Wales’ new Dragon The making of Nick Tompkins
Despite under-20 glory for country of his birth, centre opted to switch sides, writes Ben Coles
Of all the outstanding moments from Nick Tompkins’ Wales debut against Italy last Saturday, one in particular resonated with Alan Farmer, his undersevens coach at Old Elthamians.
Not Tompkins’ first Test try, despite the brilliance of his footwork and burst of speed, as he tore through Italy’s defence. It was the sight of Tompkins running straight, ball in both hands, fixing the defence to put George North away for a try that was ultimately disallowed for an earlier knock-on.
“Two hands! Run straight! It made me chuckle and took me immediately back to those wet, cold sessions on Sunday morning: ‘Two hands, Nick!’ It was a flashback to the young Nick and his love of the game.”
After that eye-catching debut, Tompkins, who turns 25 this month, justifiably starts against Ireland today in Dublin. Wayne Pivac, the Wales head coach, said: “I thought he played very, very well [against Italy] and we think he deserves a chance, so that’s what he’s getting.” Pivac described the move to cap Tompkins, an Under-20 World Championship winner with England, as “a very good piece of business”.
For Nick Walshe, the head coach who played Tompkins in all five Under-20 Six Nations matches and in every game during England’s Under-20 World Championship title run in 2014, Tompkins’ quality has always been clear to see.
“The second game of the Under-20 Six Nations away to Scotland, on a cold Friday evening in Galashiels, Nick was just outstanding. He made outside breaks with his pace, scored a try, set two up. You thought, ‘Phwoar, this kid is good’,” Walshe recalls. “The biggest thing about him, for me, is that he is a bit like a Jack Nowell, in that they will go into contact with two to three people and come out the other side. How do they do that? The leg drive, the fight in them.
“He is not the biggest centre in world rugby, but he packs a massive punch. He chats well, defends well. That pace for an outside break at 13, which is going out of the game a little bit with the focus on size and quick first-phase ball, is a really good asset of his. Nick has everything.”
The England Under-20 side from the 2014 final contained four players who have gone on to receive call-ups from other countries: Ross Moriarty (Wales), Billy Burns (Ireland), Callum Braley (Italy) and now Tompkins.
A number of talents have rolled off the Saracens production line straight into the Test arena in recent years but Tompkins, as his team-mate Richard Wigglesworth acknowledges, has taken time to evolve into an international player.
“Nick has got better and better. He is one of those players who was not ready for international rugby at 21, like some of the guys in our team were. But he has not stopped working,” Wigglesworth says.
“He has always had the talent, and now he has the game, the understanding of his role. He is a brilliant defender now as well.”
The affection for Tompkins the person is obvious, never afraid to laugh at himself in the event of any mishap or situation others might find awkward, which, according to Wigglesworth at least, are regular occurrences. Take his nickname in the Wales camp, “Neil”, which began when Wales captain Alun Wyn Jones mistakenly identified the new call-up while speaking to Owen Farrell at the Six Nations launch last month.
“I texted Nick about it saying that it was genius and he just replied with, ‘I can’t believe it’. He’s not afraid to tell that story. He could have kept that quiet, but he can have a laugh at himself,” Wigglesworth says.
“He’s a good fella. Super friendly, very tactile. Gets a lot of stick from the lads but takes it very well. He is a good, good team man, he really is; well liked by everyone.”
One more description of Tompkins given by Wigglesworth – “He is just a ball of energy” – fits with the child Farmer remembers standing out in training from the age of five. Tompkins would not have been found standing out on the wing with hands in pockets. That hunger for the ball, to tackle, to improve, was always there.
“The same enthusiasm, excitement, just a joy for playing rugby. He was like that at five years old. We played touch rugby, then tag, but he wanted to tackle people with full contact from the start,” Farmer recalls.
“It sounds strange, but certain children at that level have a maturity and a work ethic. He was very down to earth, humble about it, grounded. If he knew he had played well in games and people were cheering him from the side, he never got carried away with it. He just wanted the ball again as quickly as he could, to carry on running with it and to play.”
Have England missed a trick here? Wigglesworth believes the timing was simply right for Tompkins to be called up by Wales. Walshe notes the depth England already have with Manu Tuilagi,
Henry Slade and Jonathan Joseph all vying for that 13 shirt.
Farmer, having watched Tompkins grow from boy to international centre, understandably feels differently.
“I think it’s a talent lost to England,” he says. “It is great that he is playing international rugby for Wales and off the back of his nan, which means a lot to him and is important.
“On a very personal note, I do feel Nick has been unlucky with England. He played every level for England: county, age group, England Saxons. I thought he played well on the Saxons tour to South Africa. He always does well, because that’s how he is.”