- Seibold was a centrefold in UK gay magazine
- Says Branson was trying to promote rugby league
- Seibold also performed at the 2000 Brit Awards
Manly Sea Eagles Coach Anthony Seibold has revealed that Sir Richard Branson persuaded him to appear in a gay magazine when he was playing footy for the Virgin mogul in England.
Seibold, 49, has played and worked with some of the biggest names in the sport over the years, including two seasons with the London Broncos from 1999-2000.
British billionaire philanthropist Branson owned the Broncos at the time and he had some unique ideas about marketing the team to new audiences.
‘He had all these ideas about promoting the club in London because it’s a non-traditional rugby league area,’ Seibold told Triple M’s Rush Hour.
‘There was one where a few of us appeared in a gay magazine called Attitude.
Branson had some off-the-wall ideas about promoting his London Broncos team, including getting some of the players to appear as the centrefold in gay magazine Attitude
‘We were the centrefold, a couple of us.’
Seibold said the businessman also arranged for several of the players to perform at the Brit Awards in 2000.
‘Branson had this idea to open the Brit Awards [by] getting seven or eight of us from the London Broncos.
‘We were dressed up in karate outfits banging the drums at the start of the Brit Awards, which was televised live on TV, which is crazy.
‘Performing that night were The Spice Girls, Robbie Williams, Natalie Imbruglia, Tom Jones.
‘So we’re walking backstage, right, Robbie Williams has got about four beautiful women around him and he’s sort of sitting back with a drink.
‘Walk past [and] he looks at us twice because we’ve got headbands on, no shirt on, karate outfit on.
‘He’s gone, ‘Shaun [Edwards former Broncos star], what the f**k are you dressed like that?”
Seibold said he also performed at the 2000 Brit Awards (pictured) while dressed in a karate outfit at Branson’s suggestion
The Manly coach remembers music superstar Robbie Williams surrounded by ‘four beautiful women’ at the awards night
Seibold says he then got introduced to Robbie Williams and had a great night out, but he and the players had to back up and play footy against an Allan Langer-led Warrington outfit two days later.
‘We got pumped,’ said Seibold. ‘But we had a really good Friday night.’
