The ‘love’ of the Tahs: Jed Holloway hopes to prove ‘people wrong’ in 2024

The new Super Rugby Pacific season is almost here. It’s an opportunity for younger players to step up and be heard at the professional level, while senior players have a chance to add more greatness to their careers with their beloved franchises.

For NSW Waratahs lock Jed Holloway, though, there’s an added layer of motivation going into the 2024 campaign. The Wallaby is hoping to “prove a few people wrong” while wearing sky blue at the club he simply loves playing for.

Holloway, 31, started two Test matches under Eddie Jones last year but was later left out of the Wallabies’ 33-man squad for the Rugby World Cup. In Holloway’s own words: “Let’s be real about it, it was my last opportunity to do it. I was gutted.”

But Holloway is eager and ready to rip in ahead of another Super Rugby Pacific season. The Australian had been linked with a move abroad to Top 14 juggernaut Clermont in France before re-signing with Rugby Australia last year.

Some may question whether it’s time for Holloway to “move on” from Australian rugby, but the 12-Test Wallaby is firmly focused on the job at hand with the Waratahs.

“I want to be a Waratah and I definitely still love the Wallabies and I’ve got a lot of respect for Phil Waugh and I’m very excited for Joe Schmidt,” Holloway told RugbyPass.

“But in terms of where my heart and soul lies, I love this club, I love what they’re about, I love the people in it from the admin staff to the old man who has been washing my training clothes.

“I love what they’re about and I’ve always been a Waratahs fan.

“Some people will probably say, ‘He’s old, he’s got to move on’ but it’s where I’ve always wanted to be. I’ve done the overseas thing a little bit and it’s hard, especially when you’ve got a young family now.

“I really want to give everything I’ve got and hopefully prove a few people wrong in this season and help us get to where we want to go.”

Holloway debuted for the Waratahs in 2013, and while the utility forward has had short stints with Munster and Toyota Verblitz abroad, it’s this club that has always had his heart.

The Waverley College product – a school in Sydney’s Eastern Suburbs – has played more than 80 games in sky blue and is gearing up for another season with the well-known franchise.

But for all the love that Holloway has for the Tahs, just like any other athlete or person, it’s impossible to be motivated all the time. So, when the going gets tough and the tough gets going, the Wallaby refers to a series of quotes on his phone.

Holloway laughed off the idea of sharing what those quotes were, but they’re there for him and him alone “every now and then when I need motivation.”

“When I feel like I don’t want to get out of bed or don’t want to lift as much in the gym today, it’s just refreshing that,” Holloway said.

“It’s mainly just to lead myself and make sure that I’m holding myself accountable because we do have a lot of young, impressionable guys.

“I’ve seen a massive, massive jump out of Langi Gleeson this year. He’s only going to get better in him. I see so much Wycliff (Palu) in him, just the way he plays. But just his attitude around the gym.

“If I can bring one guy through and hopefully teach them good strategies and good preparation and make them a better player, then ideally I’ll be a better play whenever I leave this place to know that I’ve hopefully left it in a better place.”

Seven months after his most recent Test match in Wallaby gold, Holloway will return to competitive rugby when the Tahs open their regular season against arch-rivals Queensland.

It’s a tough start to the year for the men from Sydney, who after making the trip to Brisbane will face three different New Zealand teams on the bounce.

But Holloway is full of confidence and belief.

“My whole time we’ve been there, we’ve covered the most detail and probably run the most kilometres I’ve had in my pre-season,” he added.

“In terms of physical condition and where we are with our gameplan… I think we’re a long way ahead of where we’ve been from in previous seasons.

“It’s exciting. We know we’ve done the work. The boys are strong and fit so we just need to tie it all together now.”