Charlie Gamble, co-captain of the NSW Waratahs against Kubota Spears in Tokyo on Friday, expects a “passionate and proud” performance from the Japanese side.
The backrower also hopes Bernard Foley, who earned 120 caps for NSW and 76 for the Wallabies, will play for the Kubota Spears with whom he is on contract.
The match, at Edogawa Stadium in Tokyo, is the first hit-out for the NSW Waratahs under new coach Dan McKellar. It will also be the first time that Gamble, who has 45 NSW Waratahs caps, will play for them with the ‘C’ of Captain against his name.
Gamble, 28, is co-captain with Hugh Sinclair, 32 who has 54 NSW Waratahs caps. They will lead a twenty-five-strong squad that flew to Tokyo on Wednesday.
“It's the first time I have been captain. It’s also pretty good doing it with ‘Sincs,' because we started at the NSW Waratahs together back in 2019,” Gamble said.
“It's quite a young group we have. So, it’s a good responsibility to have, to lead the boys out.”
Gamble said he and Sinclair, who has been selected for the Kubota game in the second row, have different assets as leaders. But as co-captains, he believes that they will complement each other rather than step on each other’s toes.
“We have different ways of how we lead the group,” Gamble said. “I'm more of a person that does it in action. ‘Sincs’ speaks well and gets the boys up when they need to.
“He has that detail around his game and the way he speaks about it. That's good.
“But we have a good group of boys. We all respect each other. It’s a group that is keen to learn, and they've brought them through really well in this pre-season.”
Friday’s match against Kubota will provide the NSW Waratahs with their first gauge of how they are tracking under McKellar’s coaching in match play.
Gamble says pre-season indicators are promising at this stage of their preparation for the 2025 Super Rugby Pacifica competition that starts on February 14.
“It was always going to be different with new coaching staff and players,” Gamble said. “We're just trying to find the new systems and cohesion between everyone.
“But it's been good. I think we're ahead of the game, coming into December. We’ve done a lot of work on both sides of the ball.
"We're in a good spot for how we want to be, leading into next year. When the Wallabies come back, we’ll clicking and humming.”
The new-look NSW Waratahs under McKellar and a revamped playing roster have embraced the responsibility of turning the team back into a rugby power.
“It was disappointing how we went last year, finishing bottom of the table; but with the new staff, new players, there is that feeling of a reset, Gamble said.
“Everyone is ready to move forward. Everyone is working hard, which is all we can ask for. It is one step at a time, and the trip to Japan is the first step of what's to come.
"That's the beauty of rugby. The sport itself brings a lot of different people together, and everyone has their different backgrounds and teams they've come from, and every coach has a different way of coaching.
"The group has bought in with ears open. We've been willing to learn, and we are seeing plenty of progress on the offensive and defensive side of it.
"It will be exciting to put it into the game this weekend.”
Gamble expects Kubota will throw their all into the game against the NSW Waratahs.
“Japanese teams are passionate and proud. They love rugby, and are great people,” Gamble said.
“But we'll be up for this game too. Hopefully, Bernard [Foley] is playing too. He’s a NSW Waratahs legend. It will be cool if we get the chance to play him.
“They will want to win the game just as badly as we do. It' should be a terrific spectacle.”
Asked about the two nineteen-year-old NSW Waratahs Academy to play Kubota - Eamon Doyle and Joey Fowler, Gamble said: “Their heads are well above their age.
"They've been training very well, putting their hands up and they haven't missed a session. They've been selected because they're really good players.
"It’ll be cool to see them play for us.”
The NSW Waratahs game against Kubota will not be televised or streamed online; but kick-off for the Friday fixture is at 2pm local time (4pm AEDT).
1. Tom Lambert
2. Julian Heaven
3. Brad Amituanai
4. Fergus Lee-Warner
5. Hugh Sinclair (C)
6. Eamon Doyle
7. Charlie Gamble (C)
8. Leafi Talataina
9. Teddy Wilson
10. Jack Bowen
11. Archie Saunders
12. Joey Walton
13. Jackson Ropata
14. Triston Reilly
15. James Hendren
16. Adrian Brown
17. Ethan Dobbins
18. Sifa Amone
19 Clem Halaholo
20. Jamie Adamson
21. Mesu Kunavalu
22. Jack Grant
23. Joey Fowler
24. Nick Chan
25. Lukas Ripley
