Jamie Roberts in action for Wales against England on the opening
night of the RBS Six Nations February, 2015 in Cardiff, Wales
Getty Images, Graeme Robertson/copyright Guardian News & Media Ltd 2015
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THE INVESTOR
M
aking it to the top as a rugby player requires
hard work and determination, stamina and
teamwork, and a flair for the profession.And
while supreme fitness is not essential in
gaining a medical degree, they share similar
attributes. Combining both, asWelsh international centre Jamie
Roberts has done, calls for dedication verging on the superhuman.
Roberts will hear in August whether he has been selected to
representWales at this autumn’s RugbyWorld Cup, but his record
so far means he can feel fairly confident. He has played in 69
Welsh internationals since his first appearance in 2008 against
Scotland, six of them at theWorld Cup in New Zealand four years
ago. He has proudly represented the British and Irish Lions three
times, in 2008-09 and 2012-13. His scoring record includes nine
tries forWales and one for the Lions.
‘I would love to be in theWorld Cup squad but there is a lot
of competition,’ he said.‘My body is in pretty good shape and
my mind is in pretty good shape, too.’ Indeed, he already has his
eye on the next one (Japan 2019) when he will be pushing 33,
although he admits that the time at the top for a player in a tough,
physical game like rugby is inevitably limited.The average
retirement age for a player is the early 30s – a ‘frightening’
prospect, he says.‘I remember as a 21-year-old thinking that was
miles away but it comes around so quickly. Hopefully, I still have
some of the best years of my career ahead of me.’
While playing forWales has been fantastic, he says the Lions
call-ups were the ‘pinnacle of what you can achieve in rugby’.
One of the high points was scoring the final try in the Lions’
41–16 demolition of Australia in the thirdTest
decider in Sydney in 2013 – the Lions’ first series
win since 1997.‘It is a different feeling when you
are representingWales.When you win the Six
Nations [asWales did in 2012 and 2013] in
aWales shirt, it is amazing.’
Roberts has been long been working towards
a new occupation when his career in rugby comes
to a natural close. He graduated with a degree in
Hopefully, I still
have some of my
best years ahead
of me
INTERVIEW
Rugby international Jamie Roberts talks
about his career and what the future
holds when he hangs up his boots
By Heather Connon
medicine from Cardiff University in 2013, taking eight years to
complete what is normally a six-year course because of his
rugby commitments – including a BSc in sport and exercise
science in his fourth year. He says it wasn’t easy combining the
two; it involved a lot of hard work and long hours in the library,
and Roberts says he was frequently tempted to quit the course.
But he persevered and has now set himself a new challenge – a
two-year master’s in medical science. He hopes to start his studies
in November, immediately after theWorld Cup, and to complete
his first term before starting a new season with Harlequins, the
London-based team he signed for in May.
Indeed, the opportunity to take his master’s was partly behind
his decision to make the move back from Paris, where he spent
two years playing for Racing Metro.While he loved Paris, the
move to Harlequins will allow him to fulfil two long-held
ambitions – to live in London and to study at either the University
of Oxford or Cambridge. He will divide his time
between his rooms at Queens’ College,
Cambridge and a property he has just bought in
London with an old school friend.
While the demands of professional rugby
mean he is unable to practise as a doctor, he hopes
that adding a master’s will help him to do just
that when he hangs up his boots for the last time.
His ambition is to work in orthopaedic surgery or
the prince
ofwales
