Neil Francis (rugby union)

Neil Francis is a retired Irish rugby union lock forward and number eight. He played for Blackrock College, London Irish, Old Belvedere, Leinster and won 36 caps between 1987 and 1996 for Ireland.[2]

Neil Francis

Birth name	Neil Patrick Francis
Date of birth	17 March 1964
Place of birth	Dublin, Ireland
Height	6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)
Weight	262 lb (119 kg)[1]
Rugby union career
Position(s) lock forward Provincial / State sides Years Team Apps (Points) Leinster () National team(s) Years Team Apps (Points) 1987-1996 Ireland 36 (20)

Controversy

On 16 February 2014, Francis sparked controversy when he claimed that “gay people do not have any interest in sport” and that “only a tiny percentage are actively involved in professional sports of any kind".

The player-turned-pundit was speaking on Newstalk's Off the Ball and when asked by presenter Joe Molloy if he believed the percentage of gay people involved in sport was lower than the 10 per cent which is the estimate of the general population who are gay, he said he suspected “that nowhere near 10 per cent. I would say in the smaller margin of 1 per cent”.[3]

In November 2019, he suggested South Africa's win in the Rugby World Cup was 'tainted by steroids'.[4]

References

1. "Neil Francis - Rugby Union - Players and Officials - ESPN Scrum". ESPN scrum.
2. "Neil Francis - Rugby Union - Players and Officials - ESPN Scrum". ESPN scrum.
3. "Gay people 'not interested in sport' claims former rugby player". The Irish Times. 16 February 2014.
4. "Rugby World Cup: South Africa's win 'tainted by steroids', Irish writer Neil Francis claims". NZ Herald. 2019-11-11. ISSN 1170-0777. Retrieved 2020-02-01.