining the 2009 tour of South Africa.
Off the field, Paul O’Connell wins the title as the person who has been involved in the most campaigns in this area on this list! According to this article from the Irish Independent, a friend of his said, “There hasn’t been a charity in Limerick that hasn’t had help from Paul O’Connell” He has dedicated his time and influence to a wide array of charitable, educational, and civic initiatives across Ireland and internationally. His extensive community involvement includes supporting Special Olympics Ireland to champion athletic opportunities and social inclusion, serving as a prominent ambassador for Team Limerick Clean-Up to foster civic pride, and backing the Barnardos Big Active schools program to promote youth physical and mental wellbeing while assisting vulnerable children. He has also lent his high-profile platform to the Foróige Big Brother Big Sister Programme mentoring initiative, championed educational and philanthropic development through the UL Foundation, supported international sustainable housing projects with the NGO Haven, and acted as an official ambassador for Limerick City of Culture, utilising his standing as a sporting icon to drive lasting positive impact in society.
6. Blindside Flanker: Alan Quinlan – Mental Health
During his fifteen-year career, Alan played 212 times for Munster and 27 times for Ireland. including winning the Heineken Cup twice. He was picked for the British and Irish Lions Tour; however, his name was withdrawn as he was given a 12-week suspension for an eye-gouging incident during the 2009 Heineken Cup semi-final in Croke Park against Leinster.
While serialising Alan’s book ‘Red Blooded’ in The Irish Independent, he described how the suspension affected him, saying, “Every day seemed to go on and on.
I lost a lot of motivation for things that would have excited me before. In my playing days, I had this intense desire to achieve. They say anxious, nervous people get a buzz out of being under pressure.
It’s like there is a washing machine going around in my head and it’s very hard to switch that off.” Having complicated suicidal thoughts, Alan knew something had to change. He spoke to his GP and began seeing a psychotherapist, and slowly things improved. Alan now raises awareness of mental health to corporate companies and sports teams and tries to break the stigma, particularly trying to reach men with the message “it’s ok to ask for help.”
7. Openside Flanker: Chris Henry – Stroke
Chris played 182 times for Ulster and 24 times for Ireland. On the eve of playing South Africa, Chris was in the team hotel and had a mini-stroke or a transient ischemic attack (TIA), which left him unable to talk.
He told The Irish Examiner, “I woke up feeling good, getting ready to get stuck into the match. I went into the bathroom, put water on my face and my left arm and left side of my face dropped, and I lost all my speech.
I mumbled something to my roommate Rhys Ruddock, who knew there was something seriously wrong, and he sprinted down and got the doctors. Luckily, after four or five minutes, my strength came back. I was quickly put into hospital in Dublin for four days, and they found that I had a hole in my heart. It meant that the clot went into the heart instead of being cleared out through the lungs, and it went up into the brain.
In the years since, he has become an ambassador for Northern Ireland’s Chest Heart and Stroke Association. Their website says “Chris has provided invaluable support to our work. In 2018, he was the face of our “Mini Stroke, Massive Warning campaign to help raise awareness of the symptoms of mini-stroke. In 2018/19, he was awarded a Testimonial Season to mark his distinguished career in professional rugby. Chris chose to dedicate the year to raising funds and awareness to support our work. Events included a black-tie Gala dinner in Belfast City Hall, a golf day, a comedy night and a trek to Mount Toubkal in Morocco, all of which contributed to an outstanding fundraising total of £150,000.”
8. Number 8: Anthony “Axel” Foley – Posthumously his legacy in the Irish Heart Foundation
One of the greats of Irish Rugby, Axel played over 200 times for Munster, winning the Heineken Cup twice, while playing 62 times for Ireland. After retiring, Axel joined the Munster coaching team, first as a forwards coach, then as Munster’s head coach.
On the 16th of October 2016, Munster were due to play Racing Metro in Paris that day; Axel was found dead in his hotel room; the match was called off, and what followed was an outpouring of grief from the entire rugby community.
Axel’s family has continued his legacy since his passing. The year after his death, Munster announced a partnership with The Irish Heart Foundation, The Irish Examiner said
“The aim of the partnership is to highlight the importance of CPR training and raise awareness of the work carried out by the Foundation, with Munster players and staff undertaking training in CPR skills. The partnership begins with the Champions Cup game against Racing 92 in Thomond Park, and Munster wore the Irish Heart Foundation’s logo on the front of the players’ jerseys.”
