Waratahs cult figure Charlie Gamble considering his options for 2027

NSW Waratahs flanker Charlie Gamble is drawing inspiration from his storied pathway as he fights to secure his professional playing future.

Off contract at the end of the 2026 Super Rugby Pacific season, Gamble would love to remain in Sydney, where he has become somewhat of a cult figure since debuting for the Waratahs in 2021.

But the former Crusaders academy talent is also weighing up overseas interest after catching the eye of European clubs during last year’s visit of the touring British and Irish Lions.

“I’m just kind of playing footy and seeing what happens,” Gamble said on Tuesday after helping the Waratahs start their campaign with back-to-back bonus-point wins over Queensland and the Fijian Drua.

“I think I’ve started really well. I’ve just got to make sure to be consistent week in, week out, and usually if you play well, everything falls into place.

“I love Sydney. I love Australia. I love the Tahs. I’ve been here for seven years now.

“So whatever happens, I know it’ll be the right move, but yeah, definitely open to everything.”

As if to place Gamble on notice, NSW coach Dan McKellar has lured former Brumbies star and one-time Wallaby openside flanker, Luke Reimer, to the Waratahs on a two-year deal starting in 2027.

Gamble isn’t bothered.

“Rugby’s a business,” the 29-year-old said.

“It just is what it is. Dan’s trying to build a culture and, I guess, a team that is good for a long period of time.

“So obviously adding quality players like that is only going to build the depth, and the team’s going to get better, and the organisation’s going to get better.

“Like, what can I say, I played with ‘Hoops’ (former Wallabies captain Michael Hooper), so I played with the best seven in the blue jersey possible, so it is what it is.”

Gamble admitted he’d “be lying if I said there wasn’t interest” from offshore clubs.

“I probably put myself in a pretty good position on the back end of the year and the start of this year,” he said ahead of the Tahs’ hosting of the Hurricanes on Friday night.

This week is the inaugural Club Rugby Round, celebrating the grassroots of the game, and few players have made the rise to Super Rugby quite like Gamble.

In 2018, when Gamble was disillusioned following a run of injuries back home in New Zealand, Sydney subbies club Petersham fired off an audacious offer to the then Canterbury under-19s rep.

He hasn’t looked back after joining the then-Kentwell Cup champions and helping “the Shammies” defend their title.

“I did a bit of research before I came over here and understood that the Shute Shield was the premier comp and then there was the Suburban comp,” he reflected back at Camperdown Oval on Tuesday.

“But, for me, it was something a bit deeper than that.

“I wanted to find my love for the game again and just settle into Sydney, and this was the perfect platform for myself and I really enjoyed it.

“I’d just had a few back-to-back injuries, a few selections back in Christchurch not going my way, and I guess I dropped my head a little bit.

“Just the pressure of being a bit of a superstar as a teenager and then the expectation of close friends and family to succeed, and then not doing it was disappointing to let them down.

“Then coming over here, it shows it’s possible (to make Super Rugby from club rugby).”