Tom Pearson

Born on 26 October 1999, Tom Pearson is an English back-rower whose rise from London Irish to Northampton Saints has been one of the more notable Premiership trajectories of the post-pandemic era. The flanker first turned heads in the green-and-white of the Exiles, where his appetite for the breakdown contest and willingness to chase every second-phase ruck earned him the 2023 Premiership Rugby Discovery of the Season award. When London Irish entered administration that summer, Pearson moved north to join Saints, a destination that has suited his abrasive, ball-hunting style. At Franklin's Gardens he has settled into the back-row rotation, contesting the openside berth and offering a consistent jackal threat as well as the engine to link phases. Coaches have praised his low body height over the ball and his ability to read attacking shape, traits that have drawn him into the conversation around England's wider back-row group. Pearson's game is built more on persistence than flash: he tackles, he competes, he gets to his feet, he does it again. For a Saints side that prizes tempo and turnover ball, he represents the kind of modern flanker who can shape contests without demanding the spotlight.