Wales Rugby Team
Who is Nick Tompkins and how does he qualify for Wales despite winning the Junior World Cup with England?
Lots of Welsh rugby fans have probably never heard of the Saracens centre as Wayne Pivac throws selection grenades into his Six Nations squad
Anthony Woolford
Saracens centre Nick Tompkins celebrates his hat-trick in the 2019 Gallagher Premiership semi-final win over Gloucester at Allianz Park (Image: David Rogers/Getty Images)
Warren Gatland always had an ability to drop selection bombshells, but Wayne Pivac has outdone him with the unveiling of Saracens centre Nick Tompkins as one of four uncapped English-based players.
Gatland would be doffing his cap to his fellow Kiwi in getting Sidcup-born Tompkins into his Six Nations squad when even Saracens coach Mark McCall didn't know of his Welsh connections until 'a couple of months ago'.
His Welsh call-up comes at a time when the 2019 Grand Slam champions have something of a centre crisis with Jonathan Davies and Willis Halaholo ruled out by knee injuries and fitness concerns over Owen Watkin and Scott Williams.
It was mooted wings George North and Josh Adams could be pressed into centre duties for the Six Nations.
While Pivac was at the Liberty Stadium on Saturday watching the former fill the midfield berth for the Ospreys against Saracens - you suspect he had more than one eye on the opposition ranks, with Tompkins lining up against him for the defending European champions.
His interest for rugby came watching his brother Alex, who was at Leeds Met University with Wales prop Tomas Francis, playing.
Since the start of last season Tompkins tops the charts for tries scored (15), metres made (843) and defenders beaten (75) for centres in the Gallagher Premiership.
Yet Tompkins' big chance on centre stage for Wales may never have materialised as the 6ft and 14st 9lb Londoner, who qualifies through his grandmother Enid being born in Wrexham in 1933, started out life as a flanker at Old Elthamians.
A switch to centre was made in his mid-teens and his first representative honours came playing at county level for Kent and then London & South East Under-16s.
Having never lost his powerful work at the breakdown despite a move to the back division, his defence splitting lines of running and staunch work in defence saw the Oaklands College student join Saracens academy in 2012 and within months he was making his first team debut in the LV= Cup against Leicester Tigers.
England soon came calling, capping him at under-18 level.
But his greatest moment in the white shirt arrived in 2014 when lining up alongside Wales back-rower Ross Moriarty as England Under-20s won the IRB Junior World Championship, beating South Africa 21-20 in the final.
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Their captain that day was Saracens team-mate Maro Itoje, while 2019 World Cup winner Handre Pollard led the junior 'Boks.
While Itoje and Pollard would go on to blaze a trail in the Test arena, Tompkins has been limited to two appearances for the national 'A' team, the Saxons, in 2016.
However, it was deemed that the Saxons fixtures have not 'captured' Tompkins for England, due to the status of the opposition.
Tompkins' career has been something of a slow burner until last May when making his 100th appearance for Saracens in their Gallagher Premiership semi-final play-off with Gloucester, he showcased his talents on the big stage with a hat-trick of tries in their 44-19 victory.
He told the Daily Telegraph: "You look at it and wonder why am I not doing as well as Maro?
"Well, I'm not a freak! And he is unbelievable. You've got to realise everyone is different, everyone takes their own journey.
"When you are younger, you are throwing your toys out of the pram, you want to be there straight away. That's one of the great lessons I have learnt at this club – biding my time, but you have got to keep working, because if you stop you go backwards.
"But it is really tough because you have got to weigh up, are you doing the right thing, are you good enough, you have all these sort of questions going through your head?
Nick Tompkins congratulates teammate Ross Moriarty after scoring a try in the U20 Junior World Championship final against South Africa at Eden Park (Image: Fiona GOODALL/AFP via Getty Images)
"But being part of the Saracens' set-up is a big draw card, killing any thoughts of leaving. The culture and the trips are one thing, but then being involved in these kinds of tournaments, some people don't get them ever in a career, so this is something I am trying not to let fly by me.
"Yes, game time is important but quality of coaching and quality of life come into it. Saracens have been amazing for me. I've loved every second of it."
His time at Saracens has seen Tompkins absorbing every drop of information in making the conversion from the back-row to centre.
And he paid a huge debt of gratitude to Sarries legend Alex Goode for mentoring him in the art of kicking - a requisite weapon every midfielder needs in his armoury.
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He told The Rugby Paper : "Having Alex as a mentor has really helped me with my game.
"He's obviously a very good footballer and it's really helpful for me having switched from the back row.
"The kicking was something quite new for me, it's obviously not something I did much of when I played flanker.
"Obviously the kicking side of things is a big part of that."
Now Tompkins has been handed a chance to line up alongside Saracens team-mate Liam Williams in the Six Nations, when the Lions full-back recovers from his ankle surgery.
Whereas Williams is set to move back to Saracens this summer with his Saracens deal up - Tompkins penned a new contract in 2018 to stay at Allianz Park until 2022.