LA Giltinis’ Adam Ashley-Cooper On How Life In The States Compares To Australia, Future Plans, 1Above & More

Adam Ashley-Cooper is one of Australia’s longest-serving players, among just 11 Wallabies centurions and 1 of just 2 Wallabies to feature in four Rugby World Cup campaigns. Ashley-Cooper made his first grade debut as an 18-year-old for Sydney’s Northern Suburbs in the Shute Shield. Less than 2 years later in 2004, he signed a development contract with the Brumbies. The utility player — billed as “Mister Fix It” based on his ability to play a variety of rugby positions at a high level — has gone on to have a decorated career in both Super Rugby and Test rugby with the Brumbies, Waratahs and Wallabies, playing on 2 Super Rugby-winning squads and featuring in the 2015 Rugby World Cup final.

Ashley-Cooper’s international days looked numbered after the 2015 Rugby World Cup, when he inked a deal with French side Bordeaux. He played in the 2016 Bledisloe series but looked set to retire from Test rugby after that. Leaving Bordeaux in 2017, he moved to Japanese side Kobe and that looked like where he would finish his professional career. Instead, the 34-year-old made a remarkable comeback to the international scene in 2018 and worked his way into the 2019 Rugby World Cup squad, maring a fourth consecutive tournament appearance. These days, Ashley-Cooper is on the Los Angeles-based Major League Rugby’s LA Giltinis, helping to popularize rugby in the United States.

On May 15, 2021 — thanks to a mutual contact at 1Above, a brand favored by many top athletes and sports organizations — I had the pleasure of speaking with Adam Ashley-Cooper via Zoom, as embedded below. Besides 1Above, we spoke about Ashley-Cooper’s decision to move to the U.S., what he still hopes to accomplish as an athlete, whether he has thought about life beyond rugby, hobbies outside of rugby, and more. Additional information on the iconic athlete is here, here, here and here.

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Tags: 1Above, Adam Ashley-Cooper, Australia, LA Giltinis, Los Angeles, Rugby

About the Author

Darren Paltrowitz Darren Paltrowitz is a New York resident with over 20 years of entertainment industry experience. He began working around the music business as a teenager, interning for the manager of his then-favorite band Superdrag. Since then, he has worked with a wide array of artists including OK Go, They Might Be Giants, Mike Viola, Tracy Bonham, Loudness, Rachael Yamagata, and Amanda Palmer. Darren's writing has appeared in dozens of outlets including the New York Daily News, Inquisitr, The Daily Meal, The Hype Magazine, All Music Guide, Guitar World, TheStreet.com, Businessweek, Chicago Tribune, L.A. Times, and the Jewish Journal. Beyond being "Editor At Large" for The Hype Magazine, Darren is also the host of weekly "Paltrocast With Darren Paltrowitz" series, which airs on dozens on television and digital networks. He has also co-authored 2 published books, 2018's "Pocket Change: Your Happy Money" (Book Web Publishing) and 2019's "Good Advice From Professional Wrestling" (6623 Press), and co-hosts the world's only known podcast about David Lee Roth, "The DLR Cast."