The gay rugby player who feared rejection but got total support

It will be business as usual for Kyle Tayler with Newport in Super Rygbi Cymru (SRC) this season, the only change will be that he has a different name.

The open-side flanker goes into 2026-27 with the addition of Woolston after his summer wedding to husband George.

The Black and Ambers marked the occasion – the first same-sex blessing held at St Basil's Church in Bassaleg – with a post on social media.

It was another step for a back-row forward who has been "out" with his team-mates since 2018.

"Everyone has been really supportive," said Tayler-Woolston.

"I'd love to give people confidence that there are happy stories out there.

"There are a lot of young players in our squad and when I was in their situation, I didn't have a role model to look up to.

"I know I have the support of Newport – the squad, coaches, committee, fans."

Welsh rugby has high-profile gay men in Gareth Thomas and Nigel Owens, but Tayler-Woolston hopes his experience at semi-professional level will reassure others that they can be themselves.

Tayler-Woolston grew up watching Newport with his father, Andrew, and was treated to a side that featured South Africa internationals Gary Tiechmann and Percy Montgomery in the pre-regional era.

After captaining Cardiff Met and Wales Students then playing for Newbridge, he got the chance to pull on a black and amber jersey for the first time against Cardiff on permit in October 2015.

A permanent move followed, but the flanker was unable to be at his best.

Tayler-Woolston came out to his family in his late teens – "I couldn't have asked for a better reaction from my parents, they weren't bothered at all" – but kept secrets in rugby settings.

"I was sort of living a double life, and then you are lying to yourself," he said.

"My biggest worry was that I would be judged based on my sexuality rather than my rugby skill.

"I think it was my second year with Newport that I started to think that I had to tell people, that I couldn't bottle things up any more.

"It was mentally draining and I was constantly on guard. I wanted to go to dinner with my partner, I wanted to hold their hand without constantly looking over my shoulder."

Relatively new in the squad, Tayler-Woolston's biggest fear was being rejected.

He wondered how the coaching staff react, and whether they would continue to pick him?

"All those ideas were building in my head because you read horror stories online," he added.

"I felt that I was lying to my team-mates because I couldn't be my true, authentic self around them.

"It is tiring being on guard all of the time, wondering what people would think, whether I would be isolated and rejected.

"I love pulling on the black and amber jersey, I never take it for granted and it means so much.

"It would have been devastating to be rejected by my club and city, but thankfully I've never faced that."

Tayler-Woolston gradually told a select few at the club about his sexuality, but needed to tell his boss, head coach Ty Morris.

"He had signed me and invested in me – I owed it to him," he said.

"I messaged Ty and said I had something I needed to tell him and we met for a coffee.

"I just came out and said it and he just said 'oh my god, I thought you were going to tell me you were signing for someone else'.

"Ty was amazing, he has been so supportive and is one of the reasons that I have had such longevity at the club.

"I wanted to be assessed on my rugby, and Ty has always done that. If my performance is rubbish then drop me, and he does. That's down to how I have played and nothing else.

"My biggest fear was the line being blurred, but I don't have to worry about that and can focus on my rugby."

At that cafe summit, the flanker talked through the next steps with Morris and let his news spread naturally through the squad and management with no issues, only encouragement.

"In my head, and I don't know where I got it from, I thought the older generation in rugby would be homophobic, but they weren't," said Tayler-Woolston.

"It's shown me how important it is not to put people in a box and think they will not accept you."

The 2018-19 season was pretty ordinary for Newport, who finished seventh in a 16-team Premiership, but it was a stellar one for Tayler-Woolston.

The flanker swept the board at the Black and Ambers' awards when named as player of the season by his team-mates, the coaches and supporters.

Tayler was being helped by the influence of his future husband, a wedding planner from Bristol.

"That was the first full year that George was coming to games and I was openly talking about my sexuality," he said.

"A weight was off my shoulders, I could be myself and it was reflected in the performances. I wasn't worried about small things.

"Before it was really uncomfortable when I came off the pitch – do I hug him? Do I kiss him? He gave me the confidence to not care what people might think."

Tayler-Woolston is quick to stress that he is lucky with how things have worked out; while offering others encouragement, he certainly isn't preaching.

"I have never faced homophobia in the rugby setting. Maybe that's just because I've been lucky or it's the standard that I am playing at," he said.

"We've had boys in the squad from all walks of life and there has never been an issue, nobody saying that they aren't going to pass to me, talk to me, get changed in front me.

"I've been very lucky, I've got gay friends and some of the battles that they have had, in and out of rugby, are scary.

"I love publicising the fact that you can be open in rugby, but it's someone's own decision."

Tayler-Woolston started in Newport's 2025 Super Rygbi Cymru grand final win at Ebbw Vale and in last season's SRC Cup final success against Llandovery.

He has made 176 appearances for the club and is established as a stalwart, with a big target remaining.

"It'd be a dream to reach 200 if my body can hold out," he said.

"I've managed to achieve everything a semi-pro player can – we've won the cup, the league and we've got the SRC Shield at the moment – all while being open about who I am.

"I do feel rugby has progressed massively and I am able to live my normal life, and that's how it should be, but we have to keep breaking down barriers.

"People shouldn't need to have personal battles, they should be able to go into any rugby club and be themselves. Love is love."