New Zealand rugby must still be unearthing loads of outstanding players. So many, in fact, that their talent spotters have grown increasingly blase. Because how on earth did someone, somewhere not spot the uncut diamond now twinkling on the far side of the world for Bristol Bears and Scotland?
Let’s just run through the impressive menu of skills Tom Jordan will bring to today’s Big Game against Harlequins at Twickenham’s Allianz Stadium. Excellent distribution off both hands? Tick. A smart rugby brain? Tick. The ability to hit unexpectedly hard in the tackle and kick goals as well? Tick, Tick.
Factor in his positional versatility, a constant thirst for improvement and a faint physical resemblance to Beauden Barrett and his value merely increases further. The more you think about it, in fact, the more bizarre it becomes that his age-group coaches could not see the serious potential standing right in front of them.
Jordan has certainly been a gift from whichever rugby god they worship in the Scottish Rugby Union’s offices in Murrayfield and a poster boy for late developers everywhere. When he fetched up to play semi-pro club rugby in Ayr six years ago, he had no firm ambitions other than to see the world and play some club rugby in the UK. Now here is, at 27, fast maturing into the kind of player any side would covet.
Which makes his long and winding journey to get here all the more rewarding. There was even a time when clubs in National One – the third tier of English rugby – were failing to sign him, although some of that related to the financial collapse of one of his possible destinations, Old Elthamians.
Growing up on the coastal Whangaparāoa Peninsula, 25 miles north of Auckland, his local school Orewa College also did not rate among the country’s leading rugby nurseries. His father, Graeme, who ran a local garage, and his mother, Dee, a travel agent, both encouraged their middle child’s love of sport but North Harbour Under-18s was the height of his age-grade recognition.
A spell playing club rugby in Hamilton while studying for an accounting and finance degree at the University of Waikato, however, kept the flame burning before the chance came to head to Scotland. Having been man of the match for Ayrshire Bulls in the 2021 Super 6 final, an invitation to train with Glasgow Warriors followed and the newly arrived Franco Smith swiftly saw what others had not. “When he first came in I’d barely been in the programme but he started me in the first game of the season,” said Jordan. “Then he continued to start me. He must have seen something in me that he liked. It was massive for my development.”
His star has risen steadily ever since. Even before Jordan made his debut for Scotland 13 months ago – having qualified under the extended five-year-residency regulations – Bristol’s Pat Lam was making a big money offer for “one of the most exciting talents in European rugby” after the player’s central role in Glasgow’s stirring United Rugby Championship title success in 2024.
And now the goal is to win something with both Bristol and Scotland. From the Bears’ perspective there have been some encouraging signs lately. Despite some pivotal injuries they remain unbeaten in the Champions Cup and will be strong candidates for the Prem top four if they can reinforce their sweeping attacking game with a little more hard-nosed steel.
Jordan, who starts at 10 opposite Marcus Smith tonight, senses that the next three games over the festive season against Quins, Newcastle and Sale Sharks will be crucial. “If we go well we’ll be in a really good position come the Six Nations break,” he said. “And the same in Europe. Harlequins will be class and it’s a massive game but hopefully we can put what we believe in into action.
“It’s up to us to drive what we’re trying to achieve. Bristol have come a long way and now we want to be winning. We talk about changing history; we can’t just do the same thing. The boys are starting to understand what we need to do to get to that point. There is a lot of hunger.”
And when it really boils down to it Jordan’s belief is that commitment to the cause is what really counts, even if some would prefer their national teams to consist purely of homegrown talent. “I can see why some Scottish fans feel that way. But the way I look at it I came over to play club footy. So many of my best mates now are from Scotland; I keep in touch with them pretty much daily. It was also where my rugby career took off. Whenever I play for Scotland I’m not just playing for my family but all the people who I’ve met along my journey in Scotland.
“All I can do is try and show how much I care by how hard I go and by leaving everything out there. Hopefully that’s enough for them to accept me and think: ‘OK, we’ll take him.’”
His family are certainly proud of his distant exploits. “My mum came over for the All Blacks game and to see us play England at Twickenham in the Six Nations last season. She flew in and came straight to the game. I saw where she was sitting and then we scored the first try right in front of her. As Mum said: ‘It didn’t feel real. I hadn’t seen you and then you were right there.’”
Scotland’s 2026 Six Nations prospects, though, are a less immediate priority than thriving in a Bristol jersey. There is always a little luck involved – “You could come over and be in a team that doesn’t want to play much rugby” – but Jordan’s game appears ideally suited to his new surroundings.
Sliding doors and all that. Part of him now wonders if having to be patient for so long was actually a blessing in disguise. “I’ll always look back and feel grateful I didn’t get an early opportunity because I might not have been ready.
“If I’d not been great or been out of my depth I might not have got another shot. I was pretty much 24 by the time I made my pro debut but all those years before I’d been building towards it. Coming to it later has probably just drilled into me the habit of trying to throw everything at it every day.” Finally he is where he always wanted to be, rapidly making up for lost time.
