10 years ago, if Nic Dolly had told an Australian-born prostitute that she would play professional rugby, let alone play for England, she would have laughed in disbelief.
Dolly, who featured in a Test for England under Eddie Jones at the end of 2021, said: roar.
“I probably didn’t even realize it was a career path or a job or what it was. I had made a few teams at the time and was doing quite well in junior rugby, but by the time I was in Year 12, at 16 and 17, I hadn’t made the boys or Gen Blue, so I probably said, ‘No, no chance’.”
But fast-forward to 2025 and the 25-year-old Western recruit has the potential to make history by becoming the first player to feature in a Test for both the Wallabies and England.
While Blair Swannell and Tom Richards played for the Lions and Wallabies over 100 years ago, Dolly could make history if she fulfills her childhood dream of playing for Australia. It will.
Nic Dolly supports Marcus Smith on his England debut at Twickenham, London, November 20, 2021. (Photo credit: Visionhaus/Getty Images)
Considering Dolly quickly rose to prominence in England and onto the national stage, playing alongside Tom Curry at Sale and later Leicester under Steve Borthwick before being thrown into the deep end by Jones against the Springboks at Twickenham, it’s no giant. Just think, he’ll be challenging for a spot in the next few years.
Dolly said: “One of the attractions of coming back is finding out that I will be eligible to see the Wallabies at the end of November (2024),” he said. roar.
“But I clearly see that there is a lot of work to be done between now and then. I’m not going to just come back and waltz in and think they’re going to give me a crack just because I played in England.
“I know how hard I have to work and how good rugby I have to play because there are a lot of good players in my position.
“You just have to look at the two of us (Brandon Paenga-Amosa and Tom Horton of the Force). One is with the Wallabies and the other is with Australia A. So there is a lot of competition here to get there. , Not to mention trying to get into the Wallabies. But I’d be lying if I said I didn’t come back here to play for the Wallabies and try to pursue greater honours.”
Dolly knows a lot about competition.
In fact, there are very few people in the English Premier League who can’t do that. Especially someone who played for Leicester Tigers, a club whose DNA was built on set-piece play.
Nick Dolly prepares to throw the ball at Leicester’s Welford Road Stadium on September 24, 2023. (Photo by Patrick Khachfe/Getty Images)
For Dolly, who battled weekly with Tom Youngs and Argentina captain Julian Montoya at the Tigers, this is something he has embraced since his move to the Force.
“I’d rather be in a competitive environment,” he said.
“Every environment I’ve been in in the past, there was competition, there were great players who started before you, and you had to try to get ahead of them and you couldn’t succeed. Comfortable.
“It will only push the three to get better, which will only continue to push the club and enable the club to achieve more success. And I think if we had depth at all these positions, damn it, we’d be a great team. Do you see what I mean?
“We want competition in training. I feel like I have to go out there every day and do better, otherwise I just end up flat. It’s as simple as that.
“I want to see Tom and Brandon do their best. Because if you don’t play, you can’t take a day off, and if you don’t perform well, you can sit out next week. But that’s just kind of an expectation and just making sure you have a good week and that you’re well prepared. Come Saturday, you can play freely because no stone has been left unturned. unturned.”
Dolly’s desire to tear up every moment is one of the reasons she first caught Jones’ eye.
Dolly, who was looked at at junior level in Australia, needed to play rugby in England on a family holiday so that someone could see what a slut looks like.
So rather than sticking around for eight weeks after Sale’s scouts saw him play, it “snowballed into eight years”.
Following his move to Borthwick’s Tigers, he was firmly on Jones’ radar and within just a few games, Larrikin was in Australia’s England squad.
“I got along really well with Eddie while I was there,” Dolly said. “I think I probably saw a little bit of myself in that person. He wasn’t and I’m definitely not the biggest hooker, but I try to bring an aggressive personality and some physicality.”
Nic Dolly helped Leicester win the premiership under Steve Borthwick. (Photo by Graham Chadwick/Getty Images)
A devastating knee injury suffered against Newcastle in May 2022 cruelly denied Dolly the opportunity to tour Australia with Jones’ then-England team.
Further frustration came under Dan McKellar’s Tigers in 2023 when a nerve injury slowed his progress. That’s not what got Dolly off track.
“I think I was in line to go to Australia with England. I wish I had done that, but that’s rugby, mate,” he said.
“Unfortunately, you don’t have a choice about some things. It’s unfortunate, but it’s part of it and we can’t keep worrying about it.
“I suffered a knee injury and was out for about 12 months. The jackal rolled like a crocodile rolled, went out for a while, came back, suffered a nerve injury and was out for 3-4 months.
“But the penultimate game of the Premiership was against Sale and it was a pretty good finish knowing we were leaving against the last team in England who had given us their first opportunity.”
This is why he looks back on the world without regret.
“In terms of that trip, it’s very surreal,” Dolly said.
Nic Dolly is looking forward to taking on two outstanding sluts in the Force. Photo: Western Force
“But at the same time, I am someone who always wants more. I came back here because I felt like I hadn’t yet reached my full potential. I really want to test myself and being involved with the Force and Australian rugby is a great opportunity for me.”
Mullet is still around.
It remains to be seen whether Jones’ ‘Human Mullet’ nickname will stick in Australia.
“I don’t know how long it’s going to last,” he said. “I’m really not sure at the moment.” “I don’t know when I’ll want to cut it, but I’ll wait and see.”
