It was a November to remember for Sharks winger Tom Roebuck as the 24-year-old played a starring role for England in an unbeaten Quilter Autumn Series – and scored the try that sealed a memorable win against the All Blacks in front of a raucous Allianz Stadium.
Tom was one of six Sharks in Steve Borthwick’s England squad but unlike the other five, who are all involved against Exeter on Friday night, he will have to wait to make his Gallagher Prem return after sustaining a toe injury in the New Zealand win.
“I’m really happy with the performances I put in over the two games I played,” Tom said. “But also with the autumn as a whole. We went four from four, which is a huge achievement for this group and a great chapter in the story this England team continues to write.
“For me personally, I’ve been in and around the squad for a while. This is an environment where we push each other and learn from each other. Steve (Borthwick) puts an emphasis on bringing out the best version of yourself and backing your own strengths which is a key driver in how this squad achieve its goals.
“When your name is on the team sheet, that’s your moment to take with both hands and rise to the occasion. You know the whole squad believes in you to do your job, and that belief drives you to go out and perform.
“Walking out in front of a sold-out Allianz Stadium, facing up to the Haka, knowing your family are there – this is what you dream of. You know it’s special. These are the moments you don’t forget in your career. Not many English players can say they’ve beaten the All Blacks at home. For us to do that…it’s special.”
Tom sealed England’s victory with a try in the 77th minute, assisted by another man who can’t help but grab the headlines – Henry Pollock.
“You’ve got to give it to the guy—he’s delivering,” Tom said. “Around camp he brings the energy, and you can see that on the pitch. I gave him an assist to score against Australia, so it was only right he repaid the favour against the All Blacks.
“All jokes aside, that moment and that feeling of scoring the try will stay with me forever. It’s indescribable.”
Despite playing the full 80 minutes, Tom picked up an injury just before half-time which means he’ll miss the Christmas period for Sale. But while he won’t be on the pitch with the lads, Tom knows he’s still got a big job to do to help the team prepare.
“I got tackled and my foot stayed in the ground,” he said. “I came in at half-time, got some strong strapping and took some painkillers, and it’s fair to say adrenaline got me through to the end. It didn’t feel right to come off – we had a job to do.
“At the end of the game I was in agony, but it’s the next day when reality hits and you realise the extent of the injury. The official term is that I’ve broken my sesamoid bone – essentially I’ve broken my toe, but saying that out loud is quite embarrassing.
“Not having the opportunity to play against Argentina and run out for the final Test of the autumn was heartbreaking, and coming back to your club injured is not what you want to do, but I just have to crack on.
“This is the game we play; these things happen. You’ve got to take the good with the bad and get back fitter and stronger.
“This is the first injury in a while where I’m going to be out for a long period of time. My first challenge is to build into it, but I also know I have to be the best teammate I can be for the lads. We (Sale) have huge fixtures coming up, starting Friday night, and I still have a job to do for this team.
“Whether that’s hyping the lads up in training or in the stands, giving my thoughts on analysis, or pointing out what I’ve picked up from training clips, I know I still have a part to play.
“Personally, I’m taking this time for a reset — to assess myself, where I’m at, and focus on the areas where I need to be better so I can come back stronger.”
