Tom Pearson interview: England call-up, Saints and Munster Champions Cup tie

Northampton Saints star Tom Pearson insists he will put his best foot forward over the next fortnight to earn a spot in England’s opening Six Nations matchday 23 after being named in Steve Borthwick’s training squad.

The powerful back-row, who has one cap to his name, was included in a 36-strong England squad with a freshened look after last year’s third-place finish at the Rugby World Cup.

Pearson moved to Saints after London Irish went under in 2023 and has been a key addition to the Midlands club, who are flying high at the top of the English Premiership.

Pearson: Goal is making the 23

“For me, it helps when your team is winning – at Saints you’re always in the shop window,” Pearson told City A.M. ahead of the squad announcement. 

“But I’ve just got to keep playing and keep going as hard as I can and hopefully my performance isn’t flat and I’m given a shot.

“I’ve never played in a Six Nations match, but I have been involved in Six Nations preparations before. I’d love to do that this year.

“I’ve only played for England once and I’ve never played at Twickenham as well so that would be a goal for me. But to get in the squad and really get my teeth into that, I really hope I’m involved. I can put my best foot forward to try and get a place in that 23.

“There’s strengths all over the field [at Northampton], we’ve got guys in the front row coming through and guys in the back three – George Furbank is running the show and we have Fin Smith at No10. It’s good that we all buy into that.”

Northampton Saints are one of four English clubs – alongside Exeter Chiefs, Harlequins and Bath – already through to the Investec Champions Cup round of 16.

But with the current pool format, a win in their final match across the Irish Sea against Munster is still important, with seedings key to a home run to the final. Clubs in Europe play single legs at the home stadium of the highest seeded side.

The grind

Saints have bulldozed their way to top of their pool and a famous win in Limerick would put the cherry on the cake for a side who before this season hadn’t won in Europe for three years.

“To grind out pretty tight wins against Toulon and Glasgow was great, it massively gelled the team as well. There’s a real good buzz to try and go again [against Munster],” Pearson added.

“One of the main decisions for joining the Saints was that brand of rugby here and at London Irish we were pretty similar. It’s great, some of the tries we are scoring this year have been unbelievable, they’ve been pretty off the cuff and our strike plays have been strong, but also that decision making in the loose. It’s a pretty good place to be right now.

“I’ve got some really good memories watching Munster even just on the TV. The potential to be involved in one of those games is really exciting.

“I know they’ve got a bit of an injury crisis at the moment but you know that will be a massive test as well. There are some very good players, you see the strength of the Ireland players that play for Munster. It’s very exciting to go to Munster in the Champions Cup, they’re the sort of games you remember for a long time.”

Pearson is one of rugby’s nice guys, he’s humble and happy to be in a culture that embraces his abrasive game style. With the Six Nations on the horizon, a Twickenham debut looks to be on the cards. And given this time last year his former club London Irish were in turmoil, it’s quite the turnaround.