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The ‘eyes on it’ reason why Tom Biggs is aiming for Thailand success
Whatever happened to Tom Biggs, the 2008 England Saxons pick who won a Powergen Cup medal with Leeds before also playing for Newcastle, Bath and Worcester? It was early last Sunday when RugbyPass bumped into him in the Hong Kong Stadium tunnel.
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The 39-year-old these days is coach of the Thailand women’s 7s team and they had just been beaten 0-24 by China, who later that afternoon went on to win the Melrose event that was staged as a Hong Kong outlier.
It was the second loss of the weekend for the Thais as they had been beaten on Saturday by Hong Kong 10-28, but those results didn’t at all dim the enthusiasm Biggs has for a fledgling team new to the Challenge Series.
Krakow in mid-May is the finale for that second-tier series and while Thailand are currently placed seventh, their coach hasn’t given up hope of securing the top-four finish that would qualify his girls for the promotion/relegation tournament in Madrid against the HSBC SVNS bottom four teams.
The Hong Kong invite did them the world of good despite the results. “It’s been fantastic,” Biggs told RugbyPass. “For the girls to be out in Hong Kong amongst some of their favourite players, amongst teams on the world series has been great for them.
Delighted to have joined @thailandrugbyunion to be Head Coach for @thaiwomenrugby
The staff have really looked after me, and the girls are really hard working, have a lot of energy, and are great fun to work with. Also a huge bonus that they can braid my hair. pic.twitter.com/Bv7PU3ZXAm
— Tom Biggs (@tombiggs11) October 16, 2023
“A lot of the teams have taken their time to speak to the girls and have pictures with them. They really appreciate that. It’s massive. They watch all the world series on TV and they particularly look up to the Australian women’s side. For the girls to meet them means an awful lot.
“Everything this week has been excellent, all the organisation, the hotel, the travel, the food, it’s been awesome. Absolutely outstanding. We have been treated like royalty. The girls couldn’t be happier.”
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Bridging the gap is quite the challenge given that set-ups like Thailand aren’t full-time. Biggs’ coaching role is full-time, but his players juggle their rugby timetable with either work or education.
“I’m based in Bangkok and we typically train early in the morning and evening which allows the girls to study and do their work throughout the day.
“Some are in the airforce, the navy, but most are at university. There is a big rugby culture in the forces in Thailand and that is where a lot of the players come through from.
“I wouldn’t like to single one out because all the girls work really hard. We have got some great young players who I’m looking forward to giving more experience to.
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“We’re on the Challenger Series, a step below the world series. The top four teams get to go to a play-off and the quality that we have in our squad is really good. We’d love to have more opportunity to play against more teams of a high calibre.
“We want to get into that top four of the Challenger Series so we can have a go against teams that come in the bottom four of the world series. But first and foremost we want to win the Asian series. That is important to us.”
— Hong Kong Sevens (@OfficialHK7s) April 12, 2024
What is also important to Biggs is taking positive strides forward in his coaching career. It was October 2017 when the winger was told to retire on medical grounds from playing. Six and a half years later, he explained he is enjoying the path he has taken and has long-term aspirations of achieving higher up the ladder.
“It was a slow transition out of the game. I did a bit of coaching, strength and conditioning work and then gradually got back involved with coaching. I did the strength and conditioning with China and it was great to see the China men’s team out here on Hong Kong as well and see and few familiar faces.
“I’m really enjoying Thailand. It was just a good opportunity, an exciting opportunity to work with a lot of young players and there is real potential to grow the sport. The girls are a great bunch to work with. They want to get better and they want to improve and I’m able to have my own input on the squad.
“I’m in Bangkok full-time so it’s typical hours in the job. That is the hardest thing, you are away from family and friends and the language barrier is a little bit difficult. That’s going to take a bit of work but I get a lot of support.
“I’m very happy at the moment coaching Thailand. Obviously in the future I’d like to progress as a sevens coach. It’s a fantastic sport and with the Olympics, eyes are on it.
“The production values as a sport are excellent and more and more people want to see and watch it. At the moment I am happy coaching with Thailand, but I want to progress at some stage in my career.”
Comments on RugbyPass
I bet he inspired those supporters just as much.
1 Go to commentsBen Smith Springboks living rent free in his head 😊😂
67 Go to commentsGood to hear he would like to play the game at the highest level, I hadn’t been to sure how much of a motivator that was before now. Sadly he’s probably chosen the rugby club to go to. Try not to worry about all the input about how you should play rugby Joey and just try to emulate what you do on the league field and have fun. You’ll limit your game too much (well not really because he’s a standard athlete like SBW and he’ll still have enough) if you’re trying to make sure you can recycle the ball back etc. On the other hard, you can totally just try and recycle by looking to offload any and everywhere if you’re going to ground 😋
1 Go to commentsThis just proves that theres always a stat and a metric to use to justify your abilities and your success. Ben did it last week by creating an imaginary competition and now you did the same to counter his argument and espouse a new yardstick for success. Why not just use the current one and lets say the Boks have won 4 world cups making them the most successful world cup team. Outside of the world cup the All Blacks are the most successful team winning countless rugby championships and dominating the rankings with high win percentages. Over the last 4 years statistically the Irish are the best having the highest win rate and also having positive records against every tier 1 side. The most successful Northern team in the game has been England with a world cup title and the most six nations titles in history. The AB’s are the most dominant team in history with the highest win rate and 3 world cups. Lets not try to reinvent the wheel. Just be honest about the actual stats and what each team has been good at doing and that will be enough to define their level of success.
