Jermaine Michael Ainsley

Jermaine Ainsley was arguably always destined to play international rugby however perhaps not necessarily for Australia given that his father Joe McDonnell played eight Tests for New Zealand.

Born in the small, south island town of Clyde, Ainsley literally scrummaged before he could walk. ‘A true New Zealand prop’ with a preference for tight-head, the hard-working Ainsley also had the ability to carry the ball and step like a midfielder.

Ainsley boarded at Otago Boys’ High School and was plucked from the 3rd XV at the beginning of Year 12 to play in the Firsts. He went on to star as OBHS won its way into the 2012 national final. His family moved to Perth in 2013 however Ainsley stayed in Dunedin, earned a second season in the 1st XV and then emigrated after he graduated.

Once in the West, Ainsley played in the local colts’ completion for Nedlands before a breakout 2015 season saw him win a place on the Perth Spirit’s roster for the National Rugby Championship. From there he joined the Western Force ahead of the 2016 Super Rugby season and made his senior representative debut against the Rebels in Perth.

A dislocated left elbow forced Ainsley to miss two months of the 2017 Super Rugby season however he so impressed upon his return that he won inclusion in the Wallabies 38-man training squad for the Rugby Championship and the Bledisloe Cup. Later that same year he made his debut for Australia in the uncapped match against the Barbarians in Sydney but unfortunately suffered an ankle syndesmosis injury and was ruled out of consideration for the Spring Tour.

Ainsley moved to the Melbourne Rebels in 2018, and the move paid immediate dividends when he made his Test debut against the All Blacks in Sydney. Ainsley committed his future to Australian Rugby when he re-signed until the end of 2020 however in 2022 he returned to New Zealand. Ainsley played three seasons for the Highlanders (2022-24) during which he represented the Maori All Blacks, when they beat Ireland 32-17 in Hamilton, and the All Blacks XV on their two-match tour to Japan in 2023. In 2024 he signed a three-year contract to play in the French Top 14 league with Lyon.

Highlights

2018 Ainsley won his first Test cap as a substitute loose-head prop in the 1stTest, 13-38 defeat to New Zealand at ANZ Stadium. He picked up a further two caps, both off the bench, against Italy at Rovigo and against England at Twickenham.