9. Scrum Half: Nick McCarthy – LGBTQ+
Nick has played more than 85 times for Leinster and Munster. Having been born in America, Nick was called into the American Rugby squad in 2023.
In June of 2022, Nick came out as being gay to his teammates and then came out publicly to celebrate Pride month, telling the Leinster Rugby website, “It affected me so much that I agonised over my future and contemplated walking away from rugby altogether because I just didn’t think I could come out while playing rugby. I needed to accept being gay myself before I could address it with others. I have great friends in rugby, but I didn’t know how they would take it.
My experience, since coming out though, has been entirely positive. I have realised that anyone who cares about you just wants you to be happy.
I only made a quick announcement. But I just remember the room erupting! They were all delighted for me, and it was immediately a weight off my shoulders. I felt they understood my situation. It’s hard to perform at your best when you are carrying something, anything, and that’s the same for all the lads. For me it was my sexuality; for others it could be stuff at home, or studies or whatever. If one other person, one other kid, keeps playing their sport because they see a Leinster Rugby player has come out and is accepted, that would be a great outcome.
10. Fly Half: Johnny Sexton – Various
Johnny Sexton is widely regarded as one of the finest fly-halves and tactical masterminds in rugby union history. Over a glittering career, he made 189 appearances for Leinster, amassing over 1,600 points and capturing four European Champions Cups (2009, 2011, 2012, 2018), a European Challenge Cup, and multiple domestic league titles. For Ireland, Sexton earned 118 international caps and scored over 1,100 points. Serving as captain, he led his country to historic heights, including three Six Nations Championships (2014, 2015, 2018), a memorable Grand Slam in 2018, and multiple Triple Crowns, earning him the prestigious World Rugby Player of the Year award in 2018. On the ultimate touring stage, he was selected for two British and Irish Lions tours (2013 and 2017), starting all three Test matches during the victorious 2013 series in Australia and playing a pivotal role in squaring the series in New Zealand in 2017.
Sexton established a powerful legacy of institutional leadership, zero-tolerance for discrimination, and deep advocacy for mental health and community causes. As a captain for both Leinster and Ireland, he actively fostered inclusive team environments, standing shoulder-to-shoulder with teammates like Nick McCarthy to champion LGBT inclusion in men’s professional sport. He has also dedicated his profile to high-profile social and charitable campaigns, serving as a prominent celebrity ambassador for Debra, the national charity supporting individuals living with the painful genetic skin condition epidermolysis bullosa (EB), and fronting community initiatives such as the MACE Community Grants campaign to empower local sports clubs, youth groups, and grassroots organisations across Ireland.
11. Left Winger: Simon Zebo – Racism
Simon played 160 times for Munster between 2010-2018, scoring a record 60 tries. He left the province for 3 years to play for Racing Metro in Paris, making 60 appearances, before returning to Munster to play a further 20 times. In 2012, Simon became the first black player to play for Ireland when he started on the wing (away) against New Zealand. He went on to play a further 35 caps, scoring 9 tries. Although he was called up to the British and Irish Lions squad in 2013, he didn’t play in any of the test matches.
It was while playing for Racing Metro in a game against Ulster that Simon was racially abused. Although the culprit was quickly found and given a lifetime ban by Ulster Rugby, the club apologised and distanced itself from the fan; it was only after this that Simon opened up about some of the racism he received growing up.
Telling Johnny Watterson from The Irish Times that “he has suffered so many racist comments growing up in Ireland that he has almost become immune to them..It’s water off a duck’s back. I’d be bulletproof with that stuff. I dealt with that all my life growing up with children and teenagers and stuff; it’s so, so stupid. It was just to not accept it and turn a blind eye to it. That would have eaten me up – if I hadn’t said something about it. I was obviously trying to defend myself. But my kids will be privy to Google and all that stuff when they are older, and I don’t want them to see bad stuff without me taking a stand on it”
Simon was quick to point out that he doesn’t think rugby has a problem with racism but more education in society is needed.
12. First Centre: Nevin Spence – Farm Safety Awareness
Nevin Spence was a rising Northern Irish rugby star tipped for a full Ireland cap, having already played for the Ireland Wolfhounds and in an uncapped match against the Barbarians in May 2012. A centre for Ulster who came through Wallace High School and the club’s academy, he was named the Irish Rugby Football Union Players’ Association’s Young Player of the Year in 2011 and helped Ulster reach that year’s Heineken Cup final. Coaches and teammates, including director of rugby David Humphreys, called him an exceptional talent and a model professional with a bright future.
