From coaching to competing: Debreczeni's ‘full circle’ Waratahs journey

It was two years ago that Jack Debreczeni was game-planning, trying to stop young guns Sid Harvey and Joey Fowler in Super Rugby U19S.

Now, the playmaker is getting used to life as teammates after returning to Sydney with the NSW Waratahs.

The 32-year-old has played across the country, but the West Harbour product feels at home after his long Rugby career finds him back where it all started.

Debreczeni has had stints in Melbourne, New Zealand, Japan and the ACT, but was committed to return to Sydney Super Rugby contract or not.

“I was coming to the end of my Brumbies career, and I wanted to be back with my wife and living together again, so that was the main thing. I was always coming back to Sydney regardless of whether there was an opportunity or not, and fortunately, there was an opportunity,” he told Rugby.com.au.

“I had a good couple of conversations with Dan [McKellar, Waratahs coach], and it accelerated from there. The first thing was to come back to Sydney, whether that was in a rugby capacity or to move on with the next part of my life, because I wanted to be back with my wife and sort of continue our chapter as a partnership as well. 

“We chatted about different aspects of the game and living in life, and it accelerated from there, and now I'm fortunate enough to be here at the Waratahs, and it feels like a full circle moment.”

Debreczeni was relishing every moment he could get in the sky blue and mixing it with the new generation of talent.

“I was coaching the 19s team at the Brumbies it was against Sid and Joey Fowler, so to be training with them now it feels quite funny a couple years later," he reflects

“I pinch myself still that I'm still doing this at this age and work with guys like Lawson [Creighton] and Jack [Bowen], along with Sid and Joey. It keeps you going, it keeps you on your toes and you're learning from these younger guys coming through and there's some great talent we have at this club.”

The big-booted playmaker is confident he can add plenty to the squad if called upon, having nearly inspired First Nations Pasifika to victory during the British & Irish Lions tour after his early injection following Filipo Daugunu's injury.

“That week was really special in that environment with the First Nations and Pasifika team,” he said, representing the Cook Islands through his mother. “We did a lot of stuff around both cultures away from rugby and the coaches and staff did a really good job to build a strong connection in you know a week's period.

“It was weird playing for something more than yourself. It was probably the first time I've been in an environment like that where I felt like there was a bigger purpose here. It was representing a lot of different cultures and trying to inspire the next young generation of Pacific Islander and First Nations people so I guess the experience itself was quite unique and I never experienced it before.

“To play against the quality of the Lions, it always gives you confidence that you can live in that environment, but every game brings its own challenges. You take a little bit of confidence from that game, but now going to Super, which I know is fast and furious, and it's at a high pace high octane, it starts all over again and you got to build it up week to week, session to session, to build that confidence back into your game.”