Western Force prop Tom Roberston credits study sabbatical for reigniting competitive fire ahead of game 100

On the eve of his 100th Super Rugby game, Western Force prop Tom Robertson says his study sabbatical to Oxford University has breathed new life into his rugby career. Stuck in the nervous 90s on his own accord after taking a year off to obtain a Master’s degree in public policy at Oxford’s Blavatnik School of Government, Robertson will reach a century on Saturday against the Crusaders in Christchurch. While Robertson would have missed a chunk of last season regardless as he rehabilitated a torn ACL which cost him a spot at the 2023 Rugby World Cup, the 30-year-old said he felt refreshed in his first season back from Oxford. “After playing 100 games now, I feel like I could do another 100 after having that year off, it refreshed in my mind how much I love playing rugby,” he said. “It cemented in my head how much I’m not ready to finish playing it. I always thought when I was younger, the grass is greener on the other side, life would be good without the stress of playing every weekend, and results and form and everything like that. “But that year off showed me I love the game so much and it’s given so much to me and I want to give back. “I’m definitely ready to kick on and I think this has bought a few years of my career left as well.” Known as ‘the scrum doctor’ given his four medical degrees and desire to become an anesthetist once he hangs up his boots, Robertson said 100 games was beyond his wildest dreams. “When I first started at the Waratahs, I was on an extended playing squad contract, I wasn’t part of the main squad,” he said. “I was not really expecting to play professional rugby for more than a year. I had in my contract that on the days off, I could go to medical school, and had all that stuff written in because I genuinely thought I was going to be a doctor and not a professional rugby player. “Going into that season in 2016 I didn’t really expect to even debut and I had so many good players in front of me that it wasn’t even really on my radar. And then after a few injuries and a bit of good luck, I managed to play a few games in that year and went on to make my Wallabies debut in the same year, which was an incredible ride.” The 30-cap Wallaby’s parents, wife and 10-week-old son have travelled to Christchurch to watch him play against the Crusaders, who the Force have never beaten away from home. “They grow another leg over here in Christchurch, and they’ve been the benchmark for many years now, particularly since I’ve been playing and it’s always the one that you sort of circle on the calendar at the start of the year,” he said. “Rather than seeing it as a negative, it’s a positive thing; you get to play the best team in Super Rugby on their home deck for your 100th game, it’s a real privilege.” In his return to Super Rugby, Robertson ranks equal fifth in the league for tackles made, although the prop has to adapt to switching from his favoured loosehead position to tighthead after a pre-season ACL injury to Harry Johnson-Holmes. While Robertson’s versatility and ability to play on either side of the scrum has been one of his calling cards, he said permanently donning the no.3 jersey came with its challenges. “Coming into the season I was probably going to be at loosehead, and for the first couple of weeks of preseason, it was looking like I was going to play there mostly,” he said. “But with the injuries we’ve had and the ways things have planned out, that’s what’s been needed for the team. “It’s a bit harder, because you’ve got to push against two people rather than one, so it takes a bit more air out of your lungs. But it’s been nice to feel like I’m doing my job for the team over the first few rounds.”