He is named after a Scotsman, played for Scotland under-20s, trained with their senior squad, and has had the Scottish Rugby Union (SRU) on the phone with an offer every couple of years since.
But Sydney-raised prop Tom Lambert says his heart was always set on playing for the Wallabies, and now he is on the cusp of achieving that dream the 25-year-old has no regrets about repeatedly turning down the option of becoming another kilted Aussie Test player.
“You always have to look at those options and see what might be the best fit,” Lambert said. “But for me, playing for the Wallabies and being here now, that’s my dream. I don’t regret the decision at all.”
Having won his first call-up to the Wallabies a few weeks back, Lambert was speaking at the team hotel on the Royal Mile in Edinburgh ahead of Australia’s clash with Scotland on Monday morning (AEDT). Lambert could have very easily been sitting in the Scotland team hotel instead, alongside other Aussies Jack Dempsey and Sione Tuipulotu, and lacing up for the home team at Murrayfield.
The loosehead prop, who just moved to Queensland after four seasons with the Waratahs, has been a target of the SRU since he was contacted out of the blue six years ago with an offer to play for the Scotland under-20s.
Lambert played for the Australian schoolboys in 2018, but missed the Junior Wallabies squad in 2020, and his Scottish eligibility – via his paternal grandfather Tom Lambert – was discovered by the SRU.
“My agent got a call from Scotland saying they’re looking for a prop and if I would be interested in coming over for the [under-20s] Six Nations,” Lambert said.
Lambert played five games and then signed a two-year deal with Glasgow. He made his debut for the senior side in late 2021, but missed most of the second year with injury. The SRU, which has a program of recruiting foreign “project players” with Scottish heritage, were keen for Lambert to re-sign.
“They were interested in keeping me over and putting me through that pathway,” Lambert said.
“I did a training week with the Scotland team in the build-up to a South Africa Test, just to get a little bit of a taste. I had a little bit of a chat with [Scotland coach] Gregor Townsend as well. But ultimately, I thought the best decision for me was to go back home.”
Lambert signed a two-year with his “boyhood club”, the Waratahs, and debuted in 2023. Lambert played for Australia A midway through 2023, as well, which captured his eligibility for Australia for at least three years.
But even that didn’t deter the SRU. In early 2024, when considering options for his next contract, Lambert was again offered a spot at Glasgow. It would have also opened a door for him to play for Scotland in mid-2026, after an eligibility swap and a three-year international stand-down.
“I’d probably be lying if I said I wasn’t thinking about it,” Lambert said. “I had an injury in 2024 that ruled me out for the year, and I wasn’t too sure if I was going to get picked in that Aussie A side that year.
“And I wasn’t really getting much opportunity within the Wallabies squad. But that’s obviously what my goal was, and where my head was at.”
Lambert turned them down again, re-signed with NSW and backed himself to make the phone ring, with a Wallabies coach on the other end. He played for Australia A again later that year, and over the last two years, has been a mainstay for the Waratahs.
Yet again, Glasgow came knocking earlier this year when Lambert was working on a new contract; although this time he wouldn’t have been able to play for Scotland at the 2027 Rugby World Cup.
Still, it was the same answer – no thank you – and Lambert ended up moving to the Reds instead, chasing more opportunity to start, instead of being behind Angus Bell at the Tahs.
By now Lambert had turned down the Scots three times, and was still yet to get a Wallabies call-up. Did he ever doubt his decision?
“It was pretty easy for me – I’m born and raised in Australia, represented the under-18s, and my family’s in Sydney … so it was a pretty easy decision, especially with the World Cup coming next year,” Lambert said. “I knew I was in and around it [potential Wallabies selection] to some degree, and I just had to keep my head down and hopefully get an opportunity.”
Lambert finally got his phone call last month , while on tour with Australia A. Get yourself to London, you’re in the Wallabies squad for the spring tour.
“That was an incredible call to get. For myself, for my family, very happy, very proud. Yeah, I’m very happy to be here,” he said.
Given all that had passed, Lambert said it would be a “surreal feeling” to make his Test debut against Scotland, but that fairytale is unlikely.
He will likely debut against Wales the following week, or in the finals weekend in London at the end of the month.
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