Who is Nick Tompkins: Ten things you should know about the Wales centre

Nick Tompkins has shown for Saracens and Wales that he knows how to run a good line and he’s a strong defender too.

Ten things you should know about Nick Tompkins

1. Nick Tompkins was born on 16 February 1995 in London, England. He stands at 5ft 11in (1.81m) and weighs 14st 11lb (94kg).

2. He has been at Gallagher Premiership club Saracens since 2013, but he went on loan to the Dragons in the 2020-21 season after Sarries were relegated to the Championship.

3. Tompkins played for England’s age-grade teams and the Saxons, but switched to Wales for senior international rugby. He made his Wales debut in 2020 against Italy and told Rugby World of the switch: “It’s the best decision I’ve ever made.”

4. He qualifies to play for Wales through a Welsh grandparent.

5. Tompkins originally played at flanker but was moved to centre during his time in the Saracens Academy.

6. He had a tough time at the Dragons as his grandfather was ill with cancer and passed away. “It was tough in the autumn and Six Nations because I had some family issues,” he told the BBC. “With being away at the Dragons and having to be in a bubble, I found it tough personally.

“I didn’t cope with it very well and needed a bit of an adjustment period. I wish I’d played better for Dragons and definitely coming back for Wales after Covid, it was a bit of a stumbling block.”

7. He has wracked up more than 100 appearances for Saracens. He has also won multiple titles, including the Premiership and Champions Cup trophies.

8. Tompkins scored a hat-trick in the Premiership semi-final against Gloucester in 2019, booking Saracens’ place in the final, which they won.

9. Tompkins said Premiership clubs didn’t welcome Saracens back with open arms following their relegation for salary cap breaches and then promotion back to the top flight.

He told RugbyPass: “I think we’ve almost adopted that Millwall ethos of, ‘No one likes us and we don’t care’.

“In all truth, there were some things said by clubs and players that were hard not to take personally, so there’s definitely some chips on shoulders and emotions flying about. Put it this way, I don’t think we expecting man hugs from everyone welcoming us back.”

10. He’s a fan of baseball.

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