The 28-year-old is a regular at the home of England rugby these days, having run out there 20 times with the national team and playing in two Aviva Premiership Finals with the Saints, including leading the side out last May.
But he says he is never blasé about the experience, and is looking forward to playing there against Harlequins this Saturday.
“I try to take the time to appreciate where I am, what I’ve achieved and the privileged position I’m in,” he says.
“I think it’s important to recognise where you are. In the past I’ve always been in the zone and focussed, all I’m thinking about is the game, and it can be a shame to miss it to an extent. So I take time to look around and soak it up.
“The West Car Park is always full of people, and to some extent it’s similar to being here in the Village at Franklin’s Gardens with the buzz going on. I generally take my headphones off at that point and just try to soak up the atmosphere, pick my mum and dad out of the crowd if I can.
“That Twickenham experience on Aviva Premiership Final day was like a home game to us, with the amount of black, green and gold in the car park and the chorus of ‘Oh When The Saints’ was massive.
“I don’t know what the percentages of the crowd will be this week as it’s a Harlequins home game, but I’m looking forward to it. You don’t get that many opportunities to play in front of a sell-out crowd at Twickenham in club colours. We’ve spoken about that as a group and are looking forward to it.”
You can hear the full chat with Tom Wood in this week’s official Saints podcast, which also features an Academy half-term report with Mark Hopley and Dusty Hare. The podcast is available to download or stream for FREE on any device at www.soundcloud.com/official-saints-rugby
