In a world of alpha males and ultra confidence, Northampton Saints’ new hero offers a pleasant change of pace.
‘He’s just a lovely guy,’ says Henry Pollock, strutting through the stands at Northampton’s ground this week.
Tom Litchfield does not court headlines with TikTok dances or extravagant try celebrations yet he has become one of the quiet icons of Franklin’s Gardens thanks to last week’s play-off semi-final hat-trick against rivals Leicester Tigers.
He joined the club as a shy schoolboy and now, aged 24, he has finally found his sense of belonging.
‘I had a bit of imposter syndrome when I joined,’ says Litchfield. ‘I looked around and thought, “Wow, this is a step above” and maybe felt like I didn’t like I fit. I wasn’t as confident in my ability. I always felt like I was playing above what I should be. I was a shy kid, compared to guys like Pollock. I went to a state school that wasn’t particularly on the rugby map.
‘I remember having conversations with Mark Hopley, our academy manager, and he would say, “You do deserve to be here”. It took a while for that to click and for me to believe it.’
Tom Litchfield wrote his name into Northampton Saints folklore last week with a hat-trick in the play-off semi-final to beat rivals Leicester Tigers
Litchfield had previously felt imposter syndrome at Northampton but is now a fully-fledged key member of the team
Weighing in at 15st 11lb, the 6ft 1in centre has become one of the club’s hardest hitters. He adds punch to the club’s silky backline. His modus operandi is to break the defensive line with his carries but this season there has been additional focus on his offloading game.
And as he showed against Leicester, he has added significant threat while carrying – he had never scored more than three tries in an entire season before this one, with his tally for this campaign now at nine.
‘I’m a little bit different to a lot of the backs we have, in terms of my ball-carrying and my go-forward,’ explains Litchfield, who threw the hammer at English schoolboy level.
‘If I make a break, this season I’ve been trying to link more. I want to dent the line and let the quick guys have some fun off that. In training, we’re encouraged to put ourselves under pressure and fail. The only way you can get better is by making mistakes.
‘We play lots of fast games that keep you on your toes and make you think quickly. If you’re comfortable and train perfectly all the time then you’re not going to be a very good team. If you’re pushing yourselves and pushing each other then it’s going to make everyone better.’
There is no fear of failure in the Saints ranks. With the likes of Alex Mitchell, Fin Smith, Fraser Dingwall, Tommy Freeman and George Furbank, the club provide the spine of the England backline. Their coach, Sam Vesty, believes it is only a matter of time before Litchfield joins them.
‘It’s incredible to see his rise,’ says Vesty. ‘Where he’s got to, from where he was, has been an incredible journey. He’s been here since he was an academy boy and it’s testament to the efforts he’s put in.
‘The quality he’s delivering now is a different level. He’s been so consistent this year. His role of working off Fin Smith and Fraser Dingwall and Rory Hutchinson, who are perhaps slightly more creative, is just bringing the best out of that massive body. Litch is just bulldozing people. He’s worked out how to use that physical weapon he’s got and I would think he’s putting up his hand for further honours.’
Litchfield bursts clear to score the opener against Leicester
He had never previously scored more than three tries in an entire season. Last Friday, he matched that in one glorious night
Now, Litchfield has his sights set on emulating his Saints’ team-mates England achievements
As Saints go for their second Prem title in three years in Saturday’s final against Exeter Chiefs, Litchfield is hoping to deliver his loudest performance yet.
‘People have different routes, don’t they?’ he says. ‘Someone like Henry Pollock or Edoardo Todaro came straight out of school and hit their straps immediately. I feel like I got a lot of opportunities earlier in my career from just being available. This season, I really feel like I’ve started expressing myself. I definitely feel like I’m part of the furniture now.
‘One of my goals was to play 50 games for Northampton. Now I’m close to 100. The coaches here have given me that confidence and made me feel like I can put my game out there. I definitely have aspirations to represent my country. I spoke to Vesty about this at the start of the season and the first thing was to start knocking on the door for England A. Hopefully I’m putting my hand up for things like that.
‘For the past few seasons, I feel like I have a place. I feel like part of the team. I’m a good cog in the wheel that makes the team work. I’m feeling more confident in myself and this season, people have seen that in my performances. I think that imposter syndrome has gone now.’
