Van Vollenhoven was brought into a St. Helens team to add a scoring threat out wide, in a side that at the time, was more noted for its forward prowess. His rugby league début was against
Leeds at
Knowsley Road, and his first experience of the code was a negative one as he was responsible for a blunder which gifted the
Yorkshire side a try. However such disappointment was short lived as Van Vollenhoven produced a harbinger with a well taken try later in the same match much to the excitement of the Knowsley Road faithful. His centre,
Duggie Greenall was given strict orders to nurse and protect Van Vollenhoven whilst he found his way in his new game. Greenall was noted as something of a hardman, notably involved in a scandal with the
Australians who claimed Greenall's ruthless tackling had more to do with him using a plaster cast as to his tackling itself. Regardless, Greenall proved to be a fine centre for Van Vollenhoven in his early days, ensuring that the wingman received little risky ball and that adequate defensive cover was provided when necessary. Van Vollenhoven equalled St. Helens' club record for most tries in a match with 6 against
Wakefield Trinity in 1957. The crew cut wingman would prove over the years what an extraordinary talent he was, with arguably his finest moment coming in the
1958–59 Championship Final at
Odsal, where his
hat trick of tries helped St. Helens overcome
Hunslet. His first try is noted in rugby league folklore as one of the greatest tries in the history of the game. Van Vollenhoven beat a series of defenders in a blistering run down the touchline culminating in a try under the sticks. Regrettably, there is no video footage of this achievement as the cameras were not filming for this short period of the game. Many contend that until Van Vollenhoven's intervention, there was every chance that the Yorkshiremen could have overturned the favourites. Tom van Vollenhoven played and scored a length-of-the-field
try in St. Helens' 12–6 victory over Wigan in the
1961 Challenge Cup Final during the
1960–61 season at
Wembley Stadium,
London on Saturday 13 May 1961, in front of a crowd of 94,672, and played in the 21–2 victory over Wigan in the
1966 Challenge Cup Final during the
1965–66 season at Wembley Stadium on Saturday 21 May 1966, in front of a crowd of 98,536. Tom van Vollenhoven played in St. Helens' 2–12 defeat by
Oldham in the
1958 Lancashire Cup Final during the
1958–59 season at
Station Road, Swinton on Saturday 25 October 1958, played in the 4–5 defeat by
Warrington in the
1959 Lancashire Cup Final during the
1959–60 season at
Central Park,
Wigan on Saturday 31 October 1959, played , and scored a try in the 15–9 victory over
Swinton in the
1960 Lancashire Cup Final during the
1960–61 season at Central Park on Saturday 29 October 1960, played , and scored a try in the 25–9 victory over Swinton in the
1961 Lancashire Cup Final during the
1961–62 season at Central Park on Saturday 11 November 1961, played , and scored a
try in the 7–4 victory over Swinton in the
1962 Lancashire Cup Final during the
1962–63 season at Central Park on Saturday 27 October 1962, played right- and scored a
try in the 15–4 victory over
Leigh in the
1963 Lancashire Cup Final during the
1963–64 season at Station Road, Swinton on Saturday 26 October 1963, played in the 2–2 draw with
Warrington in the
1967 Lancashire Cup Final during the
1967–68 season at Central Park on Saturday 7 October 1967, and played in the 13–10 victory over
Warrington in the replay Station Road on Saturday 2 December 1967. Tom van Vollenhoven played in St. Helens' 0–4 defeat by
Castleford in the
1965 BBC2 Floodlit Trophy Final during the
1965–66 season at
Knowsley Road, St. Helens on Tuesday 14 December 1965. Over the years Van Vollenhoven matured into a fine all round athlete, honing the other areas of the game that a modern-day winger is required to fulfil. This is supported by the fact that Van Vollenhoven had occasionally appeared at centre and even played one game at full-back. He established himself as a strong defensive wingman, capable of rushing over to the other flank to pull off try-saving cover tackles, whilst he was a stronger player than looks would suggest. The 1960s were a golden era for wingers in the British league, and debate continues to this day over who can lay claim to be the premier winger of the generation. Commentators are split over whether Van Vollenhoven's searing speed, or the sheer power of
Billy Boston marked them as the finest winger of their era. Tom van Vollenhoven's final St. Helens match was against
Hull Kingston Rovers in April 1968 and his final game of rugby league was guesting for Great Britain in a trial match for the
1968 World Cup, at
Thrum Hall,
Halifax. Many former players would testify that rugby league was a brutal and vicious game in the 1950s and 1960s. The game was not as sanitised as it is in the
Super League era and matches could be attritional affairs. Inevitably, injury took its toll by the mid-1960s. With Van Vollenhoven etching out a reputation as a prolific scorer, opponents would employ unscrupulous tactics to counter his threat, such as the vicious stiff-arm unleashed by
Huddersfield's
Peter Ramsden, at Knowsley Road in 1963, which saw Van Vollenhoven lying prostrate on the turf, unable to continue. In his final season in 1967–68, Van Vollenhoven was a shadow of himself although he was regarded as a good player and underlined this by tallying three tries in his last appearance against Wigan at Knowsley Road. ==Death==