Rugby Legends and Rising Stars Want To Break Stigmas Around Health

Today’s elite athletes test the outer limits of the human body, possessing strength, speed and resilience that sees their feats pass into legend. Paragons of health, they quite literally embody wellness. No sportspeople represent this more powerfully than the All Blacks and Black Ferns: New Zealand’s internationally-revered rugby teams, known for their electrifying teamwork and fast-paced playing style.

Now, Bupa, the international healthcare company and Official Partner of the All Blacks and the Black Ferns, has teamed up with past and present players to launch Human After All: The Alternative Team Photo. These images show that behind these stars’ iconic jerseys, each has a health story to share. The aim is to normalize and inspire conversations about health and wellness around the world.

The stigma around discussing our health needs to be addressed. Studies have shown that stigma can lessen uptake of care, deter people from completing treatments, fuel social inequalities, and exacerbate illness. Bupa has found that men’s mental health is in a state of crisis, while women's wellbeing is often impacted by public displays of womanhood. And, over half of people feel uncomfortable discussing their health.

“Bupa believes it’s healthy to talk about health, whether that’s speaking to a doctor, connecting with a community, or simply confiding in a friend,” says Fiona Bosman, Global Brand Director at Bupa Group.

“This is the first of many moments we’ll be creating this year as part of our new Health Stories campaign with the aim of inspiring more healthy conversations about health across the globe.”

Human After All: The Alternative Team Photo aims to encourage these essential conversations. Rugby legends including Sir John Kirwan, Ruby Tui, Aaron Cruden, Layla Sae, and Codie Taylor shared their stories, from the experience of motherhood, to tackling a life-changing illness. In their Alternative Team Photo, each sported a jersey or accessory emblazoned with one word—”depression”, “mind”, “cancer”, “diabetes” and “rest”—personally chosen to represent their health and wellness journey.

In a photoshoot and interview, they discussed what their chosen word means to them. 2011 World Cup winner Aaron Cruden reflected on his battle with testicular cancer, while Maiakawanakaulani Roos, the youngest-ever captain of the Black Ferns, opened up about a personal loss in high school that shaped her approach to teamwork and leadership.

“There are a lot of eyes on you when you’re a high-performance athlete, but the human story beyond the pitch can often be overlooked, when it’s just as important for us as humans,” says Ruby Tui, Black Fern #235, 2020 Olympic gold medallist and 2021 World Cup winner. “I hope this campaign from Bupa sheds light on the importance of our individual health and wellness journeys and inspires more people to make their health a priority that they talk about openly and honestly.”

It is precisely because the greatest athletes make the extraordinary look ordinary that we can forget that they are human. But by sharing their personal health stories, the players hope to encourage others to open up and do the same. “The Alternative Team Photo is an important reminder that we all experience the ups and downs of health and wellbeing, and elite athletes are no exception,” says Bosman.

“We’re so grateful to everyone involved for sharing their stories in support of removing the stigmas around speaking out about health.”