Strange male following rugby union (3)
I believe the answer is:
rum
'strange' is the definition.
(synonyms)
'male following rugby union' is the wordplay.
'male' becomes 'm' (common abbreviation).
'following' says to put letters next to each other.
'rugby union' becomes 'RU' (abbreviation).
'm' after 'ru' is 'RUM'.
(Other definitions for rum that I've seen before include "Alcoholic drink from molasses" , "Bizarre" , "Weird" , "Curious, strange" , "Peculiar like sailor's drink (3)" .)