Ton-up Nick raring to go for final fling
PUTTING aside the discomfort caused by acute facial sunburn, it was a grand occasion for Nick Tompkins on Saturday, as he celebrated becoming a club centurion with a momentous hat-trick.
The 24-year-old centre answered an emergency — captain Brad Barritt was forced off with a hamstring injury — by touching down three times on his 100th appearance for Saracens.
Those tries in the space of 15 minutes just after half- time crushed Gloucester’s resistance and ensured the European champions will go to Twickenham on Saturday with an opportunity to defend their Premiership title and earn another Double. Asked about his treble, Tompkins said: ‘It was unbelievable. I will never forget this day.’
Barritt is destined to miss the final against Exeter, which is cruel for such an influential and valued figure, but Mark McCall’s side will not be weakened. Tompkins brings pace, good footwork, power and defensive solidity.
He was part of the England Under 20 team which won a junior World Cup in Auckland back in 2014 captained by his Saracens team- mate Maro Itoje. His progress since has not matched that of the Lions forward.
‘You look at it and think “Why
am I not doing as well as Maro?”’ said Tompkins. ‘Well, I’m not a freak! He is unbelievable. You’ve got to realise everyone is different, everyone takes their own journey. And that is tough. That takes time and a bit of maturity as well.
‘When you are younger, you are throwing your toys out of the pram. You want to be there straightaway. That’s one of the great lessons I have learned at this club — biding my time — but you have got to keep working because if you stop, you go backwards.
‘It’s tough because you have got to weigh up, are you doing the right thing? Are you good enough? But you can’t give up. There’s been an element of pushing myself — knowing that I can be in this team. Having that self-belief is one of the hardest things.’
Tompkins has good reason to believe in himself now. And he is right to refer to Itoje as a ‘freak’ — in the best possible sense. Ben Spencer was named man of the match and the scrum half was impressive, but Itoje was operating in another dimension. His contribution was, indeed, freakish — athletic, aggressive, relentless.
Gloucester came to London with hope and they left in a state of stunned dejection, with no magic from Danny Cipriani this time. When Saracens hit their stride, they appear nigh-on invincible at the moment.