Jenny Hastings: Scotland rugby star nephew Adam Hastings opens up on love and loss in wake of family tragedy

He’s an Edinburgh boy but Glasgow Warriors feels like home for Adam Hastings and the Scotland stand-off is grateful to all at the club for reaching out to him during what has been an extremely difficult time for his family.

The tragic death of his auntie, Jenny Hastings, wife of Scott Hastings, has been felt by the rugby community and Adam went out of his way this week to thank Franco Smith, the Glasgow coach, and his team-mates for their support.

The player returned to the club in the summer after three seasons with Gloucester and made his second ‘debut’ in Saturday night’s away defeat by Ulster. Smith has praised Hastings for his professionalism as the tragedy unfolded and the fly-half returned the compliment.

Adam Hastings is back at Glasgow Warriors after three seasons with Gloucester. (Photo by Ross MacDonald / SNS Group)

“Loads of people have reached out and I’ve really felt the love in here [at the club] as well,” said Hastings. “The boys have been brilliant with me, especially Franco. He allowed me to fly out to Belfast late and then fly back in the morning, absolutely no problems with anything. The club have been really good with me.”

Hastings was able to attend a memorial service for Jenny in Edinburgh on Sunday during which her life was celebrated as family and friends came together.

“It was amazing,” he said. “It was like a celebration of life as opposed to a funeral, then into a wake. It was brilliant. There were loads of the rugby community there and it was awesome. It was a really nice day.

“I’m lucky we have a massive family. Everyone came from all over…my uncle from Australia, my sister came back from Barcelona just to be here with the family. My other cousin came back from San Francisco. There were plenty of people around just to be there for each other, so it was really nice.”

Adam Hastings won a Scotland recall for the summer tour, playing in three matches. (Photo by Ernesto Ryan/Getty Images)

Hastings said rugby had felt like a release recently as he finds his feet again at Glasgow. “When you’re out on the pitch, that’s all you’re thinking about and it gives you something else to focus on I suppose, rather than ruminating over what’s happened.”

It feels as if it’s the right time for him to be back close to family and in the bosom of a club he knows and who knows him. The coaching staff may have changed since he left in in 2021 but many of the players remain and such familiarity can only be beneficial.

“I’ve been saying to everyone that it feels like nothing has changed - it just seemed a bit smaller,” he said. “It sounds daft but driving to and from training, I remember roads being longer but it feels more condensed. It’s the same boys, some old faces and new faces but the coaching staff is different. I had lots of nostalgia driving back into the car park because I literally hadn’t been back in three seasons. There’s some good memories from here so it’s nice to be back in the building.”

A wretched run of luck with injuries blighted his time at Gloucester and also cost him his place in the Scotland squad and he admitted it was part of the reason he returned to Scotstoun.

Jenny Hastings, wife of former rugby international Scott Hastings, passed away earlier this month.

“There were a multitude of reasons, some that I’ll keep to myself but I just hadn’t managed to string a decent amount of performances together,” he said. “I only managed to play eight games in my last two seasons at Gloucester and that was tough mentally. Speaking to Franco and how he put forward his plan, it made sense for me - I’m closer to my friends and family too. It was an extremely difficult decision as Gloucester were brilliant with me during my time there. They were absolutely fantastic and I can’t say a bad word about them with the way they treated me. But sometimes you just have that feeling and it felt right to come back.”

He fought back to fitness at the end of last season and played in the Challenge Cup final against the Sharks at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. He wasn’t able to guide Gloucester to a victory but he did win a Scotland recall and was part of the summer tour to the Americas, playing in the wins over USA, Chile and Uruguay.

They were his first international appearances in almost two years and came as a great relief to Hastings, 27, who now has 30 caps to his name.

“Obviously when I was getting injured, it seemed to get further and further away,” he said. “It was so disappointing not to get fit in time for the World Cup but it was amazing to be back in that environment and get some games under my belt. It was really nice to chuck the ball about in a Scotland shirt and I felt that I played well.”

The injuries he suffered during his three years at Gloucester were many and varied and caused him to see a variety of solutions and recuperations as he strived in vain to put together a run of games. But one rumour that he’s keen to skewer is the suggestion that he was contemplating seeing a witch doctor to rid him of his injury blight.

“This is all bullshit!” he laughs. “Every time I turn up somewhere, someone is chatting about me seeing a witch doctor. I’ve been getting messages from people online saying ‘don’t do that mate, it’s really dangerous!’. All I said in an interview was that my sister had said, ‘do you want to go and see a witch doctor? I’ll book you in’ – laughing and joking. And then people have been like, ‘he went and saw a witch doctor’, as if it was some weird ceremony. I’m like, no! But if I had another injury…maybe! No, I’m going nowhere near that. I’ll stick to ice baths with my recovery instead of going to witch doctors.”