Olympian Ellia Green makes rugby union comeback as a man

Ellia Green, an Olympic gold medallist and former NRLW competitor, has made a comeback in a men’s rugby competition.

Olympic gold medallist Ellia Green has returned to rugby union after retiring from professional sport back in 2022.

The difference this time is he is now competing as a man in a men’s club competition in Sydney for the first time.

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Green, 32, competed for Australia in the Women’s Rugby Sevens tournament at the 2016 Rio Olympics, scoring a try in the gold medal-winning match against New Zealand.

Devastated to miss selection for the title defence in Tokyo, Green retired from Sevens in 2021, walking away at the time as the top try scorer (141) and points scorer (739) in Australian history.

Those records have since been broken, but Green demonstrated his talents by switching codes to represent the Warriors in the 2020 NRLW competition before hanging up the boots.

Watch Ellia Green at the Rio Olympics in the video above

Ellia Green (right) in 2021 with former Rugby Sevens teammates Lori Cramer and Jakiya Whitfeld. Photo: Che Chorley

Struggling with some mental health problems, it was around the time of his retirement that Green decided to change his identity.

It brought him global attention at the time as the first known Olympian to transition.

He discussed his decision at the 2022 Bingham Cup, a biennial gay and inclusive rugby competition.

“I was fortunate to be part of the team that played at the 2016 Rio Olympics and we won a gold medal and it was the most incredible feeling to be part of it,” he said.

“Towards the end of my career, I was starting to have some difficulties with my mental health and one promise that I made to myself, when my rugby career ended, I would continue to live the rest of my life in the identity and the body that I should have.

“That’s a really difficult thing to do in this time and day.”

You can see Green discussing his decision below

Green scoring a try against France in 2020. Photo: Brett Costello

Green after a trial game on March 30. Photo: Instagram

Fast forward three years and Green decided it was time to get the boots back on, joining the Sydney Convicts in the men’s NSW Suburban Rugby Competition.

Four weeks ago, Green posted a series of photos on Instagram with his new teammates and talked about the experience of returning to sport in a men’s tournament.

“First trial games against Manly and Mosman before the season kicks off playing 15s with the boys,” he wrote on the post.

“Had so much fun out there even though I was so unbelievably nervous with the fear of failure, expectations and pressure on myself.

“Then I was quickly reminded of much I love this game, the rugby community and hitting bodies haha. As well as being so lucky to have my crew there to support me doing what I love best.”

The post received more than 7,000 likes and over a hundred comments, with friends and family ecstatic to see his comeback.

“This is epic! Killing it brother,” was one comment.

“So bloody proud of you,” wrote a second.

“Only the beginning! Here’s to a great season ahead,” said another.

Then in another recent post, Green joked about how he coped with his first game of the season.

“We back in business fam and stoked we got the win first game of the season,” he wrote on Instagram.

“Sheeshhh.. ol’ hamstring screaming ‘no not this again’.”

Ellia Green competing for Australia and in a recent photo. Photos: AAP/Instagram

Back in the 2022 video at the Bingham Cup, Green spoke of the difficulties making the decision to transition and the bullying, harm and discrimination people in his situation often face.

Initially worried about how he would be treated by friends, family and the media, it ended up being a “liberating” experience for Green, who has a three-year-old daughter with his partner Vanessa Turnbull-Roberts.

“For someone to be open and honest about that in the public eye is absolutely daunting,” he said.

“I spent a lot of time after I finished up my career with Australian rugby just in the house, in a dark room.

Green with his Sydney Convicts teammates in NSW Suburban Rugby. Photo: Instagram

“I hadn’t been picked for the Tokyo Olympics so I felt like a complete failure. It was heartbreaking.

“I really took that as a reflection on my whole self, as a person, so I was unable to leave the house.

“But the one thing that kept me positive was the fact I had planned my surgery. It was something I’d been counting down the days (for) with my beautiful partner.

“I just knew it was going to be the most liberating feeling when I had that surgery.

“That was like a bright spark in my mind during that dark time.

“I wish people would realise it’s really stressful and hard when people ask you so many questions, instead of just saying ‘that’s awesome, that’s great, I respect that’.”

Originally published as Olympian Ellia Green makes rugby union comeback as a man