I’M FEELING THE LOVE
Scots convert Dempsey says move has re-ignited his career — and there are no hard feelings with his Aussie mates
FROM the shores of Manly Beach in Sydney to the Bonnie Banks of Loch Lomond, it has been quite a journey for Jack Dempsey.
By his own admission, it represents a fairly radical change of scenery. But Dempsey had reached a point in his career where he was ready to roll the dice.
He was scratching around and struggling to see the light, only to find it at the end of the Clyde Tunnel, of all places.
Moving from the Waratahs to Glasgow Warriors in the summer of 2021 offered the chance for a fresh start after he had fallen out of love with rugby.
Much of the problem stemmed from being bizarrely discarded by the Wallabies on the back of the World Cup in 2019.
But he is now back in the Test arena. Having not been capped by Australia in over three years, he switched allegiances to Scotland thanks to ancestry on his mother’s side of the family.
He came off the bench last Saturday to make his Scotland debut against his former colleagues, as the home side lost 16-15.
‘It’s no secret that we had some rough years at the Waratahs,’ explained the backrower, speaking for the first time since he made the switch.
‘That went hand-in-hand not only with my form, but also my fitness and going through injuries.
‘I struggled to see the light at the end of the tunnel. That’s why I needed that drastic change — and moving from Sydney to Glasgow is about as drastic as you’ll get. Not only rugby-wise, but lifestyle-wise.
‘The way the city and country have accepted me has just re-lit that fire inside me. Look, I’m not going to lie. I came over here thinking my Test career was probably over.
‘I didn’t come over here specifically to play Test rugby. At that point, the rule didn’t exist. It was unplanned and a bit of a curveball. But I’ve loved every moment of it.
‘After I got my cap at the weekend, I said to the lads that I came over here in a bit of a weird place in my career.
‘I wasn’t loving my rugby as much as maybe I used to. This has re-lit that fire under me again over the past 14 months or so.
‘I’m just thankful that I made this move. Not only to Glasgow, but to Scotland. I said to the boys that I hope I can repay this faith over the next few weeks, months or years — whatever it may be.
‘I’m happy with the decision I made. I grew up on the north shore of Sydney, so spent a lot of my childhood on the coast. I’m not at Michael Hooper level of surfer. But somewhere in the middle there.
‘That’s maybe the biggest thing I’ve found since moving to Glasgow. Going to Loch Lomond in the middle of winter isn’t quite Manly Beach. But I’ve found other things about the culture and lifestyle in Scotland I enjoy.’
Still only 28 years old, Dempsey still has plenty of miles left on the clock. As regular observers of Glasgow will testify, he has been outstanding since moving to Scotstoun.
If he can carry that form into the Test arena, he could soon become a fixture in the Scotland starting XV, let alone the squad.
Dempsey had joked a few months ago that his Dad, Michael, would ‘kill him’ if he switched from Australia to Scotland.
‘No, he just wanted me to name-drop him in the media,’ smiled Dempsey after his Scotland debut at the weekend.
‘He was like: “I’ve been your Dad for 28 years and not once have you ever said anything about me in the media”.
‘But no, I wouldn’t have made this decision if I didn’t think I was up to it. Not only playing at this level, but making a statement.
‘The way that Scotland play, I feel like it suits me well. Whether my role is to come off the bench and add impact, or add experience, I’m looking forward to it.
‘There’s something brewing here which I want to be part of.’
It was a strange experience for Dempsey to go up against so many old colleagues, especially childhood friend Hooper.
When the national anthems started, he was ready. Flower of Scotland had been drummed into him all week by his new team-mates.
‘It was a weird one,’ he added. ‘There was a big build-up during the week. There was always the possibility I’d play against Australia, so I kind of readied myself. ‘It was weird. I just kept my head down during the Aussie one. The Scotland boys are quite diligent in making sure the new caps know the words to the anthem.
‘So I had a week to prep and make sure I nailed it. It’s one of those things, anthems are the first thing that sticks out. That moment in time, with the crowd at Murrayfield, is very special.
‘Even when the moment came, it was very strange. At one moment, on the other side of the scrum, was Hoops (Michael Hooper). I’d played every pro game with him before I moved over here.
‘I’ve always danced to the beat of my own drum. It’s good for the plot, that one — to play against your old team. If we had got that kick at the end, it would have been the cherry on top.
‘I just had a laugh with Bernard Foley (Australia fly-half). He returned a kick at me and then at the bottom of the ruck he was saying: “Good tackle, mate. Yeah, cheers”. It was just a bit of fun.
‘But listen, I’m very close with a lot of those boys. They know my story and my journey, so it’s all love there. To win my first Scotland cap against them is something I’ll never forget.
‘It stings in terms of the way we lost, but that’s Test match rugby.’
14 The number of caps back-rower Jack Dempsey won for Australia before losing favour with the national side, allowing him to switch allegiance to Scotland