bath rugby
TOM DUNN WINS FIRST ENGLAND CAPS
Bath Rugby academy graduate TOM DUNN won his first caps for England last month and his emotional call to his family afterwards went viral.
T
om Dunn warmed hearts with the footage of him talking with family on his phone after England had defeated Italy in the Six Nations decider in Rome last month, but just minutes earlier he was dreading the prospect of another aborted debut.
Tom Dunn won his first cap against Italy in the final round of the Six Nations
The video of a tearful Dunn wearing his first cap went viral in the aftermath of a 34-5 victory over Italy that was enough to clinch a third Six Nations title for Eddie Jones and his England team.
“The video of a tearful Dunn wearing his cap went viral in the aftermath of a 34-5 victory over Italy” The Bath hooker replaced Jamie George with only two minutes of the match left to banish memories of February’s fixture against Scotland when he was an unused replacement. “I’d be lying if I said there weren’t some demons, but whether I got on wasn’t in my control,” Dunn said. “All I could control was what I was doing, so I did a few throws on the side of the pitch, bounced around and warmed my shoulders up a bit. All I could do was be ready, and I was. “For the Scotland game, there was quite a big build-up, all that excitement and then almost a come down after the game. I was buzzing that we won but just that little bit 60 THEWESTWILTSMAGAZINE
of disappointment that I didn’t get my cap.” Jubilant that his moment had come in Rome, Dunn can be seen on the footage wiping away tears as his voice crackles with emotion. “The first conversation was with my other half and my kids, just showing my cap on the camera – my kids enjoyed that and enjoyed seeing me on telly,” he said. “They’re only four and two, so they don’t really understand. They just like seeing me. Then sharing a moment with my other half was lovely.
“The second conversation was with my parents. Again, it was a very proud moment because it was a great honour to play. It was a shame they couldn’t be there in person but it was brilliant to have them on the phone in the stadium.” Tom and his England team mates will be hoping to push on for more victories in the Autumn Nations Cup event this month, whilst Bath will be hoping to continue the form that led them to the Gallagher Premiership Semi Finals at the end of last season. • bathrugby.com
2020/2021 FIXTURES All Gallager Premiership fixtures will be shown live on TV until crowds are allowed to return. TV 5 Dec 15:00 A Worcester Warriors GP TV 12 Dec 15:15 H Scarlets HC TV 19 Dec 15:15 A La Rochelle HC TV 26 Dec 14:00 H London Irish GP TV 3 Jan 15:00 A Leicester Tigers GP
