Welsh rugby player Elinor Snowsill has said men's rugby needs to create a 'safer environment' for players to come out.

Snowsill was reacting to a new study carried out by Harlequins which found that 69 per cent of male rugby players in Quins' catchment area had heard a team-mate use a homophobic slur in the last two weeks.

"That probably gives you a bit of an idea why there aren't many men's players who are currently out," said Snowsill.

"There is still that undercurrent that it's still acceptable to say these things. I can tell you that's not the case in women's rugby.

"That's the problem with 'banter'. You can look like you're having a laugh but if there's someone sat there struggling with coming out, hearing those things is going to make him more unlikely to do so.

"We need to make it a safe environment before people can feel comfortable coming out," she told Wales Online.

Snowsill is gay herself and said the 'only issue' she faces is that men give her hassle on nights out.

"The only issue maybe is with men on nights out not being willing to accept it sometimes! That's the only thing I get that could be remotely negative but otherwise it's all fine.

"For me, it's not an issue and it doesn't define who I am."