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Gloucester outside half Adam Hastings has an uncanny ability to capture the attention of social media, including an incredible drop goal from his own half and being on the receiving end of a massive hit delivered by a 123kg Fijian second row.
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His latest internet contribution has been constantly replayed to try and work out how he deftly moved the ball behind his back and then dropped it onto his left foot, nutmegging the dumbfounded defence.
Hastings produced this moment of unique individual skill in the European Challenge Cup quarter-final 23-13 win over Ospreys at Kingsholm. So, how many times had he produced this trick in a match? The answer is a remarkable “never before” for a move that he first attempted as a 10-year-old playing in the garden with his cousins.
The 27-year-old told RugbyPass: “Those things aren’t seen very often and get clicks and I refer to that as backyard bulls**t! I do remember doing it with my cousins and it is something I do mucking about before training but I had never done it before in a game.
“I don’t really know why I did it to be honest – it was a bit pointless – but I thought I could sneak it through if there was more of a disguise on it.”
Wizardry from @adamhastings96 🪄
📺 @tntsports @discoveryplusUK#ChallengeCupRugby | #GLOvOSP pic.twitter.com/xizAGTAjFN
— Rugby on TNT Sports (@rugbyontnt) April 12, 2024
Hastings, who will be rejoining Glasgow Warriors at the end of the season, first became an online sensation courtesy of a thumping 53m drop goal against London Irish while the massive tackle by Fijian lock Ratu Rotuisolia forced the Gloucester No10 off in the 42nd minute of Scotland’s win at Murrayfield in 2022.
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“I would rather go viral for a kick than being smashed by a Fijian,” admitted Hastings. “I had to watch it back because I couldn’t remember the tackle. I didn’t know what had happened and it is horrible. My mates are quite cruel and like tagging me into those videos of me getting smashed and hopefully, there are less of those highlights coming out.”
The Fijian hit came during a debilitating run of injuries for Hastings who has undergone four operations and countless weeks of rehabilitation working with the medical and strength and conditioning staff at Kingsholm who have helped him negotiate this difficult period of his career.
Besides the help of the Gloucester staff and his teammates, the popular outside half has been able to take inspiration from his family. Father Gavin is the former Scotland and Lions captain who understands the demands of top-class rugby while his mother Diane was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease in 2003 at the age of just 39.
Diane had surgery in 2016 which saw her undergo a course of deep brain stimulation to regulate the electrical signals that cause tremors and stiffness and has since competed in the London Marathon. Sister Holly lives in Barcelona and is another source of positivity although her offer of a session with a Tarot card reader has yet to be taken up.
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Hastings, who has recovered from knee and shoulder injuries, added: “It has been hellish with the injuries and I am much better at dealing with these things and I remember the first injury felt like my world was ending. The more you have the easier it becomes and that is kind of sad in a way.
“It has been so tough and I am trying so hard. People don’t get a glimpse behind the scenes and I have had some dark times but I have a great support team around me. I couldn’t be in a better place to keep me level-headed.
“Through Covid I flicked a switch and trained really hard and found I had another gear and knew I was mentally strong. However, I couldn’t have prepared myself for the past two seasons and how difficult it has been. I think you get a newfound respect for yourself coming through those hard times.
💪 If there’s one certainty in life, it’s that Fiji hit HARD#AutumnNationsSeries | #SCOvFIJ @fijirugby pic.twitter.com/kTkb2vw4Xh
— Autumn Nations Series (@autumnnations) November 5, 2022
“What my Mum deals with every day and seeing her just get on with it then I cannot really complain or feel too sorry for myself. My Dad has been through the mill and knows what it’s like and they have been brilliant. My sister has been great and is only a phone call away.
“My sister said she had got me a Tarot card reading (because of the injuries) which I was terrified about!”
With the Premiership Cup already in the Gloucester trophy cabinet, Hastings, who will be in contention for Scotland’s summer tour of North and South America, has the opportunity to help deliver another piece of silverware with the club taking on Benetton in the European Challenge Cup semi-final at Kingsholm on May 4. Winning that competition would be a perfect way to say goodbye to the “amazing” fans who have made his stay at Gloucester so memorable.
It would also be a chance to share a special moment with Chris Harris, who together with wife Ruby, had Hastings as a lodger during much of his three years at the club and the two Scotland internationals have a very strong bond.
“Any silverware is a good season and we are in knockout rugby,” he said. “We weren’t in good form in the Premiership earlier in the season and the Cups gave us a new lease of life and to get to another final and win it would be magical and I just hope we can get the job done.”
Comments on RugbyPass
So as long as the playmaker still has the ball IN his hands, its OK. Otherwise the timing is wrong and he’s a liability. No grey line there. Thats the rule he is advocating ? Got it.
3 Go to commentsWrite them off at your peril
8 Go to commentsJust fantastic that the professional game is finally being taken to the Pacific islands. Not before time. It justifies the mere existence of Moana as a club, hopefully they can start to get some positive results too. Check out the sheer joy of the crowds in Fiji and the buzz that having a home team creates. Tonga always had (has ?) issues with their ground not complying with International rugby standards, which NZ always used as an excuse for many years not bringing the All Blacks over. Hopefully this match is the first of many. Would be great to see some tourism grow on the back of it. I once went to the Cook Islands Sevens in Rarotonga - tiny island nation but man did they turn it on. Tonga and Samoa will too given half a chance.
