Mascots BANNED at the Bingham Cup | Are the Emerald Warriors to Blame? | Ep 58

On the second day of the Bingham Cup, we casually spotted the Brisbane Hustlers' mascot.The Hustlers were hosting the tournament, and we knew exactly what the mascot game was about. We started thinking about whether we could get close enough to steal it. Then we noticed there were children around. And a dog. And while we really wanted the mascot, we didn't particularly want to be responsible for an international rugby incident.Then, almost perfectly timed, a message went out to everyone at the tournament: mascots were banned.The reason? Police had been called after a fight over one of the mascots, and the long-running Bingham Cup tradition had apparently crossed a line.So we brought it up with the Emerald Warriors.In this episode of the Gay Rugby Podcast, we sit down with Gary and Maz from Dublin's Emerald Warriors RFC during the 2026 Bingham Cup in Brisbane. We get into the mascot controversy, including the incident involving an Emerald Warriors player at the 2024 Bingham Cup in Rome, and why the club's reputation seems to have followed them to Australia.From there, the conversation turns to the history of the Emerald Warriors, founded in Dublin in 2003 and now home to more than 250 members. We talk about how the club has grown, the development of its women's team, and what an LGBTQ+ rugby club can offer people who may never have felt completely at home in traditional rugby.The Warriors also talk about their bid to host the 2028 Bingham Cup in Dublin why they wanted it, what hosting the tournament could mean for the club, and what they learned from hosting the 2019 Union Cup.We get into their international rugby history, beating the Sydney Convicts in Rome, winning the 2025 Union Cup, the more chaotic side of Emerald Warriors tours, and the story behind a motivational speech that eventually resulted in 14 players getting matching tattoos.Recorded in Brisbane during the 2026 Bingham Cup