19 Go to commentsHow is 7’s played there? I’m surprised 10 or 11 man rugby hasn’t taken off. 7 just doesn’t fit the 15s dynamics (rules n field etc) but these other versions do.
7 Go to commentsPick Swinton at your peril A liability just like JWH from the Roosters Skelton ??? went missing at RWC
14 Go to commentsLike tennis, who have a ranking system, and I believe rugby too, just measure over each period preceding a world cup event who was the longest number one and that would be it. In tennis the number one player frequently is not the grand slam winner. I love and adore the All Blacks since the days of Ian Kirkpatrick when I was a kid in SA. And still do because they are the masters of running rugby and are gentleman on and off the field - in general. And in my opinion they have been the majority of the time the best rugby team in the world.
19 Go to commentsHaving overseas possessions in 2024 is absurd. These Frenchies should have to give the New Caledonians their freedom.
21 Go to commentsBell injured his foot didn’t he? Bring Tupou in he’ll deliver when it counts. Agree mostly but I would switch in the Reds number 8 Harry Wilson for Swinton and move Rob Valentini to 6 instead. Wilson is a clever player who reads the play, you can’t outmuscle the AB’s and Springboks, if you have any chance it’s by playing clever. Same goes for Paisami, he’s a little guy who doesn’t really trouble the likes of De Allende and Jordie Barrett. I’d rather play Carter Gordon at 12 and put Michael Lynagh’s boy at 10. That way you get a BMT type goalkicker at 10 and a playmaker at 12. Anyways, just my two cents as a Bok supporter.
14 Go to commentsThanks Brett, love your articles which are alway pertinent. It’s a difficult topic trying to have a panel adjudicating consistently penalties for red card issues. Many of the mitigating reasons raised are judged subjectively, hence the different outcomes. How to take away subjective opinions?
9 Go to commentsYes Sir! Surprising, just like Fraser would also have escaped sanction if he was a few inches lower, even if it was by accident that he missed! Has there really been talk about those sanctions or is this just sensational journalism? I stopped reading, so might have missed any notations.
9 Go to commentsAI is only as good as the information put in, the nuances of the sport, what you see out the corner of the eye, how you sum up in a split second the situation, yes the AI is a tool but will not help win games, more likely contribute to a loss, Rugby Players are not robots, all AI can do if offer a solution not the solution. AI will effect many sports, help train better golfers etc.
45 Go to commentsIt couldn’t have been Ryan Crotty. He wasn’t selected in either World Cup side - they chose Money Bill instead. And Money Bill only cared about himself, and that manager he had, not the team.
28 Go to commentsYawn 🥱 nobody would give a hoot about this new trophy. End of the day we just have to beat Ireland and NZ this year then they can finally shut up 🤐
19 Go to commentsTalking bout Ryan Crotty? Heard Crotty say in a interview once that SBW doesen't care about the team . He went on to say that whenever they lost a big game, SBW would be happy as if nothing happened, according to him someone who cares would look down.. Personally I think Crotty is in the wrong, not for feeling gutted but for expecting others 2 be like him… I have been a bad loser forever as it matters so much to me but good on you SBW for being able to see the bigger picture….
28 Go to commentsThis sounds like a WWE idea so Americans can also get excited about rugby, RUGBY NEEDS A INTERNATIONAL CALENDER .. The rugby Championship and Six Nations can be held at same time, top 3 of six nations and top 3 of Rugby championship (6 nations should include Georgia AND another qualifying country while Fiji, Japan and Samoa/Tonga qualifier should make out 6 Southern teams).. Scrap June internationals and year end tours. Have a Elite top six Cup and the Bottom 6 in a secondary comp….
19 Go to commentsThe rugby championship would be even stronger with Fiji in it… I know it doesen’t fit the long term plans of NZ or Aus but you are robbing a whole nation of being able to see their best players play for Fiji…. Every second player in NZ and AUS teams has Fijian surnames… shame on you!!! World rugby won’t step in either as France and England has now also joined in…. I guess where money is involved it will always be the poor countries missing out….
90 Go to commentsNo surprise there. How hard can it be to pick a ball off the ground and chuck it to a mate? 😂
4 Go to commentsSometimes people just like a moan mate!
9 Go to commentsexcellent idea ! rugby needs this 💪
19 Go to comments