Rugby legend Campbell Johnstone becomes the first openly gay All Black

New Zealand rugby great Campbell Johnstone hopes to help young athletes come to terms with their sexuality after becoming the first openly gay All Blacks.

All Black No.1056 when he made his debut against Fiji in 2005, Johnstone played three Tests for New Zealand and amassed 72 games for Canterbury and 38 for the Crusaders.

Having previously revealed his sexuality only to close family and friends, Johnstone said his decision to announce the news publicly stemmed from a desire to destigmatize homosexuality and encourage acceptance in rugby.

“If I can be the first All Black to come out as gay and remove the pressure and stigma around it, I can actually help other people,” he said. TVNZ program Seven Sharpe on Monday night.

Then the public will know that there is one among the All Blacks and that it could be one of the final pieces in the sporting puzzle that gives everyone closure.

The stingy prop, who has also played more than 100 matches for French powerhouse Biarritz, has admitted that he struggled to accept himself as gay during his days as a rugby player.

‘Inside me, I was never comfortable with the whole concept and my dream was to be an All Black.

Johnson (left) played 38 times for the Crusaders and won three caps for the All Blacks in 2005.

The former prop (centre) said he had hidden his sexuality from his teammates.

“My vision of an All Black was manly, strong, possibly with a wife and children.”

Johnstone, whose last test for the All Blacks was against the British and Irish Lions, said his sexuality often raised serious self-doubts.

“I would surface when I could have had a bad game and look at that side of me and blame that side for it,” he explained.

“Little by little it starts to affect you and it’s hard to live a double life or live a lie.

The All Blacks praised Johnstone for having the courage to reveal his sexuality

“We had a line in rugby that said after a game that if you could look in the mirror and be honest with yourself then you had done enough.” […] and here I was looking in the mirror and not being honest with my teammates.’

Eventually, he felt it was time to open up to his family and close friends,

‘I did that a long time ago. It was kind of like telling them I just ran out of milk, one of them said, “Yeah, about time.”

“Telling only close friends and rugby friends was enough for me at the time.”

Johnstone’s decision to go public comes less than six months after former Kiwi Test cricketer Heath Davis came out as gay.

The former All Blacks admitted he was disappointed by the time it took for him to follow the same path.

‘There’s the other aspect that maybe I’m a little sad that we have to do this […] but if I open that door and magically make that closet disappear then we are going to help a lot of people.’

In a social media post, the All Blacks praised Johnstone for “having the courage to share his story and help create a more inclusive game.”