Tom
Varndell

Tom Varndell is a rugby union winger, famed for his electric pace and high point scoring. Learn more about him and his career here with RugbyPass.

Tom Varndell Bio

Known for his electric pace and high point scoring, Tom Varndell has had a long and illustrious career in rugby union. He’s currently a player coach for Bury St Edmunds RUFC and is the joint-top point scorer in Premiership Rugby history.

Born in Ashford, Kent in September 1985, Tom Varndell began playing rugby as a youth with amateur sides Chinnor and Henley Hawks before signing professionally with Leicester Tigers as a teenager. In only his second senior match he entered the record books for scoring the fastest hat-trick of tries in just 13 minutes, he also went on to finish as that season’s top try scorer.

Tom Varndell stayed with the Tigers until 2009 and even with a short loan spell at Bedford Blues in 2006, he made over 100 appearances. What’s more, he achieved a string of notable honours including Premiership titles in 2007 and 2009. Tom Varndell then moved to London Wasps where he would enjoy making over 130 appearances across a further five seasons in England’s top tier.

His next career move saw Varndell move in 2015 to Bristol Bears where he would remain as a player until 2018 and although he wasn’t playing as regularly, he still amassed nearly 200 points. From this point on Varndell moved between a number of clubs, having short spells in Wales, France, China and even a brief return to Leicester Tigers. In 2019 he signed a one-year deal with National League 1 side Yorkshire Carnegie playing one season, before taking up his current player-coaching role in 2020 at Bury St Edmunds.

Tom Varndell’s time on the international stage was never as fruitful as his club career, but he did represent England at several levels. He played four times for the senior national side between 2005 and 2008, scoring 15 points. However, he also played for England Saxons, the Sevens and won silver as part of the team representing England at the 2006 Commonwealth Games.

Another claim to fame for Tom Varndell is that he was once allegedly timed at running 100m in his socks in an impressive 10.8 seconds. He also has a son called Taio.