Tommy Freeman once rued being too laid back when he missed out on England’s World Cup squad in 2023, but no such accusations could be levelled when it came to Lions selection.
The 24-year-old could have made no more emphatic a case for inclusion in Andy Farrell’s British & Irish Lions squad than his searing form at the 2025 Six Nations.
Freeman became the first Englishman to score a try in every match from positions across the backline as England finished runners-up behind France.
It signalled the start of what continues to be a remarkable year for the Northampton Saints back, who has earned the right to don the red jersey for the first time in Australia.
Overcoming early setbacks
While Freeman’s prowess and natural skill may look predestined now, that was not always the case.
The now 6ft 2in player was long considered too small for the game as he bided his time waiting for a growth spurt.
It was a period that saw him released by the Leicester Tigers academy as belief in his ability to go professional waned.
“Mum and Dad were like, ‘You’ve got to grow. You have to.’ Dad was 6ft 1in in his prime, Mum was 5ft 10in and at the time my brother Jack was 6ft 6in, Sam was 6ft 4in and I was down at 5ft 4in wondering, ‘When am I going to grow?’ At 17, I just shot up,” he told The Times.
“The growth spurt felt sudden. I can remember training and burning past [team-mate] Louis Beer, someone I wouldn’t normally burn past.
“I’m thinking, ‘That’s weird, I’m now faster than Louis, I never used to be.’ And I was like, ‘Ah, I’m getting faster.’”
During that time Freeman was also dealing with his first experiences of epilepsy as vacant episodes became a regular part of his life.
“When you’re on the pitch and you’re staring [and realise], ‘I’ve just clocked off for a second,’” he explained.
“If there was a scrum, I’d realise I was staring off into the distance, and click out of it. As a youngster I was having loads [of episodes] a day.
“I went on these tablets when I was 14 and they put it to bed completely. I don’t remember having another vacant episode after that.”
But after his growth spurt, having started to impress at Northampton Saints, Freeman had his first seizure.
Luckily it proved his only one to date, though he was back on medication and unable to drive for two years.
Debuts of different kinds
Remarkably, despite his first seizure at 19, Freeman also made his Premiership debut at the same age.
A first try for Saints in a pre-season friendly against Leinster set Freeman off on the right track before he featured against Sale Sharks in the Premiership Cup.
It was 2020 when his Premiership debut arrived against Bath Rugby and since then he has not stopped. He has scored 295 points, having played 99 games for the East Midlands outfit, and played an integral role in Saints' Premiership triumph in 2023-24.
In the 2024-25 season alone, he has touched down 16 tries in 19 appearances, though his start at England was not quite so smooth.
His flying start to life at Saints earned him an England debut during the 2022 tour to Australia, but his third cap would not be the Twickenham bow he had dreamed of.
Playing in front of friends and family, Freeman was hauled off at half-time, signalling a blow to his confidence.
“With Eddie [Jones] leaving off the back of it, I didn’t really get an explanation for why, and I still couldn’t tell you to this day,” he told The Irish Times.
“I had Mum and Dad there, two brothers who’d never seen me play before, and my girlfriend’s family. I remember you could sense from them, ‘just act normal’.
“The tears came later that evening. But my attitude became, ‘We bin that off and move forward’. As long as I play well for my club and put myself in the spotlight to get another opportunity [with England], that’s all I can control.”
England ascension
Sure enough, Freeman made sure to put himself back in that spotlight. While inclusion in the training squad for the 2023 World Cup did not translate to selection, the wait would be worth it.
“I did not stick my chest out and I was probably guilty of not making the most of it,” he said.
“I wanted to look really laid back, but I was maybe too laid back. I was kicked in the face for that.”
The versatile back was called-up to Steve Borthwick’s England squad for the 2024 Six Nations, and this time he did not falter.
He started all five games, utilised on the left wing and right wing, with his international form since boosting him to 20 international caps.
It is a trajectory that led him to 2025 and a vein of form that forced Andy Farrell to pay attention.
Playing at outside-centre and on the wing, Freeman scored a try in every match including the only one of the game in a 16-15 victory over Scotland.
It earned him a nomination for Player of the Tournament, and ultimately his first Lions call-up, while he joins four of his Saints teammates in the squad having helped his side to the Champions Cup final.
“[I’m on] cloud nine. I’m very happy. I can’t really say much else to be honest. It’s all still sinking in,” he said following the announcement.
“There’s been loads of messages coming through and it’s just a bit of a whirlwind.
“It’s awesome to see your mates in the same spot and achieving the same goals. It’s really special. To go on a British and Irish Lions tour with your mates and as many as four of us is really special.”
