After making his Super Rugby debut as a 19-year old, Tom Staniforth waited 700 days for his next start. But he wasn’t worried, in fact he couldn’t be happier with how things are going in Canberra. 

Can you tell us how you ended up at the Brumbies?

I was pretty lucky, they approached me after I finished school and asked if I wanted to join the full time squad on a development contract. At the time I was in the National Academy and they were happy for me to train with the Brumbies so it all just sort of worked out.

What did you do for work during the early years?

I had a few different odds and ends, I did some pub work as a glassy but didn’t have much time outside of training with the Brumbies and the National Academy.

You made your debut in 2014 but had to wait 700 days to play your next match. How did you keep your spirits up during that period?

It was pretty frustrating, but in saying that I was lucky to make my debut as young as I did. Canberra has a really strong club system so I went back and played with Royals and won a premiership with them which was really special. I just focussed on trying to get better every week and the Brumbies were very supportive in that time. They just wanted me to improve my skills and physical development from week to week and while that was hard, it definitely wasn’t as hard as working full time in a real job. Sure it was frustrating to not be playing Super Rugby, but I was in a pretty good spot.

Did the NRC help with your development?

Yeah I really enjoyed my time with the (NSW) Country Eagles, I had a really good time and I’m thankful that those guys gave me an opportunity to come up to Sydney and play. I really enjoyed going out to the country areas and playing good bush footy.

What do you need to do to secure a starting spot at the Brumbies?

I’m just focussing on each game week to week and trying not to look too far ahead. I feel that when I do that, I get very distracted and lose focus on the little things. I’m also trying to review my game as harshly as I can with the coaches to find out where they think I need to develop as a player. I’ve also got all those senior players to learn from, so it’s great to see how they improve all those skills.

How much have the senior guys like David Pocock, Sam Carter and Scott Fardy taught you?

Obviously watching the training habits of someone like David Pocock helps a lot. He trains and plays very hard so I try and watch what he does around the field and in the gym. Same as Scotty Fardy and Carts (Sam Carter), they train really hard as well but are also really good at reading the game so it’s great to watch them and ask why they did certain things in a certain way, that really helps.

Despite a disappointing loss to the Chiefs, the Brumbies are still on top of the Australian conference. What would it mean to win a Super Rugby title?

It’d be very special. Being from Canberra, I idolised the Brumbies growing up and its every kids dream to win a title so it’d be very special.

What do you do away from rugby?

I’m studying construction management through Newcastle Uni at the moment, doing two subjects a semester so I’d like to finish that in the next few years. I’m focussing pretty hard on that at the moment.

What would you get up to on your perfect day away from footy?

I’d probably go water skiing our at Nelligan, it’s a little river down the South Coast. I’d be sitting on the boat with my family and friends.

This interview was conducted as part of a collaboration between Rugby News and The Rugby Union Players’ Association (RUPA), designed to help the Australian Rugby public get to know some of the newer professional stars of our game who have graduated from Club Rugby. For more information on RUPA and the services they offer, click here.