![\"Jonathan](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/8a92e85b45a90780f82a70f6bc716cdfce4ba7c1.png\")
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April 13, 2026 \u2014 7:00pm<\/p>\n
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Remove items from your saved list<\/a> to add more.<\/p>\n Save this article for later<\/p>\n Add articles to your saved list and come back to them anytime.<\/p>\n Got it<\/p>\n AAA<\/p>\n Waratahs prop Tom Lambert is keen to extend his stay in Sydney but admits he still hasn\u2019t fully closed the door on representing Scotland.<\/p>\n Reds prop Massimo De Lutiis last week re-signed<\/a> with Rugby Australia after rejecting an offer from Ireland. The tug-of-war for De Lutiis shone a spotlight on the inequities of\u00a0rugby\u2019s transfer system<\/a> and the flaws of the grandparent rule<\/a>, which allows nations to lure players they had no hand in developing.<\/p>\n Lambert is eligible to represent Scotland through a grandparent and is in the final year of his contract with the Waratahs, with no new deal currently signed.<\/p>\n Lambert remains of interest to the Scots after beginning his professional career at Glasgow Warriors and representing the country five times at Under-20s level in 2020, before returning to the Waratahs two years later.<\/p>\n Lambert has started all seven games for the Waratahs this season and has emerged as one of the standout Australian loosehead props in Super Rugby.<\/p>\n Given Brumbies veteran James Slipper\u2019s retirement from Tests last year ahead of the 2027 World Cup, Lambert and Reds loosehead Aidan Ross are well-placed to provide depth in the position for the Wallabies.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019d probably be lying if I said it\u2019s something [representing Scotland] that didn\u2019t cross my mind at all because obviously opportunities arise and maybe opportunities for me weren\u2019t really coming up here [at the Waratahs],\u201d Lambert said.<\/p>\n \u201cSo I think it\u2019s not something you can completely close the door on, but in terms of my mindset, the Tahs is where I want to be and that\u2019s what my focus is going to be going forward. With international stuff and the Wallabies, I guess that will just take care of itself. If the opportunity was to arise there, I\u2019d be very happy.\u201d<\/p>\n Lambert represented Australia A in 2023 and 2024 and has shown strong form this season in the absence of Angus Bell, who is in the middle of a sabbatical season in Belfast with Ulster.<\/p>\n Lambert knows Bell\u2019s return to Sydney will present a challenge after getting used to wearing the Waratahs No.1 jersey this season.<\/p>\n \u201cI know it\u2019s a challenge with Belly coming back next year, but that\u2019s one that I\u2019m willing to take on and one that I think is only going to help me, to be honest,\u201d Lambert said.<\/p>\n \u201cBeing able to train every day with someone that\u2019s probably one of the best in the world in the position, I think that\u2019s only going to benefit me. Hopefully it can benefit him as well, and the team.\u201d<\/p>\n After four seasons as Bell\u2019s deputy, Lambert remains determined not to lose sight of the chance in front of him \u2013 initially for the Waratahs, and potentially also with the Wallabies.<\/p>\n Related Article \u201cBefore the season, there was probably a little bit of feeling like I needed to prove myself with Belly going,\u201d Lambert said.<\/p>\n \u201cI felt like I didn\u2019t get heaps of time last year and just with the way the competition goes, my time on the field was limited.<\/p>\n \u201cI just want to take the opportunity with both hands when I can get on the field. It\u2019s the same with all the boys that are getting more minutes this year … we\u2019re not going to let that chance go missing.\u201d<\/p>\n Watch every match of Super Rugby Pacific<\/a> live and exclusive on Stan Sport<\/a>. <\/p>\n Save<\/p>\n You have reached your maximum number of saved items.<\/p>\n![\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/d29133c0f1bdc035a946f2a1b17a8585c146a2ce.jpeg\")
Tom Lambert of the Waratahs in action against the BrumbiesGetty Images<\/p>\n![\"LAUTOKA,](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/1776074891_309_4d188c1c4d95b68800c1cd157ab37101d30be460.jpeg\")
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