The sight of fan favourite Tom Dunn’s cauliflower ears bleeding is now a regular occurrence during Bath matches, the hooker showing the scars of battle after 15 years at rugby’s coalface.
Dunn, 33 and his club’s record appearance holder in the professional era with 267, has embraced the fact the wounds are now inevitable whenever he takes to the field. They are also a symbol of his commitment to the team he adores, so much so in fact that as part of his testimonial year, supporters can now buy a giant pair of plastic ears complete with fake blood to support charitable causes.
There are likely to be plenty of them on show at The Rec today, with Dunn back in the side after a ban for Bath’s crunch PREM Rugby play-off with Exeter.
‘I feel like they’re a little bit harsh,’ says Dunn, smiling, when asked about the unusual tribute to him. ‘I don’t think my ears are actually that big, but they’re quite funny and the blood is now a very common theme of mine, so they are accurate.
‘They bleed in the shower. They bleed on the pillowcase when I wake up. The skin is rather thin on the ears now and has been for many years, so I can’t see it getting much better! We’ve got black pillowcases at home now. My partner, Jen, gets very aggravated with me that I could potentially roll on a sofa cushion and ruin it by bleeding on it.
‘She’s not a massive fan of my ears in general. There’s stuff I could potentially do to sort them out when I retire, but I’ve tried a multitude of things and nothing’s worked so for now, I’m just cracking on!’
Bath’s Tom Dunn poses with his comedy bloodied ears which are being sold to raise money for charity
Dunn’s real bloodied ears after yet another spell at the coalface in the Bath front row
Dunn isn’t the first front-row forward to suffer with cauliflower ears, nor will he be the last, and his regular blood loss is just one reason why he is so popular. ‘My identity is intertwined with Bath,’ says Dunn, who was born in the city and educated at its university. Bath is the only team he has ever played for, save for two short loan spells elsewhere.
‘I’ve been associated with or playing for the club for longer in my life than I haven’t,’ Dunn says. ‘I had some birthday parties at The Rec when I was younger, maybe 11 or 12.’
Dunn lives and breathes Bath to such an extent that it is maybe something of a surprise that the blood which seeps from his ears is red and not the club’s colours of blue, black and white. He has seen the bad times at The Rec, as well as the good, which is why he is so determined to enjoy things as they are now.
Bath are the current PREM champions and now only two wins away from retaining the title they claimed as part of a treble of trophies last season under Johann van Graan.
‘It would be an incredible feeling to do that,’ says Dunn, whose abrasive forward play and reliable set-piece make him an invaluable cog in the Bath wheel. ‘Apart from the birth of my children, the Sunday when we had the trophy parade last season was the best day of my life. I crave that feeling again. You’re very fortunate if you get 14 or 15 years in rugby.
‘I’ve only got a couple left, so maybe two or three more opportunities to get that feeling again. When it’s gone, it’s gone. I’m very motivated and driven to achieve more.
‘I was hugely, hugely grateful and proud to make the fans smile last season. We’ve got amazing fans who always turn up to support but unfortunately, at Bath, we hadn’t done that for a long time.’
Bath are favourites to beat Exeter, even if superstar No 10 Finn Russell is still absent with a calf injury. Santi Carreras continues at fly-half in Russell’s absence and powerhouse Springbok prop Thomas du Toit is alongside Dunn in the front row.
Dunn crashes over the line to score for Bath during the match against Gloucester this season. The hooker is the club’s record appearance holder in the professional era with 267
‘I was hugely, hugely grateful and proud to make the fans smile last season,’ says Dunn
Arguably the most crucial thing in Bath’s favour is home advantage. Statistics show 86 per cent of PREM play-off matches are won by the hosts, though don’t totally discount a Chiefs upset. To win, Rob Baxter’s side will have to counter Bath’s impressive power game which has been honed by Van Graan’s coaching.
Dunn refutes the claim he is a Bath legend and worthy of comparison to some of the club’s true greats such as Jerry Guscott. But there can be no doubt he will always be remembered as one of Bath’s favourites and there is still time left for him to win more trophies.
‘It’s nice to be recognised with a testimonial by the fans,’ says Dunn, shortly before posing for pictures with his fake, bloodied cauliflower ears covering up the real thing. ‘We’ve been on a journey with this club. There’s a core of the squad who have been here for seven years or more. Beno Obano and Charlie Ewels have been here 13 years.
‘Josh Bayliss – 10 years. Tom de Glanville and Max Ojomoh are Bath boys too. We’ve been together as a group for a very long time. But it’s not over yet.’
