Former student Tom Jordan visits Orewa College to share his rugby journey and hand over a signed jersey.

Orewa College alum Tom Jordan and current member of Scotland’s national Rugby team, inspires students

Tom Jordan, a proud alumn of Orewa College, has spent the past 5 years playing professional rugby in Scotland for the Glasgow Warriors and now the Scottish National team. On a recent International Summer tour, the team visited Auckland, where he made the time to return to his old kura to spend some time chatting to current rugby players.

During lunchtime, Tom reconnected with teachers and spoke to a crowd of rugby players, ranging from our Year 9 students in the youth 14, up to the First XV team. He shared insights from the world of professional sport, touching on the challenges of balancing training, injury, and a social life, while recounting stories from his time representing Orewa College in sport.

He described rugby as a release: “Whatever’s going on in your life, you can leave it on the field.” He also highlighted the resilience needed to deal with the challenges of being a professional athlete: injury, a poor performance or result, selections and how he deals with them.

Tom spoke candidly about playing through setbacks, including his current recovery from a broken hand, which he suffered last week against Fiji. That injury was a hard one to take for Tom as he had a lot of friends and family hoping to watch Tom play this Friday night on home soil for Scotland v Samoa. He reminded students that, “Even if you're out for the season, or a couple of weeks, you’re still a valuable member of the team.” He reinforced that contribution is not only measured by time on the field, but by attitude, encouragement, and presence as part of a team.

He credited his foundation at Orewa College, especially the influence of coach Craig Ashton and Asher Akroyd, as a key part of his journey. He encouraged players to stay committed, reminding them that natural talent is only part of the picture: “Working hard and being persistent, even if you’re not the most talented, you can commit to working the hardest.”

Before leaving, Tom presented a signed jersey to Principal Wiri Warriner, his match-worn jersey in the recent test match v Fiji, a proud moment that celebrated both his roots and the next generation of rugby talent he continues to inspire.

Photo credit: Elzaan Potgieter, Georgia Sparks