1 Go to commentsQuite right. Punish the time wasters. Its BS these time delays for non-injuries. The Boks have been using it for years now to slow down opposition and now its a scourge on the game. Put players like DeGroot on the sideline and restart play immediately. Watch how 5-6 min to fix your boots quickly becomes 1-2 minutes. Better still how about some personal professional management and you check the conditions/turf beforehand and get yourself better prepared. It might even help your team.
1 Go to commentsWhat drivel. Rugby as a contact sport should not be further diminished by crying over legal hard tackles. Take on the line? Be ready to take the hit. This is PC nonsense.
3 Go to commentsGregor Paul is going to be proved totally wrong. The Crusaders will get in the top 8 and are capable of winning this comp. The return of magnificent captain and player Scott Barrett on Friday was huge. There are a number of players returning and Ethan Blackadder showed huge progression in only his third game back. Christian Lio-Willie has added a new dimension , these two’s combination with Cullen Grace was fantastic. This builds depth when you have outstanding players like Tom Christie and Dom Gardiner also available. The tight five improved ten fold and this is with Tamaiti Williams and Codie Taylor being back.Others are set to return. Johnny McNicoll on his return home has been a revelation. Paul can dismiss Fridays win by the Crusaders as much as he likes and he will prove very popular in this country in doing so. But he will be proved wrong , Rob Penney and his coaching team will have the last laugh.
8 Go to commentsI haven’t seen or heard to many whinging about Finau quite the opposite. The TMO’s have reviewed each time and taken no action, so if they have now been alerted it’s not from people whinging The player comes flying out of the line and launches himself at the attacker so it is probably ruled as a committed tackle, but at what point does it move to tackling a player without the ball Time will tell
3 Go to commentsThis cracked media record of aligning success or failure on head coaches is remarkable. Using the crusaders past history as an example, a more sensible observation and analysis could be that the recent head coaches had inherited a extremely successful combination of players linked to their traditional historical support of the Canterbury people. That period ended this year when the new coach was introduced to virtually a new team. And in a year where other franchises have grown much stronger than their respective past, it was always an anticipated reality that the coach and his new crusader team were up against it. Therefore, I humbly believe that unlike some commentators present, I laud coach Penny and the team for their efforts to date and I am sure given another term and with Canterbury behind them they will be riding high once more. Strange all this coming from me who lives in Taupo and a one eyed chiefs supporter. Can't wait for all future chiefs and crusader games!
8 Go to commentsGrt bench player..keep him there..
3 Go to commentsA Springbok 2-0 win: haha told you we were champions now shut up An Irish 2-0 win: the referee was under orders from world rugby to cheat us but luckily we don’t care because this is part of Rassie’s grand world Cup plan.
112 Go to commentsI hope they didn’t pay Jones fee?
2 Go to commentsTo be fair, the teams he's had to put out are reminiscent of those available to Gatland during his horrible run at the Chiefs in late 2020. Anyway, he's only got a two year contract and Wellingtonian Tamati Ellison will be ready by then, as will a lot of talented youngsters (like the Chiefs Gatland blooded). The Crusaders are planning for the long term.
8 Go to commentsGreat to see more community spending leading to higher participation in the community. It's a long road but that's a good first step.
2 Go to commentsPoetic justice for trying to sell him to Australia as another kiwi saviour coach, not ! Deans was just as bad actually but McCaw and Carter covered up for him. That’s why they didn’t want him as All Black coach, even after Graeme Henry’s bumbling effort in 2007.
8 Go to commentsSACK HIM !
8 Go to commentsSafas are so triggered by Ireland. 3 consecutive losses, incl RWC. 8 losses out of last 12 Tests. Always excuses, of course, with Bok fans. Now Rassie with his “88%” nonsense, the Claytons Excuse is an embarrassment to Bok teams of the past when every test mattered. Their fickle mojo will be on edge for the Ireland tour. Have the referees been appointed yet ? They will need security. Have WR laid out strict guidelines for TMO’s and replays on the stadium screens ? Will the constant stoppages from Bok forwards for cramps and bootlaces be tolerated ? We’re not talking a dominant Springbok team here, they won the LOTTO Cup and they know it whether they admit it or not. The Disney doco has their fans positively fermenting internally, its going to be a nasty hangover if they get beaten on home soil. What will the excuses be then……
112 Go to commentsGreat role model.
2 Go to commentsOne significant tell, not a single Waratahs player stopped to whinge to the ref about Finau’s tackle. They got on with playing the game. Great tackle.
8 Go to commentsWouldn’t be a bad move if Ireland pulled into SA with a young side. Particularly in Pretoria. Invaluable experience getting thumped in the bosveld.
112 Go to commentsIreland. The Princess Diana of Rugby. I never cheered so much for a team as i did for the All Blacks in that QF.
112 Go to comments