Australian captain Jack Hamilton leads team’s first tour in 30 years

He said it was “a long shot, a stab in the dark” to then apply for entry into Oxford.

In addition to his outstanding tertiary qualifications, written submissions, and references, he was required to undergo an interview process. He was invited to spend a year studying for a Master’s degree and has stayed for two more years to complete a PhD.

Meanwhile, in between countless hours spent in lecture rooms, Hamilton found time to establish himself in Oxford’s rugby team. This season, the former Newcastle Wanderers junior, who also played for Sydney University, has been honoured with the captaincy.

He is the second Novocastrian to lead the Blues, following in the footsteps of Dave Lubans, now a professor at Newcastle University.

As well as skippering Oxford next month in their annual Varsity clash with Cambridge – a rivalry that dates back to 1872 – Hamilton is also at the helm of their first tour of Australia in 30 years.

They play Newcastle Uni on January 6 and Sydney Uni on January 9. The latter will be played for the Ian Tucker Challenge Cup, named after a 23-year-old Australian who died while playing for Oxford in 1996.

Both of their opponents will undoubtedly feature their fair share of highly educated players, but Oxford is on another level.

“In my team, we’ve got five or six guys who are studying at Oxford medical school,” Hamilton explained.

“We’ve got guys doing PhDs in physics, PhDs in cardio-respiratory science, guys that are doing high-level mathematics, poetry, English, biochemistry.

“It’s a real mix. They’re all up-and-coming leaders in their fields, and they all study bloody hard.

“All of our training sessions are outside of nine to five because the guys are in class all day, every day. We’re in the gym at 6.30am so that everyone can be finished, showered and ready to go for the first lectures at 9am.”

Coach and general manager Ian Kench, who played for Oxford in 2008-09, laughed when he said: “Can you imagine coaching them?

“My first session here, I had to ask them to stop asking questions until the end of the session.

“They’re opinionated, which is good, but it certainly makes it challenging as a coach. They’re good men, but they have curious brains, and they want to know the rationale behind everything. They don’t just do what they’re told, like other teams I’ve coached.

“But it’s good. It’s made me a better coach.”

During their tour Down Under, part of Oxford’s mission will be to spread the gospel and roll out the welcome mat. The university has a proud tradition of Australian alumni in its rugby team, including Wallabies Brett Robinson, Joe Roff and, most recently, Tom Robertson.

“This year I’m the only Aussie in the team, but in my first year we had four or five, including Tom Robertson, who’s obviously played for the Wallabies,” Hamilton said.

“We’re looking for that niche of players who are capable rugby players, but intelligent and have academic desires to push on because they’re the ones who are going to have good academic transcripts and be eligible.

“There’s a long, long history of Australia players coming to Oxford and playing, and even captaining them.

“Australia is a really important resource for Oxford rugby and has a really strong history. So we’re definitely out here looking to recruit … we’re trying to get the word out that it is viable and it is an option.

“I think a lot of people aren’t aware.”

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Hamilton said there were multiple scholarships available for Australians who qualify to study at Oxford.

But given the 900-year-old university unashamedly declares only the “best and brightest” are invited to enter its halls, applicants will be judged on their scholastic CV, rather than their scrummaging technique or sidestepping.

“There are no exceptions,” Kench said.

“We’ve had internationals with 50-plus Test caps to their name apply to get into the university, but we’ve had to tell them that their academic CV is not at the calibre it needs to be.

“And that’s a barometer that doesn’t shift. They don’t make exceptions. There’s no side door.”