Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Evening Standard
Evening Standard
Sport
Nick Purewal

Wing Tom Collins seals London Irish switch after 10 years at Northampton

Tom Collins will trade Northampton for London Irish this summer on a mission to prove his enduring top-level class.

The back-three star has made 144 Northampton appearances in 10 years at the Franklin’s Gardens club.

Collins’ arrival at resurgent Irish will offset the loss of Saracens-bound full-back Tom Parton and England wing Ollie Hassell-Collins, who is joining Leicester.

The 28-year-old admitted being quickly enticed by Irish coaches Declan Kidney and Les Kiss, with the Exiles having fallen just shy of a Premiership play-off berth this season.

“I feel like I am ready for a fresh start somewhere new, I want to prove that I can play consistently at the very top level,” said Collins.

“I’ll always be grateful to Northampton, it’s the club I have grown up supporting, but I felt my time was coming to an end and a new opportunity was on the horizon.

“Irish reached out and I was really encouraged by the project the club is working under with Declan and Les, and I feel like it will be a great fit for me.”

Irish rugby director Kidney was delighted to complete Collins’ capture.

“Tom has shown in his time with Northampton what a capable player he is and having him as our player now is a great privilege,” he said.

“We are really excited to be welcoming in a player of Tom’s calibre and we are all confident he will become a valuable member of our squad at Irish.”

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.