Voyce played nine times for England between 2001 and 2006 while becoming a cult hero during a glittering period at club side Wasps
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| Tom Voyce: Rugby world mourns loss of England star who shone for Wasps Tom Voyce won nine caps for England between 2001 and 2006 |
Former England and Wasps rugby union star Tom Voyce is tragically believed to have died after apparently trying to cross a flood-swollen river in his car during Storm Darragh.
Northumbria Police said the 43-year-old is believed to have gone into the River Aln near Alnwick, Northumberland.
The car was recovered, but officers did not find Voyce, though police have now confirmed on Thursday that a body had been found in the search for the ex-England player. Identification is yet to take place, though Voyce’s next of kin have been informed.
Police say Voyce was attempting to cross Abberwick Ford in his car which was then pulled along with the current of the river, which had been running high due to severe weather in Storm Darragh. It is believed he was swept away while attempting to escape and has sadly died, with searches continuing into Wednesday.
The rugby community has rallied around Voyce’s loved ones, with lots of online messages posted expressing sympathy and sadness about the situation.
Tom Voyce was born on 5 January 1981 in Truro, Cornwall, and grew up playing rugby for Penryn RFC and Truro RFC before leaving Cornwall at the age of 16 to join Bath.
He worked his way through the club’s youth and second teams before making his debut for the first team as a 19-year-old in 2000. Comfortable as either a winger or full back, he played for Bath for three years and scored 15 tries in 55 appearances.
At the same time, he came on to the England radar, first establishing himself in the Under-21 side before making his senior England debut at the age of just 20 on the tour to North America in 2001, coming off the bench during the 48-19 win over USA in San Diego.
Voyce would go on to win nine England caps between 2001 and 2006, scoring three tries, with two of those coming against Samoa during his first Test appearance at Twickenham in 2005.
He started games against New Zealand and Australia on the 2004 summer tour and was selected for every match of the 2006 Six Nations, a mixture of starts and appearances from the bench as the full back jersey vacillated between him and Josh Lewsey. England won two and lost three games of that Championship as they finished fourth in the table for the second year in a row.
Things were going much better at club level, however, having moved from Bath to Wasps in 2003 and quickly establishing himself as a first-team regular.
He helped Wasps win the Premiership title at Twickenham in each of his first two seasons with the Adams Park outfit – scoring 15 tries in 34 appearances in the 2003-04 campaign, where they also won the Heineken Cup in a season for the ages.
The following year, he scored a try in the Premiership final as Leicester Tigers were dispatched for Wasps’s third straight title and he also scored the quickest try in Premiership history in November 2004. Having gathered a loose ball from kick-off, Voyce scooted in under the posts in just 9.63 seconds against Harlequins, beating Martin Corry’s previous record by 14 seconds.
Voyce won a second Heineken Cup with Wasps in 2007, as Leicester were beaten 25-9 in an all-English final, and he then claimed a third Premiership title at the end of the 2007-08 campaign.
His six-year stint with Wasps came to an end in 2009 after scoring 43 tries in 124 appearances and he moved back to the south west with Gloucester for a three-season spell that included winning the Anglo-Welsh Cup in 2011.
One final season of professional rugby came with London Welsh in 2012-13 before he retired from the sport at the age of 32.
England legend Lawrence Dallaglio paid tribute to Voyce, having spent time with him at Wasps and the national team. Dallaglio experienced his own family tragedy when sister Francesca was killed in the 1989 Marchioness disaster on the Thames when a boat carrying party-goers collided with a dredger.
“It’s the most horrific news and all I would say at this juncture is that please let us all respect Tom’s family and their suffering right now and keep them in all our thoughts,” Dallaghlio said.
“Having experienced the same emotions myself when Francesca was missing and presumed dead. Her body wasn’t recovered for 4 days after the marchioness sank. It’s just such a tragedy. Sending all my love x.”
While former England colleague Andy Goode added: “So sad to hear of the suspected loss of my old team mate Tom Voyce, he was a great bloke who I spent many fun times with. RIP mate you’ll be missed Voycey.”
And Freddie Burns, the former England and Gloucester fly half, posted on social media: “My thoughts are with all of Voycey’s family and friends. He was my gym partner in the very early days at Gloucester and taught me so much. Will forever be grateful.”
Voyce began working in banking following his retirement from rugby. A body has now been discovered in the search for the 43-year-old, having gone missing during Storm Darragh.
- Luke Baker
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