Although Tom has signed a two-year-deal which begins in the summer, his current club has allowed the giant lock to become available for selection by Glasgow straight away.
Tom is therefore available to the Warriors for their forthcoming Magners League game against Cardiff Blues at Firhill tomorrow night (ko 7.35pm) - the night before Scotland play Wales in the RBS 6 Nations at Murrayfield - but he could be recalled to Saracens at any stage over the coming months if required as he remains contracted to the Aviva Premiership outfit until the end of May.
Tom returns to the Warriors having already featured on ten occasions after Lineen called on the 6ft 6in 26-year-old to plug a gap left by injury to captain Alastair Kellock in the early part of the current season.
Shortly after his loan spell expired, Tom was back in Scotland, this time on international duty, as he made his debut for the Scotland ‘A’ team in their 25-0 win over USA Eagles at Netherdale in Galashiels. He was back in national colours last Friday night (4 February) when he took to the field for his second ‘A’ outing, this time against Italy.
Tom started his professional career at Leicester Tigers, for whom he made three appearances, before spending the last four seasons at Saracens where he has played 96 games.
Speaking about Tom, who qualifies to play for Scotland through his Glasgow-born father, Sean continues: “Tom came up earlier this year and made an immediate impact
“He came up initially to get some game-time and it’s the same again for the rest of this season. He’s coming back to get game-time and to get himself bedded in and I owe a great debt of gratitude to Saracens for doing that. He’s still on their books for the rest of this season, so it just shows the high regard in which he’s held as a person. It’ll help Tom get reacquainted with the ‘Glasgow way’ and to have an impact on the rest of this Magners League campaign as we seek to get this show on the road.
“Tom to me is a consummate professional. He gives himself every opportunity to be at the peak of his game so I very much look forward to working with him again.”