On 15 September 2012, Spence, 22, died alongside his father Noel and brother Graham after being overcome by toxic fumes in a slurry tank on the family farm near Hillsborough, County Down; his sister Emma was also overcome but survived.
The Ulster Farmers’ Union was contacted by many farmers wanting to discuss safety, and in November 2012 the Farm Safety Partnership, uniting HSENI, the UFU, government departments and Young Farmers’ Clubs, published an 18-month action plan, later evolving into the “Stop and Think SAFE” campaign targeting slurry, animals, falls and equipment. HSENI also visited around 1,000 farms with safety inspections and distributed thousands of leaflets on safe slurry-mixing practice. The push coincided with a real, improvement: farm deaths fell from 12 in both 2011 and 2012 to as few as four in 2013, though numbers have since fluctuated in later years, showing that sustained cultural change in a high-risk, largely self-employed industry remains an ongoing struggle. The Spence tragedy is still routinely invoked in NI farm safety messaging as a stark reminder of the dangers of slurry gas.
13. Second Centre: Brian O’Driscoll – Mental Health and Crumlin Children’s Hospital
I doubt I need an introduction, but just in case… Brian is Ireland’s most capped player with 133 caps (83 as captain). He is also Ireland’s top try scorer with 46 tries and has 186 caps for Leinster (including 3 Heineken Cups), playing a further 8 test matches for the British and Irish Lions.
A sportsman’s mental health post-retirement is often a taboo subject. Not many get the send-off Brian got; often the players are told they have to retire on medical advice or a decline in their form.
But after the crowds stop roaring and the sportsman has to figure out what to do, post-retirement can be a sad and lonely time.
Brian now runs a production company called 3 Rock, and they produced a documentary for BT Sport (who Brian works as a rugby pundit) called After The Roar. In it, Brian interviews the likes of 20-time champion jump jockey AP McCoy, former footballer turned psychotherapist Richie Sadlier, former boxer Anthony Agogo, his former coach Michael Cheika and England cricketer Jonny Bairstow, as well as England manager Gareth Southgate, about their journeys post-retirement and how many of them have reinvented themselves in a new job or new career path.
14. Right Winger: Keith Earls – Mental Health
One of Ireland’s greatest wingers, Keith has amassed nearly 200 appearances for Munster and over 100 international caps for Ireland, scoring 35 tries in the process. In October 2021, Keith released his autobiography and went on the Late Late Show to discuss his Bipolar Disorder diagnosis.
Keith described having his first panic attack as a twelve-year-old, but he was then diagnosed with bipolar disorder in 2013. He calls his alter-ego Hank, and speaking to The Guardian, he said, “Hank was always there, but he really came out after that tour. Rugby was my thing to get away from life. But after the Lions, particularly that first game [where he was traumatised by self-doubt], Hank started to take over, before explaining to the Irish Independent, “I explained everything to him; he was brilliant. I went down to see a guy in Cork, a psychiatrist, and he diagnosed me with bipolar II.
There is obviously bipolar I as well, but bipolar II is probably the best out of the two to get. I was delighted to get the diagnosis; I was genuinely losing my mind.” After the book was released, Keith was shocked by the reaction to it, with many people opening up to him about similar mental health issues they have.
15. Fullback: Rob Kearney – Various
Kearney is Ireland’s most decorated rugby player, a fullback whose 16-year professional career spanned Leinster, Ireland, the British & Irish Lions, and briefly with the Australian side Western Force, to finish his career. Capped 95 times for Ireland between 2007 and 2019, he won four Six Nations titles, including Grand Slams in 2009 and 2018, and played in three Rugby World Cups. With Leinster, he lifted four Heineken/Champions Cups, six league titles, and was named European Player of the Year in 2012. He also toured twice with the Lions, including the victorious 2013 series in Australia, cementing his reputation as one of the finest fullbacks of his generation before retiring in 2021.
Beyond his playing career, Kearney has spent over a decade as an ambassador for the Children’s Health Foundation (formerly CMRF Crumlin), fronting a range of fundraising campaigns including Christmas Jumper Day and Crazy Hair Day, both of which encourage schools, families and workplaces across Ireland to raise money for sick children. In September 2022, he headlined the “Kearney4Crumlin” testimonial dinner at Dublin’s Mansion House, raising over €225,000 to fund vital medical equipment, including two ultrasound machines, for Children’s Health Ireland at Crumlin. His involvement has gone beyond fundraising events, too: he’s a regular visitor to the hospital wards, taking time to speak with patients directly, and even visited during the COVID-19 pandemic to light Crumlin’s Christmas tree and lift spirits during a difficult period. He and his wife, Jess Redden, have also returned to the hospital to see firsthand how funds raised were put to use, meeting staff and patients benefiting from the new equipment. Hospital staff have consistently praised him as a hands-on ambassador rather than simply a name attached to campaigns.
