>
Showing Sportsmail his small studio outside Tokyo via FaceTime and reflecting on what has been a crazy year, Jamie Shillcock admits he’s not quite sure how he got to this.
“I can sit next to my bed and my kitchen at the same time,” says Shillcock, a former Worcester player, with a smile. ‘He does work but he’s not home. I’m just lucky I’m not a second row!
Shillcock will not forget 2022 quickly. It was the year that his boyhood club, Worcester, closed, causing an unprecedented financial crisis in English rugby union.
Jamie Shillcock after a crazy year now plays his rugby in Japan for Mitsubishi Dynaboars
The English fly-half packed his bags after his boyhood club Worcester went into administration.
Like all 250 club employees, Shillcock was fired immediately after the Warriors fell into administration. His world was turned upside down. After a brief spell in Bath, there were no further offers, so Shillcock took the unprecedented step of accepting a deal in Japan. Shillcock had only played for Worcester until this year.
Now he is ready to participate in four teams within 12 months. It’s perhaps fitting that after a crazy year, Shillcock’s festive period is particularly unusual.
“I have a game on Christmas Day against Joe Launchbury’s team,” says Shillcock, now signed to Mitsubishi Dynaboars. It’s quite common in Japan, but it’s going to be interesting.
“I’ve been told that every Japanese has a KFC on Christmas Day and you have to order it in advance because it gets splashed on the big day. It’s so strange. I could have a Bargain Bucket meal!
I have to accept the culture somehow! On Boxing Day the foreign boys are having a meal where you have to bring a dish that you normally have at Christmas. I have to try to find some pigs in blankets in a Japanese supermarket. That can take a little time…and I only have a microwave!
Shillcock will play alongside him on Christmas Day and have a KFC for his festive dinner
“I think that pretty much sums up a crazy year. Normally I would be prepping for a Boxing Day game at home with some turkey, but instead I game on Christmas Day and have a KFC.
‘It will be something to remember, that’s for sure.’
Shillcock has embraced the madness, uncertainty and stress that has come her way. Through no fault of his own, the 25-year-old’s blossoming rugby career has been thrown into doubt.
He has not been alone. The disappearance of Worcester and then of Wasps caused chaos in English football.
Jobs were lost. Lives were ruined. The RFU was accused of being “asleep at the wheel” when two of its clubs went out of business. For those involved, the impact has been as sudden as it is real.
“It’s been an incredible show,” says Shillcock. “If you had told me at the beginning of the year that I would be playing for three clubs, one of them would be in Japan, and by Christmas I would be living on the outskirts of Tokyo, I would have wondered what I had done in my rugby career to cause such chaos! !
‘Things were looking up in Worcester. Then everything collapsed. I bought a house in Worcester in January because I had signed a two-year contract. I was pretty settled so I bought a dog too.
Shillcock described his year as a “shit show” after the crazy events that led to his going to Japan.
‘Now I’m living in Tokyo! I had to leave the dog and my girlfriend behind to go earn some money. My world has been constantly spinning. It’s been difficult, but we have to keep going.’
That Shillcock has. He has strong words for what happened at Worcester under its disgraced former owners, Colin Goldring and Jason Whittingham.
“What happened was inevitable,” adds Shillcock. “Towards the end, the food bill wasn’t being paid, so when we used to have protein shakes, we’d just have four pints of milk and a banana instead.
‘You need better than that in professional rugby. It was so cheap, just bad timing. The only thing I remember about English in school was a pathetic fallacy. The last day in Worcester was a gray and rainy Wednesday. He was sitting in the car outside Sixways and it ended like this.
“When I talk to people about Worcester, they say they’d like to spend five minutes in a dark room with the owners. I think that sums up how we feel as players and still do.
“The way we were treated was shocking. They sold us a dream, but all they did was sell us down the river. They have to face the consequences.
Shillcock (3rd from right) plans to return to England and Leicester are said to be interested
After losing his job, Shillcock initially had trouble finding a new club. Before signing a one-month contract with Bath, he considered teaching and coaching jobs as a means of gaining employment.
Earlier this month, he left his girlfriend Becks and Suki the dog for a stint in Japan for the rest of the season. The plan after that is to return to England with rumors that Leicester are interested.
“I thought Suki was a good name when I got her, but obviously it was an omen for me to come to Japan,” laughs Shillcock, who is embracing her new life in the Far East.
Both his and Becks’ parents were big fans of Worcester and plan to visit in 2023. Shillcock’s time in Japanese rugby started off well.
He believes that more young English players will now look to Japan, as well as France, as career options.
“I live 40 minutes from Tokyo,” adds Shillcock. ‘I need to get a car fixed because I’m on a bike for training right now! It’s a three and a half mile drive home and it’s uphill.
‘I’m blowing when I get back! I thought it would be hard for me to be away from family because I’m quite a homebody. I was wondering what I was getting myself into, but I really enjoyed it.
Shillcock still has plans to play for England after not having a ‘sniff’ with Eddie Jones
‘Rugby is a job at the end of the day. I think people forget about that. We’re doing what we love, but the love of the game doesn’t pay the mortgage. We have to pay the bills like everyone else.
‘It’s about being grateful for everything that’s happened. It sounds corny, but that’s how it is.
‘I hope I keep in shape and that the clubs I play for don’t go bankrupt anymore! I would love to play for England. I never really had a sniff with Eddie Jones. I had a couple of camping invites as a last resort.
“I think quite a few of the Worcester boys would have had a better chance of international recognition if they had been at other clubs. That’s how it went. We accept that.
England is the goal, but I also want to play rugby and enjoy it. I don’t want to worry if my next paycheck is coming. I don’t want her to put her boobs back on.
I know that for the last six months rugby can be taken from you with a snap of your fingers. Japanese players are always so happy and grateful.
“I think that’s something that we as Englishmen in general can take something from.”