Wales centre Nick Tompkins and England lock Maro Itoje shared a wholesome moment on the field after clashing in the Six Nations.
England pipped Wales at Twickenham in round two of the tournament, with Steve Borthwick's men securing a 16-14 victory after a late try by Northampton Saints centre Fraser Dingwall.
Speaking after the on-field battle, Itoje had his arm around Tompkins as the pair posed in front of the camera. The Welsh centre pointed to the crowd and appeared to say: "That's my mum", as Itoje blew a few kisses to her in a lovely moment.
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The duo are actually team-mates at Premiership giants Saracens, so Tompkins was playing against a fair few of his friends when he faced up to England at 'HQ'.
You can watch the clip below.
Tompkins and Itoje are good mates, and go back quite a few years. The Wales inside centre was born in England and represented the country at U18 and U20 level.
In an under 20s team captained by Itoje, the pair played together winning the New Zealand U20 World Cup in 2014. Funnily enough, maverick Wales back-rower Ross Moriarty also played for England in that tournament.
Tompkins made his debut for Wales back in 2020 against Italy, right before the COVID pandemic, and qualified through his Wrexham-born grandmother. He has since gone on to be one of the first names on the team sheet for Warren Gatland, forming a reliable midfield partnership with George North.
Speaking after his breakout season with Sarries in 2019, Tompkins explained that Itoje was a great help: "He has been unbelievably supportive of me from the start, since I first came here at 17. He is a proper leader and mentor to me.
"It is the little quiet chats we have. It is one-on-one stuff, working with him [in training]. It is also watching him as well, the stuff he doesn’t mean to teach me, the subtleties that are in his game."
Four years ago, prior to the British and Irish Lions tour of South Africa, Itoje suggested that Tompkins should be picked to tour with the iconic team: "I’m not a coach or a selector, but Nick Tompkins has done really well for Wales.
"Hopefully if he has another season like that, it would be great to see him play [for the Lions]."
Tompkins wasn't selected for the 2021 tour, but will have 2025 in his sights after a strong few years with Wales. He'll have stiff competition from the likes of Bundee Aki for that starting berth at 12, though.
Speaking with Saracens' media team, Tompkins has previously said that Itoje was the "most famous contact in his phone" and has "the most interesting fashion sense" out of all the boys at the StoneX Stadium.
Opponents for 80 minutes, but friends for life.