Management Team:
Joe Schmidt is a New Zealand-born rugby coach widely regarded as one of the sport’s finest tactical minds of the professional era. After assistant coaching roles with Bay of Plenty, the Blues, and Clermont Auvergne, he took charge of Leinster in 2010, winning two Heineken Cups, a Challenge Cup, and a Pro12 title. He then coached Ireland from 2013 to 2019, delivering three Six Nations titles, including the 2018 Grand Slam, Ireland’s first-ever win over the All Blacks, and a historic series victory in South Africa, briefly taking Ireland to the world number one ranking in 2019. He was named World Rugby Coach of the Year in 2018. After Ireland, he worked in administration at World Rugby, then returned to coaching as a New Zealand selector and Blues assistant, before taking the Wallabies job in 2024, finishing his tenure in 2026, before moving into a coach development role with Ulster.
Beyond his coaching career, Schmidt has become one of the most recognisable advocates for epilepsy awareness in Irish and rugby circles, a cause rooted in his son Luke’s own experience.
Luke was diagnosed with a brain tumour at age four and underwent a nine-hour operation at six to remove it, leaving him with severe epilepsy and, at points, as many as 15 seizures a day; Schmidt has described coming home to find Luke seizing on the floor as a stark reminder of what mattered beyond results on a rugby pitch. He became part of the “Be Seizure Aware” campaign in New Zealand, aimed at improving public recognition of seizures and appropriate emergency response, and worked closely with Epilepsy Ireland during his time as Ireland coach, using his profile to raise both awareness and funds for the charity, work former Ireland fullback Hugo MacNeill has publicly credited as “very important.” He spoke candidly about Luke’s condition in a number of high-profile interviews, including an emotional appearance on RTÉ’s The Late Late Show, and cited the toll of managing Luke’s care, including trips abroad to consult specialists, as a central reason for stepping back from coaching after the 2019 World Cup rather than accepting a return to the All Blacks. The family later relocated back to New Zealand in part because Luke. In recognition of this advocacy and his broader contribution, Schmidt was awarded an Honorary Fellowship of the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland in 2019.
Assistant Head Coach: Brent Pope – Mental Health
Born in New Zealand, Brent was a New Zealand rugby player who came to Ireland in 1991 to play rugby. He then went on to a very successful coaching career with St. Mary’s Clontarf and Leinster A, winning 3 AIL titles and 2 Leinster senior cups in the process. It was on TV that Brent became known as one of the best analysts in rugby in Ireland, alongside George Hook and Tom McGurk for over 25 years. He then used his profile from TV exposure to write a series of children’s books for charity, an award-winning autobiography entitled If You Really Knew Me, and a mental health/wellness book entitled ‘Win’. He even has his own clothing line, POPE Shirts and Shoes.” He was a curator at the Outside Art Gallery in Dublin, where he supported artists from untraditional areas.
Brent has been involved in several philanthropic works such as Habitat for Humanity, Cycle Against Suicide and has previously been an ambassador for Rehab’s People of the Year Awards. He is a wellness ambassador for Cornmarket, and has worked as a mental health advocate for nearly all of Ireland’s mental health charities over the years.
Brent speaks openly about the panic attacks, anxiety and depression he has had since he was a teenager. He told the Irish Sunday Mirror: “It’s become something that I’ve become more tolerant about. I had years of shame and guilt around anxiety issues that I couldn’t really explain until later in life. But I go all around the country now talking to people who hopefully get a lot out of those talks.” He went back to college to qualify as a psychotherapist, and in his own words, “just to bring the science to add to his life experience.”
Brent recently co-founded the Elephant in the Room project, where he has a dream of creating an international movement around greater mental health understanding, a project that combines his passion for talking about mental health and art. “I am asking every organisation, business & individual in Ireland to help raise mental health awareness, while at the same time supporting charities that are literally saving lives. Let’s not be ashamed to address the “Elephant in the Room” anymore, and together we will start the conversation on mental health from the schoolroom to the boardroom.” Over the next few years, Brent is hoping that his herd of elephants will raise hundreds of thousands for various charities involved in mental health as well as create a safe and supportive environment for generations to come.