It is not just the fact that he has come from almost nowhere in double-quick time to make it as an England and Lions hooker following his unique transfer from the backline. Or the fact that he was named Aviva Premiership Player of the Year in his first season as a first pick at Tigers.
Our affection comes more from the fact that, despite Tom being the epitome of the modern, dynamic front-row powerhouse, there is something genuinely ‘old school’ about him.
Going about his work, he simply reminds The Tig of everything that is good about the game of rugby at any level and makes us a fan of the sport in the first place.
Tom motors at nothing less than 100 per cent, he always gives the impression on the pitch that the team comes first in any scenario and, more than anything, he looks like he loves every minute of it.
The bigger the challenge, the more he looks like he loves it too.
Tom talks well about the game in its aftermath and is as courteous and gracious off the field as he is combative and intense on it.
There is more than a touch of old school in how he looks on the field too. Unmistakeably of farming stock, with bail-carriers muscles across chest and shoulders, the bandaged head is a blast from the past.
And he provides heart for other guys of a certain stature, standing straight and square between front-row giants like Dan Cole and Logovi’i Mulipola in a Tigers shirt, or blasting out the anthems in the vicinity of the giants of the modern forward pack.
He is already a talisman for supporters and, you would guess, for his team-mates too.
Go get ’em Tom!
