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Jamie Adamson: 'The only thing I’d left in Australia was a $600 car'
By Liam Heagney
England’s Jamie Adamson is an unfamiliar name to watch out for in Super Rugby Pacific 2025. His original plan for the year was to get back into the Great Britain 7s mix and go on the HSBC SVNS circuit. One trial into that ambition, though, came a career-changing call.
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Dan McKellar was on the blower. The new NSW Waratahs boss had seemingly taken a shine to the 25-year-old in Easts’ remarkable first Shute Shield title win in 55 years and wanted to know if the back-rower from Durham fancied jumping back on a long-haul flight to Sydney and seeing if he had what it takes to make it in big time XVs.
When he exited for home some weeks earlier, Adamson had flogged everything but the car he had spent buttons acquiring. He left it at Easts clubhouse, tossed the keys to one of his mates, and chuckled that if he ever returned he would take it back. Little did he know this collection would occur so quickly.
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“I’d got out of my tenancy, sold off all the furniture, packed all my bags, and moved home,” he told RugbyPass from his new flat-share just five minutes from Bondi. “The only thing I’d left in Australia was a car I had bought for $600. I’d left it at Easts clubhouse, gave the keys to one of my mates, and said, ‘If I’m ever back I will take it back off you’.”
Joking aside, how did this most unlikely new-season Super Rugby signing materialise? “It’s all happened pretty fast. Starting in September, I finished my season in Australia, moved home, and was back in the UK for three weeks when I got the call from Dan McKellar asking if I wanted to come back, jump on a pre-season trial, and see how things went.
“Home for me is the north east about 25 minutes outside Durham, just in the countryside. I’d moved back with the hope of getting re-signed by Great Britain 7s, so I was about to head into a pre-season trial with them.
“I did one week in camp and then got the call from Dan so I jumped on a flight three weeks after that. I took the opportunity with both hands and fast forward to December, I got offered a gig for the 2025 season.”
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Was he completely blindsided by the Waratahs’ invite? “I had a few whispers (they were interested) but nothing was said to me directly. Towards the end of the season with Easts, I had a bit of interest but nothing was said to me, so I packed my bags, went home, and then a bit of radio silence for about three weeks.
“I thought it was dead in the water but I got the call through, so buzzing with that. It wasn’t an unfamiliar number. I got a text message introduction first. Then just a bit of chat between my agent and myself to get the ball moving before talking to Dan.”
The irony is it originally was a 2023 rejection from GB7s that started Adamson on the Australian adventure that now has him battling Charlie Gamble and the other opensides for a Super Rugby debut at home to the Hurricanes next Friday. “I’d actually finished with (England) sevens at the end of the previous season. I was off contract after having a pretty unlucky season with injuries.
“I’d a groin injury which put me out for nine months, so I missed the whole of the World Series until London and Toulouse, got a bit of game time then but was just a bit off the pace, didn’t get re-signed for that 2024 season so decided to make the jump, go to Australia to play Shute Shield, something I always wanted to do.
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“The only reason I went to Easts is my flatmate in London played there the year before when they came 10th in the league. He said, ‘It’s a good group of lads, nice club, nice area’. So that’s why I chose it.”
Not since March 2022 with Durham University had Adamson played XVs, so it was a challenge readjusting after sevens. “I was definitely rusty at the start,” he admitted. “Running around like a headless chicken, in those pre-season games especially.
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“But as the season went on, I started to find my feet. Six or seven weeks in I was starting to cut out the silly mistakes and starting to string some decent performances together and then peaked towards the end of the season. I was running far, carrying plenty of times, making plenty of tackles, so all those numbers were up and the mistakes were going down.”
His individual development matched Easts’ progress from unfancied outfit to champions for the first time since 1969. “Starting the season off I was looking around thinking we have actually got a pretty decent squad here. Probably 11 of the starting 15 weren’t there the year before, so it was a very new group.
“Those lads who had been at Easts before, they were probably the odd ones out but we started to gain some momentum, put some good performances together, and then got midway through the season when Super Rugby finishes and all the Super Rugby boys came back.
“That just strengthened our squad even more. We aimed to make the top four and then we sat in second, first, and said, ‘We can actually do something here’.” They did!
“The clubhouse was bouncing that night of the final. Plenty of old Easts boys came back to watch and were just over the moon. With me only being there a year I didn’t really know the history but I definitely got a taste for it that night from people who had been around at the club when they won the last one 55 years ago. They were pretty excited.”
What about Adamson’s excitement – or dread – making his face fit at the Waratahs? Pre-season training at Daceyville was a leap. “It’s definitely a step up, the hardest training I have done. But I am in the best shape I have ever been in as a result of that. Injury-free, touchwood. Just need to stay on top of that in training.”
What sucked? “I wouldn’t say it’s one drill, it’s weather-dependent for me. I’m good until it gets really hot and humid, that is when it gets really tough for me. When you are doing conditioning and it’s 32 degrees and humid, that’s what I started to get on the ropes.”
The upside is weight gain and a dedicated position to get stuck into. “I used to play sevens at about 94 kilos, I was playing at Easts at 96 last year and I have now pushed up to that 100 mark. It’s not been too hard, it’s good weight. It has taken time but it’s good weight I have put on.
“Back row is where I have always played. I was always openside before going to Easts but just with the combination of players we had, I ended up playing six for most of the season last year. I am solely playing seven at Waratahs at the minute, just solely focusing on that. Just the one role.
“It was my first full-time 15s pre-season. Definitely a new environment for me but familiar faces with the boys from Easts helped. The Wallabies boys weren’t there for the first eight weeks so it made it a little less nerve-wracking going into it but all the boys were great, staff as well. Made me feel really welcome. Got into the swing of things straight away. Transitioned in pretty well.”
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It was December when the Waratahs made an offer, happy that their English trialist had something worth contracting. “How did I find out? I had a chat with Dan. He said he was keen to keep me on but didn’t know what that would look like. He had to approve it with Rugby Australia with me being an overseas player etc and then they got in touch with my agent with a more formal offer to keep me on for 2025.”
Days out from the new season beginning, life sure is sweet. “I’m sharing with some good mates I met through Easts so just in a three-bed flat about five minutes from Bondi. It’s a nice spot, I switch off when I get away from training.
“We have got a lot of home games at the start of the season which is exciting, so getting an opportunity to run out in one of those is the goal. My parents have booked flights at the start of March for a month, and my older brother is coming out for the first time in the middle of March which is exciting.”
McKellar likes stories about players who don’t get red-carpet treatment on their way up. It’s why the Waratahs have invested in their unknown English recruit and given renewed hope to other mid-20-something grassroots players not to give up on the dream of making it late in the pro game.
“Nothing worth having is easy to get. Just keep chipping away,” advised Adamson. “That’s what I have done. Just keep plugging away and if you have got the ability and good work ethic, you will get recognised at some point.
“A part of me still likes to consider myself as a young player but when I think I am actually 25 now – there are a lot of boys who have 50 caps for their country at 25. It’s not been playing sailing, it’s not been a smooth journey but I am just happy to be here now. The hard work has paid off and I love it here. I’d like to stick around. Definitely.”
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