My Italian job was best moment, says Tompkins
NICK Tompkins has revealed that making his Wales debut against Italy earlier this year was the best moment of his life.
And the centre also admitted that he became distracted by the hype around his first start against Ireland a week later.
The 25-year-old made a rip-roaring start to life at international level when he plundered a turnover and threw a slick assist to Josh Adams during a brief cameo as a head injury assessment replacement in the 42-0 win in February.
He then came on as a permanent replacement in the second half and continued to impress, bagging a try in the process.
“I look back at it now and that is the best moment of my life to date,” Tompkins said in an Instagram Live with former England under-20s team-mate Charlie Beckett.
“I wasn’t expecting to go on, there was a slight head knock to Hadleigh Parkes. So I had 10 minutes.
“I was flying about like headless chicken. I’m just going for it. I got a turnover and threw an alright pass to Josh [Adams] and he scores. “Then I get taken off.
“I’m wired on the bench, I’m sitting there and I’m shaking.
“One of the physio’s was like: ‘Are you alright mate?’
“That little down period was like: ‘holy s***, this is real’.
“Then I get back on and it went from there. Managing to get that try, I can’t describe the atmosphere.”
Before being named in the Wales squad two weeks prior, he was a relative unknown in these parts.
But his performance threw him into the spotlight and he was the name on everybody’s lips.
Boss Wayne Pivac responded to the myriad of calls for Tompkins, who qualifies for Wales through his grandmother, to start the following week against Ireland by doing just that.
However, it proved to be somewhat of a reality check for Tompkins, who didn’t enjoy the most comfortable of outings after all the hype in the week building up to the Dublin trip.
“Then in my second game against Ireland, I started and I missed a couple of tackles and I was nervous,” he admits.
“I actually let the outside noise get to me.
“I’m really grateful that I got those two experiences.”
Before the Six Nations, it was announced that Tompkins’ club, Saracens, were to be relegated from the Premiership after it was found that they had breached the salary cap.
It was one of the biggest scandals in English rugby history, with the defending Premiership and European Champions heading for the English Championship.
Tompkins recalled the day the news hit the camp.
“It was like a bombshell,” he said. “I’ve never experienced anything like it and I will probably never experience anything else like it in my lifetime.
“The uncertainty of everything just exploded. There’s anxiety flying around everywhere. You don’t know who to turn to, you don’t know what to talk about. “Afterwards, there’s a lot of anger. “I could have probably got more elsewhere, I could have been paid more.
“But the reason I stayed at Sarries and the reason I accepted my contracts was because of the culture, the enjoyment all that kind of stuff that sounds cliched.
“But it manifests itself into a very real thing and if I could put it in monetary terms, it was worth that hit.
“So afterwards, you’ve got this genuine anger and there was uncertainty.
“If there wasn’t a lot of blowback or hate from outside influences, you could argue that the group may have disbanded and faded away.
“But that hate just brings you together and it made us really look inwards and have honest conversations.
“I think we’re all so much closer for it.”
There is currently significant speculation surrounding Tompkins’ future.
He is facing a season in the Championship - which Sarries would likely win and earn their place back in the Premiership - or move clubs.
However, if he leaves Sarries, he must join a Welsh region or who would be ineligible for Wales selection due to the 60-cap rule.
It is thought Tompkins himself has been keen on a loan move which turned the Cardiff Blues cold due to the finances of such a move.
More recently, it has been reported that the Dragons were willing to offer Tompkins the type of move he desired but he did not discuss the issue.