Former All Black Campbell Johnstone has tied the knot with his partner Ben Thomson in a surprise wedding that saw the pair choppered in to the ceremony by a rugby legend.

All Black No.1056 when he made his debut against Fiji in 2005, Johnstone played three Tests for New Zealand and racked up 72 games for Canterbury and 38 for the Crusaders.

Johnstone came out as gay in 2023, having previously revealed his sexuality only to family and close friends, and said his decision to publicly announce the news stemmed from a desire to destigmatise homosexuality and encourage acceptance in rugby.

He is the first All Black to openly come out as gay. 

Johnstone, 44, and Thomson, 37, were married in a non-traditional ceremony at The Flaxmill in the New Zealand South Island town of Oxford, and were choppered in by All Blacks icon Richie McCaw.

The couple dropped the bombshell that they were secretly married in October – and those moments were recorded and shown to guests at their second wedding.

Former All Black Campbell Johnstone (right) has married his partner Ben Thomson (left) in a ceremony that gave guests a very special surprise

The couple revealed at the ceremony that they’d been secretly married in October

‘Nobody knew what was going on. Even the groomspeople and our families didn’t know’ Johnstone told Woman’s Day.

‘We had a day with just the two of us, when photographers videoed and photographed us getting ready together in a hotel. Then we went out to Castle Hill Station and held our ceremony on top of a mountain,’ Thomson explained.

‘It was literally just us, the two photographers and the videographer on that hill, so it was quite cool. We didn’t even have a celebrant.’

Johnstone said his favourite part of the day was the speech his sister gave.

‘She was telling me that she’d just written something very quick and very light,’ he said.

‘She doesn’t like talking in front of people, so I was really amazed at how well she spoke. It was very emotional.’

Thomson added that another of his favourite moments was when the couple snuck away from the party alone for 10 minutes to eat a plate of food together.

‘While the guests mingled and enjoyed the dessert, we managed to sneak up a hill outside to enjoy a plate of food and just be alone for 10 minutes,’ he explained.

Former All Blacks skipper Richie McCaw (pictured holding the World Cup after New Zealand’s win in 2011) flew the couple to the ceremony in a helicopter

Thomson (pictured) made history when he came out as gay in 2023, having previously revealed his sexuality to loved ones

Johnstone said his favourite part of the wedding day was his sister’s speech

The rugby star (left) played 38 matches for the Crusaders and earned three coveted All Blacks caps in 2005

‘We watched over the whole scene and stole a moment for ourselves. That has to have been one of my favourite parts of the day.’

The newlyweds gave their 165 guests the chance to vote on the question: Should the grooms’ last names be Johnstone or Thomson?

The vote later showed ‘Johnstone’ was the name most selected.

The couple said they are considering a luxury safari in South Africa later this year for their honeymoon later.