A Conversation with Hamish Stewart

Last time I caught up with Hamish Stewart, he was a pretty new to Super Rugby. Now, a couple of seasons on, he’s come a long way as a player, with his kicking game is as on point as ever.

For Reds Rugby Rules this week, he shared his thoughts on the 2019 season so far and the future of the Reds. (Spoiler alert - he still wants you to be a believer.)

And right ahead of this weeks game against that team from Auckland, New Zealand, he and the boys are pumped to “beat the Blues”. It looks set to be another great night at Suncorp!

(Old photo... don't hate)

Hey Hamish, How are you this morning?

I’m very well. Lovely to see you on a beautiful day like this.

I hope you’re looking forward to Friday’s game as much as I am?

Yeah definitely. I think Friday’s game, we’re more playing for a bit of pride and respect for Queensland. The boys are pretty pumped up and the vibe around the team’s good. We’re gonna see a few boys go unfortunately, it’s gonna be a good send off for them at Suncorp.

What are your thoughts on the season as a whole so far?

I think it’s been an up and down season. We had moments in games when we lapsed and we didn’t put our foot down when we should have and that’s really been the disappointment for this year, we should have really closed our games. Close games we should have won. But I think we’ve earned a lot of respect from Queensland the way we’ve been playing, we’ve really been playing an exciting, expansive game of footy, not like previous years when it’s been ‘hit the forwards, hit the forwards’. I think the backs have made a contribution this year and I think building into next year, things are very strong. All the young blokes are getting blooded and gaining experience so I think that’s one of the most important things.

I’ll always be a believer. What’s been your highlight so far from the 2019 season?

It’s good that your a believer, because I think most people are jumping on the bandwagon, which is exciting. Probably the most exciting thing was at the  start of the year when we started getting a few wins under our belt, I felt like we started getting momentum and you could tell with the mood around the boys, we were really starting to build something. But just like I said before, we just lost critical games and you know, it always dulls the confidence when you loose close games. But narrowing it down to one thing, probably the win against the Sharks in Durban would have to be the highlight of the season. 

It’s been a while since our last official catch up for Reds Rugby Rules. Since that time, your game has come a long way. How do you feel your game’s developed personally in the last few seasons at the Reds?

It has been a long time! When was the last time, 2017? Time flies when you’re having fun I guess. Personally, I’ve grown up and I’ve matured a lot. Coming fresh out of school, you’re a bit new to everything. Super Rugby, it’s a hard sport to really nail down and try and play a full season. I’ve learnt a lot of things and had a lot of people help me and contributed to my game and I’m very grateful for that. I think, moving into 2020 - crazy to say isn’t it - I think we’ve got a solid base and if people still believe, I think it’s gonna be an exciting year. 

Will you be playing any games for Bond as the Super Rugby season comes to a close?

That’s a very good question. I was going to play this weekend, if I don’t get many minutes, but I’ve gotta work. But in the future, I’ll definitely be playing some games for Bond.

Do you have a message for Reds fans ahead of this Friday’s game?

I think for the fans, just stay and believe. Cos when you think about it, Rome wasn’t built in a day and things like this take a little while. You can see in our game how we’re improving and it’s getting more exciting every game. I think this is gonna be a real pillar with the send-off of the guys and the emotion of the game. The Blues are an exciting team, they throw the ball around, they’re like every other game. We’re really looking forward to it and I hope all the fans are cos it’s gonna be an absolute cracker of a game.

Thanks Hamish for taking time to catchup. See you at Suncorp on Friday!

Thanks Tommy. I’ll see you there! Hopefully we’ll get the win for you aye!