Tom Wood: I’m back, taking it one step at a time

For Tom Wood the pain of not being able to play is far worse than the pain he goes through every time he steps off the pitch.
Hailed as a “model professional” by England forwards coach Graham Rowntree, the Northampton back row forward has had to come through some dark times to get to within touching distance of his 10th cap – and his first for over a year.
As England’s standout in the 2011 Six Nations campaign and with the chance to captain his country looming large, the world appeared to be at Wood’s feet – until the left one let him down badly.
The initial injury – the separation of two tiny sesamoid bones behind his big toe – caused him to miss the whole of the 2012 Six Nations.
He returned too soon and a freak incident led to a broken toe to compound the problems, before he ripped the arch of his foot in the LV= Cup final loss to Leicester.
The summer tour to South Africa was a no-go and Wood admits having rugby taken away from him hurt badly, although he did manage to literally keep his chin up.
“Last year was a really frustrating one,” he said while taking a break from training at St George’s Park. “I missed out on a lot of rugby and big games. A lot had been talked about in terms of being the potential England captain and things like that, but that was never a concern for me.
“The big thing was not being able to play rugby of any description. I didn’t know what to do with myself to be honest so I trained myself into the floor in the gym.
“I was on my own most days and I came up with all manner of different, silly challenges: things that wouldn’t necessarily make me a better rugby player but things that would help occupy my mind and let off steam.
“I could still go on the rowing machine with my protective boot because I was pushing through the heel. I was on that all of the time.
“I also had a little chin-up competition with myself, starting with 10 reps and then adding another one each day. That went on for two months!”
Thankfully Wood is getting back to somewhere near to peak performance, managing his problematic foot as best he can.
He said: “I still play through pain to a degree but I’m in a far better place now. Generally when I’m ‘in the moment’ and playing I’m fine, it is when I take my boot off at the end of the game that I think, ‘that’s a little bit sore’ and I have to ice it and everything to make sure it is ready for training the following week.
“Everyone comments on the black eyes and other bits and pieces you get as a rugby player but I’d take those any day over the frustration I’ve had with my foot.
“I wear stiffened soles and I’ve got specially made orthotic boots but I still have to take it easy during the week with the volume of running, which is frustrating because I love to run.
“Instead I use rowing and cycling, which don’t impact on your joints as much, to give my lungs and legs a good work-out.”
Wood returned to action for Saints in the middle of August, marking his reappearance off the bench in a pre-season friendly against Leinster with a try.
“It was great being back out on the field in front of a full Franklin’s Gardens crowd and knowing my foot had tolerated it all,” he said. “It confirmed to me I was on course.
“In the early season Premiership games I felt like I was a little under-powered. I was working hard and making tackles and hitting rucks but I felt I lacked that extra bit of dynamism and drive in my ball-carrying, probably because I was safeguarding putting too much pressure through my foot.
“But I’ve since managed more impact plays as opposed to being a bit flat-footed.”
Having proved himself again at Saints, Wood is now enjoying “the buzz” of Stuart Lancaster’s England regime for the first time.
“It’s been such a long time; I just hope I get the opportunity to be involved,” he said.
“I’m not taking anything for granted because there are a lot of quality players in this squad and competition for places is always tough in the back row, but if I get the shirt on again I’ll relish every minute.
“I’m already feeling the buzz building up to these games. Faced with this fixture list it is hard not be motivated.”
As Rowntree said: “Tom Wood is a model professional. I wish there were more like him in the game.”
JON NEWCOMBE