Breakthrough Super Rugby talent eyeing Wallabies eligibility in 2023

Missing out on a Crusaders call-up was a blessing in disguise for Waratahs flanker Charlie Gamble, who has thrived in the Australian system and now has eyes for the Wallaby jersey, once he becomes eligible in April 2023.

The Christchurch-born and raised 26-year-old has been turning heads for his physical play on both sides of the ball, proving himself as a standout talent within a loaded Warratahs loose-forward pack that includes four Wallabies.

The competition for playing time throughout Super Rugby Pacific will be tough for Gamble and so too will be earning a Wallabies call-up in a World Cup year, but a brief call with Australia head coach Dave Rennie confirmed that the Australia convert is well and truly on the team’s radar.

“Yeah I had a wee phone call with him at the end of the Super Rugby season,” Gamble told ESPN. “It was just good to have a bit of clarity; you kind of hear about all this Wallabies stuff from all your mates and outside people, so it’s good to have that bit of reassurance from him.

“He just wants me to work hard and be consistent, and you never know what could happen.

“But for me, it’s just in the back of my head, I love this place, I love NSW, I love the Waratahs, the goal we want to do is win a Super Rugby title and I honestly believe we can do that with the squad we have at the moment.

“But I can just put my hand up by performing really well, pushing the team, and if we get results here we are going to get more results with selections in the Wallabies.”

When moving to Australia, Gamble’s allegiance didn’t shift immediately, but now as he approaches his fifth year in New South Wales, the hard-hitting back-rower says he’s “absolutely” immersed in Australian rugby.

“The first couple of years I was still a bit of a supporter of back home,” Gamble continued. “But I owe everything to Australia and to this club here, they gave me this opportunity and I’ll be forever grateful for it.

“I bleed blue now, I support the Wallabies, it is what it is.”

While in the Crusaders academy in Christchurch, Gamble found himself mingling with Richie McCaw and Scott Robertson, absorbing the club’s famous winning culture.

Now, having crossed the ditch, Gamble’s joined in the Warratahs environment by the likes of Michael Hooper, Kurtley Beale and Nemani Nadolo; a wealth of international experience to tap into throughout the Super Rugby Pacific campaign.

The aspiring World Cup bolter doesn’t have to look far to find a breakthrough Wallabies success story, Warratahs teammate Mark Nawaqanitawase’s form in the gold jumper saw him score two tries in three Tests during the Australians’ Northern Tour.

“It just shows what can happen,” Gamble said of Nawaqanitawase. “He had a setback at the start of the year and wasn’t getting any selection, I don’t think he got picked for the first four or five (Waratahs) games.

“So to see someone like that, who knew his ability, just work hard and dig away, he didn’t drop his head, he took those steps and then he was in our starting side, then he made Australia A and then onto the Wallabies, it was awesome.”