Sam Thomson (rugby union)
| Birth name | Samuel Wallace Thomson | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Date of birth | 23 January 1994 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Edinburgh, Scotland | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.98 m (6 ft 6 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 106 kg (16 st 10 lb) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| School | Kelvinside Academy | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| University | Worcester University | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rugby union career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Sam Thomson (born 23 January 1994 in Edinburgh, Scotland) is a Scottish rugby union player who plays for Glasgow Warriors in the Lock position.
Born in Edinburgh, Thomson was raised in Glasgow where he attended Kelvinside Academy. He represented Glasgow District at U15, U16 and U17 age grades.[1]
He moved south to England where he played with Lydney RFC and while attending the University of Worcester,[2] utilising the training link that the university had with Worcester Warriors. He played for the Scottish Exiles U18s while based in England.
He then moved to New Zealand where he played for Southbridge Rugby Club, an amateur club in the Canterbury Rugby Football Union, famous for being Dan Carter's first club.[2]
In 2015-16 season Thomson signed for Perpignan to play in their academy. He played in the Espoir competition for the French side but never played in the Pro D2.[3]
Thomson enrolled in the BT Sport Scottish Rugby Academy in 2016–17 as a Stage 3 player.[4] Stage 3 players are assigned to a professional club and Thomson has been assigned to Glasgow Warriors for the 2016–17 season.[5]
When not in Warriors duty, Thomson plays for Glasgow Hawks.[6]
He was to say of his move back to Scotland: "Then the opportunity to come back to Glasgow came up and I jumped on it. They're definitely looking after their youngster and if you're good enough you get a shot as Jonny Gray proved. We used to play together when we were 15 or 16 and it's great to see how fast he's moved up since. He's worked very hard but it shows what you can achieve and that's great to see. I should train with the main Warriors squad two or three days a week and from there I hope to break into the team. If I'm not needed I'll play for the Glasgow Hawks in the Premiership. Hopefully I can dominate that league and prove to myself and the Warriors that I deserve to get a chance with the first team in the Pro12."[3]
Thomson made his debut for the Warriors in the pre-season match against Canada 'A' on the 30 August 2016.[7]
Thomson made his Pro12 debut for the Warriors against Ulster on the 23 September 2016 when he replaced Tjiuee Uanivi.[8]
Thomson studied an outdoor leadership based degree at Worcester University.[9] He is a qualified canoe/kayak instructor, has passed mountain leader training and is white water safety and rescue qualified.[10] After his rugby career finishes, Sam Thomson wants to join his father Bill Thomson—who played rugby for Scottish colleges[10]—into the events, hospitality and tourism industry.[9]
References
- ^ "Scotland U20 (Sam Thomson) - Scottish Rugby Union".
- ^ a b "Duncan Bell delighted as former Lydney youngster Sam Thomson signs for Perpignan". 21 May 2015.
- ^ a b "Young Gun: Sam Thomson – Glasgow lock - The Rugby Paper".
- ^ "2016/17 BT Sport Academy intake announced - Scottish Rugby Union".
- ^ "2016/17 BT Sport Academy players announced - Glasgow Warriors".
- ^ "Sam Thomson - 1st XV - Glasgow Hawks RFC".
- ^ "Warriors finish pre-season with convincing win over Canada 'A' - Glasgow Warriors".
- ^ "Glasgow Warriors vs Ulster, Fri, 23/09/2016 - 19:35 - Glasgow Warriors".
- ^ a b "LinkedIn Profile".
- ^ a b "Sam Thomson".