What’s driving Tahs tour co-captain Charlie Gamble during pre-season

New Zealand-born backrower Charlie Gamble led by example during a gruelling pre-season training session on a hot morning last week. Gamble is an experienced member within the Waratahs’ set-up and the flanker has since been rewarded by new coach Dan McKellar.

On Tuesday, the NSW Waratahs unveiled a 25-man squad to take on Japan’s Kubota Spears at Tokyo’s Edogawa Stadium on Friday afternoon. Coach McKellar selected Gamble to lead the side as one of two co-captains along with second-rower Hugh Sinclair.

Gamble was on the national radar earlier this year with Wallabies coach Joe Schmidt reportedly inviting the 28-year-old from Canterbury to train in a 16-man squad after the Super Rugby Pacific regular season. The Waratahs and Western Force both missed out on the playoffs.

But, it’s no secret that Australian rugby is blessed with genuine talent at openside flanker to choose from. Queensland’s Fraser McReight is considered by some to be the best no. 7 in the world at the moment, and Western Australia’s Carlo Tizzano has also impressed at Test level.

The point remains that Gamble is a supremely talented tackle machine who has served the Waratahs well since debuting for the club on April 2, 2021, against the ACT Brumbies. But before season number six, Gamble has enjoyed taking on “a bit of responsibility."

“I’ve been at the club, this is my sixth season now,” Gamble told RugbyPass and rugby.com.au last week. “It’s a bit of a different thing taking a bit of responsibility, bit of a leadership role, but I enjoy it as well.

“This is our seventh week now of pre-season. Everyone’s working hard, everyone’s got the same goal – we want to do really well as a club and an organisation.

“I’ll just do as much as I can to lead from the front and hopefully a few boys follow me.”

There’s a new feel around the club at the moment as the Waratahs prepare to usher in a new era in 2025. Coach McKellar is leading the charge as the new rugby guru, and there are multiple Wallabies making the move to Sydney following the Melbourne Rebels’ situation this year.

Andrew Kellaway, Rob Leota, Darby Lancaster, Isaac Kailea, Taniela Tupou and Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii will all wear sky blue next season. For a club that came 12^th last season after winning just two of 14 matches, the opportunity to start anew is a major motivator.

“At the end of the day we didn’t want to finish last,” Gamble reflected.

“It was very disappointing because we thought we had a squad and the coaching staff to be able to do really well… injuries, close results didn’t really go our way.

“The boys that have stayed behind, a new coaching staff coming in, new players, everyone’s really bringing something in. We’re pretty fired up to have a really good season.”

In 2024, the Waratahs only two wins came against defending champions the Crusaders. They shocked the traditional powerhouse 37-24 in Melbourne on March 2 before sneaking by them in an all-time classic thriller at Sydney’s Allianz Stadium the following month.

There were glimpses of promise even as they continued to struggle throughout the remainder of the campaign, but the players were disappointed. As Gamble said, the Waratahs expected better and they’re hungry to make amends during the season that awaits.

But that’s not the only thing driving them.

While rugby is a team-first type of sport, the opportunity to push for higher honours is a regular thought for most players. The British and Irish Lions Series is just around the corner – a tour that happens once every 12 years to Australia – and players want to be involved.

After missing out on Wallabies and Australia XV selection, Gamble remained coy about the conversations that he’s had with the likes of Joe Schmidt. But on the back of a strong pre-season so far, the Kiwi will continue to push forward for a chance to wear Wallaby gold.

“Obviously everyone wants to put their hand up to wear a gold jersey in some way.

“Some of the boys that got left out, they’re pretty fired up to have a good season.

“I was probably a bit disappointed in how I played,” he added when asked about his own performances in 2024.” I feel like I could’ve offered a bit more but I can’t change that now.

“I’ve got a few goals in my head but first of all, I really want to put the team first and if I can play really well for this team then we’ll see what happens going forward.”

For the first time since taking up the role, coach McKellar will have an opportunity to watch the Waratahs compete under match conditions. The clash with Kubota Spears is scheduled for 2 pm local time (4 pm AEST) on Friday afternoon.

The Waratahs will leave Australia’s shores for Japan on Wednesday morning before flying back to the Harbour City on Sunday. They will have a brief two-day break before returning to pre-season training early next week.

NSW Waratahs team list

Forwards

Jamie Adamson, Brad Amituanai, Sifa Amone, Adrian Brown, Ethan Dobbins, Eamon Doyle, Charlie Gamble (c), Clem Halaholo, Julian Heaven, Mesu Kunavalu, Tom Lambert, Fergus Lee-Warner, Hugh Sinclair (c), Leafi Talataina.

Backs

Jack Bowen, Nick Chan, Joey Fowler, Jack Grant, James Hendren, Triston Reilly, Lukas Ripley, Jackson Ropata, Archie Saunders, Joe Walton, Teddy Wilson.