From 5am shifts and a $600 Barina to a Waratahs contract and debut with Suaalii

As Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii and three Wallabies teammates made their Waratahs debuts in the one-point Super Rugby win over the Highlanders last Friday, another NSW first-gamer flew almost completely under the radar.

Last August, after helping Easts win their first Shute Shield in 55 years, Jamie Adamson packed his bags to return home to England, leaving his $600 Holden Barina in the club car park. He left the keys with a friend and told him he’d collect them in the unlikely event he ever returned to Sydney.

As it turned out, Adamson was back several months later not only to pick up the bomb, but also to collect his first professional contract with the Waratahs.

Adamson had been back in England for two weeks when he took a phone call from Dan McKellar that changed his life. At 25, Adamson knew time was running out on his ambitions to play professional rugby. He had played sevens for England and felt he could represent his country again, but never seriously considered Super Rugby as a route until McKellar offered him a chance.

“I was just dead keen to get back out here and give it a shot,” Adamson said. “The fact that he [McKellar] even considered me to have the potential was amazing for me. And it actually gave me 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 to 50 caps for their country by then. The fact that I was just given the shot … I’m really grateful for it.”

Jamie Adamson playing for England in the Sevens competition at the 2022 Commonwealth Games.Credit: 2022 Getty Images

Adamson had impressed McKellar with his all-action displays in Easts’ Shute Shield winning team. But like most players in the Sydney club competition, Adamson had to work to fund his rugby career.

He rose early for 5am shifts in a local gym before travelling across Sydney to coach rugby at Newington College for the rest of the afternoon, then turning up for training at Easts.

There was never an ambition to play professionally in Australia. Adamson simply wanted to enjoy the game again after suffering a string of injuries while playing sevens back home in England.

“I didn’t know the previous year they’d [Easts] come 10th. My flatmate from back home said it was a really good club, really good boys, so that’s why I was keen to go. I just wanted to get back to enjoying the game, enjoying playing it,” Adamson said.

Jamie Adamson (middle) celebrates with teammates after Siosifa Amone’s winning try against the HighlandersCredit: Getty Images

And then, we got halfway through the season, we’re looking around and thought, you know, we can actually do something here.

“When I came to the last couple of games that went right down to the wire, it was unreal. Those three days of celebration afterward were pretty cool.”

McKellar’s pre-seasons are renowned for their toughness. Players are not only challenged physically, but mentally. The coach had a good idea of the player he was bringing back for an opportunity at pre-season, but also knew there were no guarantees the breakaway could hack it at the Waratahs.

“Until he turns up here, you’re not sure,” McKellar said. “But I’ve given a lot of players like that chances over the years ... it’s nice to want to be a professional rugby player, but are you professional?”

Jamie Adamson in pre-season training with the Waratahs.Credit: NSW Rugby

“As an amateur player, 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.”

Adamson knew that his pre-season trial came with zero guarantees of a full contract. Every day he was competing on the training paddock against Wallaby Rob Leota and club mainstay Charlie Gamble in the back row. Gradually, Adamson gained confidence that he wasn’t out of place, and earned a spot in the side for a pre-season clash in Japan against Kubota Spears.

“Once I found my feet, probably four to six weeks into the pre-season, I didn’t think I was too much off the pace,” Adamson said.

“Then that pre-season game out in Tokyo that we played was a bit of a confidence boost for me ... just a bit of assurance I could keep up and manage at that level. It’s probably after that game that I thought I could give this a crack. And then, obviously, Dan let me know that they were keen to keep me, which is amazing.”

McKellar revealed that he wasn’t “expecting to be offered the Wallabies job” and is confident that his squad will not be distracted by speculation linking him to the role.

“I’d like to think that the players can see the commitment that I’ve got to the group and the organisation, from one day to the next,” McKellar said.

“That shows that there won’t be a distraction, and where my loyalties and where my energy and efforts are going to be put over the next period of time. So that’s the reality, and we’ve not discussed it as a playing group and I haven’t felt the need to.”

Meanwhile, Wallabies captain Harry Wilson has signed a new four-year contract with Rugby Australia. Wilson played one Test in 2022 before missing out on the 2023 World Cup squad under Eddie Jones.

Wallabies coach Joe Schmidt made Wilson captain against Argentina last August and he retained the role throughout the Rugby Championship and November tour. Wilson is expected to lead the Wallabies against the British and Irish Lions.

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