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Tom Varndell

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Name
  
Tom Varndell

Current team
  
Bristol Rugby

Weight
  
100 kg

Height
  
1.88 m

Role
  
Rugby player


Tom Varndell Tom Varndell out for 12 weeks Rugby World

Profiles

Sprinting with christian wade tom varndell joe simpson


Tom Varndell (born 16 September 1985) is an English rugby union footballer who plays on the wing for Bristol Rugby who gained recent promotion into the Aviva Premiership. Varndell also has caps for England and England Sevens, as well as having represented other Aviva Premiership sides Leicester Tigers and Wasps. He is currently the leading try scorer in the Aviva Premiership.

Contents

Tom Varndell Tom Varndell Pictures IRB Hong Kong Sevens 2009 Day 2

Tom varndell trysaver as sam vesty celebrates prematurely


Early career

Tom Varndell Tom Varndell Pictures London Wasps Photocall Zimbio

Varndell began playing rugby aged 8 at Chinnor rugby club in Oxfordshire before moving to Henley Hawks, where he stayed until he was 15. He was later invited by Dusty Hare, the former England full back, who was Leicester's Chief Scout, to train with them. He spent two years at the Tigers' den but left to take up a scholarship at Colston's Collegiate School in Bristol.

Career

Tom Varndell Tom Varndell Rugby Universe

Varndell returned to the Tigers in 2004, and made a quick impact in the Premiership. In his second appearance with the Tigers senior side, he recorded the fastest hat trick of tries in Premiership history, doing so in a 13-minute span against Worcester. He finished the 2005-06 Guinness Premiership regular season, top of the try list with 14.

Tom Varndell tom varndell of england Flickr Photo Sharing

Also in 2005, Varndell made his debut for both national teams within one week. On 26 November, he scored a try against Manu Samoa at Twickenham in his first full 15-man international. Then, on 1 and 2 December, he made his England Sevens debut in the Dubai Sevens, the first tournament in the 2005–06 World Sevens Series. Varndell was the tournament's leading try scorer as England claimed the title.

Tom Varndell Second injury setback for Varndell BelfastTelegraphcouk

In 2006, Varndell was chosen in the England Saxons team for the 6 Nations, but after impressive displays for both Leicester Tigers and England in the Rugby Sevens at the 2006 Commonwealth Games, he was awarded with a two starting places on the first team, development tour to Australia. For the Elite players squad in the 2006/07 England Squad he was subsequently dropped and demoted back to the England Saxons side with new Leicester team mate, Jordan Crane.

In September 2006, Varndell played for Leicester's feeder club, Bedford Blues, and scored a try on his debut against Exeter Chiefs.

The start of the 2007/08 season saw Varndell back on the wing in the starting 15 for Leicester's opening games in the Premiership. He scored 18 tries for Leicester during the 32 games he played in the 2007/08 season

In late 2007 his girlfriend Claire gave birth to a son called Taio Varndell.

Start of 2008 saw Varndell selected for the England Saxons squad. He started the first game against the Ireland A team, at Welford Road and scored.

He was selected in the England Saxons side that defeated Ireland A at Welford Road on 1 February 2008, scoring a brace in his first international since the tour to Australia 18 months prior. Saxons coach Steve Bates was keen for him to put pressure on first team selection.

Varndell was selected for the 2008 summer tour to New Zealand and started in the 2nd test against New Zealand in Christchurch, which England lost 44–12. Varndell did, however, score a try for his team.

He was named as a member of Martin Johnson's first England elite player squad ready for selection for the 2008/09 international season but was dropped before the start of the 2009 Six Nations.

He has continued to play with success for the England IRB sevens team, and was a try-scoring member of the England Saxons team in this year's (2009) Churchill Cup.

Varndell moved to London Wasps and had an instant impact, scoring 4 tries in his first two matches. In his first Wasps season he made: 26 starts, 3 replacement appearances, scoring: 19 tries, with a total of 95 points for Wasps.

He continued his scoring record in the first game of the 2012–13 season playing against reigning champions Harlequins, a game in which he was the first player in the Premiership to have a try disallowed under the new TMO law for an earlier infringement. As of the start of the 2013–14 season, he is the Aviva Premiership's third all-time top try scorer with 75 tries, behind the retired Steve Hanley (78) and the current all-time leader, Sale Sharks wing Mark Cueto (90).

On 7 January 2015,it was announced that Varndell was to move to Bristol Rugby, competing in the RFU Championship for the 2015–16 season.

On New Year's Day, 2017, Varndell equalled Mark Cueto's Premiership tries record of 90 tries by scoring against Sale Sharks. This followed a hat-trick in the previous week against Worcester Warriors.

References

Tom Varndell Wikipedia