Let’s get one thing straight about the Bingham Cup, a tournament popularly referred to as the Gay Rugby World Cup.

It isn’t just for homosexuals.

The three-day bi-annual tournament in Sydney starting on Friday will bring together club teams from several nations and continents from North America to Europe, and Australia. There’s even a first ever New Zealand entrant.

“It’s tagged as the gay and inclusive Rugby World Cup, so of course there’s a very big gay presence,” said Sven Dahlhelm, a straight man, who plays for the defending champions, Sydney Convicts.

“But being the inclusive World Cup, that means anyone can play.”

Dahlhelm said he found the Convicts to be a great group of guys after he started training with them and felt comfortable playing alongside them.

Asked what was the most popular misconception straight men had about gay rugby players, Dahlhelm said: “that they will be soft, that it’s going to be a lesser level.

“I assumed wrongly that the level of competition would be quite low, but there’s some really amazing players in the team.

“These guys are just as tough and just as macho as anyone else that plays footy.”

Former Australian Test prop and current Wallabies set piece coach Andrew Blades can attest to the toughness and commitment of the players after putting some through their paces in Sydney on Wednesday.

“There was a lot of big hits, a lot of laughter and everything you want to see in a good rugby session,” Blades told AAP.

He felt a tournament like the Bingham Cup was important in dispelling any prejudices the straight community might have about gay rugby clubs.

“I definitely think it is (important), because I think subconsciously people would assume that gay people wouldn’t play rugby,” Blades said.

“These guys show it’s not true.”

Even elite level gay sportsmen like American Brad Thorson, who tried out for NFL team Arizona, admitted to having misconceptions about homosexuals playing rugby before he linked up with the San Francisco Fog club.

“I ended up out there for practice about nine months ago, half expecting a bunch of guys in tutus, so I had those same pre-conceived notions,” Thorson told AAP.

Teams contesting the Bingham Cup face a hectic schedule, playing several 20 to 25 minute a half games over the duration of the tournament.