Sam Johnson (rugby union)

Amateur career

Sam Johnson first made a name for himself at schoolboy level, representing Queensland Schoolboys and Australia Schoolboys A after winning the Associated Independent Colleges (AIC) competition with St. Edmund’s College in 2011. His first Rugby Union club was GPS in Brisbane. He was then to switch codes to Rugby League.

On moving to Scotland, he played for Stirling County when not in use by Glasgow Warriors.

Johnson has been drafted to Ayr in the Scottish Premiership for the 2017-18 season.

Professional career

He returned to Rugby Union for season 2013–14, where he joined the Queensland Reds Wider Training Squad, and returned to his former club GPS.

Johnson impressed the Queensland Reds coaching staff in 2014 as a regular in the midfield for Reds A and GPS, which led to him making his Queensland Reds debut off the bench against the Western Force in Perth.

He then went on to play five matches for Queensland Country in Australia’s National Rugby Championship in the season 2014–15.

Johnson made two Super Rugby appearances for the Reds in total and was named on the bench a further three times.

On 28 April 2015, it was announced that Sam Johnson would be joining the Pro12 champions Glasgow Warriors in an initial contract to May 2017.

Rugby League career

Johnson played Rugby League for the Gold Coast Titans under-20s after school. His favoured position in Rugby League was as a forward in the back row but he was often played at as a back at centre instead and was tagged a utility player. He sometimes played for the Gold Coast Titans feeder club Tweed Heads Seagulls in New South Wales at this time.