A Master’s degree, $600 Barina and F45 coaching classes: how Jamie Adamson entered NSW Waratahs folklore

Hailing from a university that boasts England cricket captains and rugby legends in its alumni, Jamie Adamson is Super Rugby’s least likely breakout star.

There have been some far-fetched debut stories in Super Rugby over the years, but a 25-year-old with a Master’s degree from one of Britain’s top universities who drives around Sydney in a $600 car and made a living conducting early morning gym classes is one of the least likely.

Enter Jamie Adamson, who became NSW Waratah No.1755 when he came off the bench in the thrilling last-minute win against the Highlanders last week.

He could have been playing for England’s sevens team, or working in London’s financial district, such is the varied course of the path that eventually landed him a training deal at Daceyville with the Tahs.

Having completed his Master’s degree in finance and undergraduate degree in economics at Durham University – whose sporting alumni includes former England cricket captains Nasser Hussain and Andrew Strauss, and legendary rugby skipper Will Carling – Adamson wanted some life experience.

Adamson has taken the hard route to reach Super Rugby. Picture: Getty

He came to Sydney, and signed up for Eastern Suburbs in the Shute Shield on recommendation from a friend who’d played for the club the previous year, when they’d finished 10th.

The flanker helped Easts win their first premiership in 55 years, all while getting around town in a Holden Barina he purchased for $600, while running F45 fitness classes at 5am and rugby coaching at Newington College in the afternoons to make ends meet.

Four days after Easts beat Northern Suburbs 36-35 in the final, Adamson was headed back to England to train with their sevens team, having already played for them in previous years.

Then came the crucial phone call from new Tahs coach Dan McKellar, asking if he’d be keen to do pre-season training.

Jamie Adamson helped Eastern Suburbs claim a drought-breaking Shute Shield premiership in 2024.

“I had no guarantees with the sevens, that was a pre-season trial as well, so it was either pre-season trial there for a potential part-time gig or pre-season trial here with the opportunity to go full-time in a 15 set-up, something I’d not done before, I absolutely love Sydney, so it was a no-brainer for me to be honest,” Adamson said.

He’d sold all the furniture from his Sydney flat, but left the keys to the Barina with a mate.

Six weeks later, he was collecting the keys back and driving the car to Tahs training, where he impressed McKellar enough to earn a full-time contract.

“He’s not the biggest backrower but he’s fast, he’s powerful, he’s got a little bit of that Ben Earl shape to him,” McKellar said.

“He’s good on ball and he’s 25 and he’s hungry for an opportunity.

“The boys really like him and enjoy his company. He’s just hungry for a chance to perform and get an opportunity at this level and he’s taking it at the moment.

“I’ve given a lot of players that chance over the years and when they turn up fit and hungry – it’s nice to want to be a professional rugby player, but are you a professional? He’s certainly all of that.

Waratahs player Jamie Adamson represented England in the World Rugby Sevens circuit.

“He’s obviously been involved with the Great Britain Sevens but as an amateur player where you’ve got to do a lot of the work behind the scenes on your own, he’s clearly done that and had that self-discipline.

“That was something that I liked, and obviously he’s a good rugby player. The fact that he backs it up with just being a good person made him an easy fit for the group.”

Adamson had never imagined a Super Rugby career.

“At the start of my Master’s, I got the opportunity to sign with the sevens, I played England sevens that year and then re-signed with Great Britain for the following year, which obviously delayed that Australian opportunity, but for good reason,” Adamson said.

“Once I was released from sevens, I had a pretty unlucky year with injury.

“I thought it’s either get a job in London, probably not kick on with rugby just with work-sport balance not being there, or come out to Australia and just give it a crack, just try and get back to enjoying my rugby again. So I decided to do that.”

But juggling Shute Shield rugby with eastern suburbs rent has its challenges.

“I was doing early mornings, getting up at quarter to five, doing the morning classes there (at the F45 gym), and then I was coaching rugby in the afternoon at Newington College,” he said.

Waratahs player Jamie Adamson completed an undergraduate degree in economics and Master's in finance at Durham University.

“So I was working five until 10 in the morning, then I’d have a few hours off, I could go and get my gym done.

“And then (I was) working like one til five at Newington, and then train at East in the evening.”

He showed enough during the season for a shrewd McKellar to throw him a chance.

“As soon as he said it, it didn’t really take much thought process for me to be honest, I was just dead keen to get back out here and give it a shot,” Adamson said.

“The fact that he’d even considered me to have the potential and backed me was amazing for me. It actually gave myself a bit of confidence that maybe I could go and do it.

“Not that many people make their professional debut at 25. Some boys have 40, 50 caps for their country by then.

“The fact that I was just given the shot, I was really grateful for it. Obviously, I’m dead keen to just give it my best shot and see what happens.”

Originally published as A Master’s degree, $600 Barina and F45 coaching classes: how Jamie Adamson entered NSW Waratahs folklore