Gareth Thomas
Born on 25th of July 1974
British hero of the week December 23rd 2009
Welsh rugby legend Gareth Thomas, born in 1974 near Bridgend, sums up in one man so much about the modern game, little wonder given that he has been at the heart of it since the mid-1990s.
In an earlier age Thomas would probably have played at flanker such is his height and physique: standing 6’ 3”, and with a fighting weight approaching 16 stone (that’s 1.91m and 100kg for those of a younger persuasion) he epitomises the move towards power in the backs, with pace to be reckoned with as well as the Aussies will recall thanks to his interception try against them in 1996: they had 90m to catch him; nobody did. Thomas’s adaptability, able to play at full-back, centre and wing, is another modern trait. His career reflects the changes of the professional era too, with spells at Cardiff , with the short-lived Celtic Warriors, and at Toulouse as well as several with Bridgend, his home-town club.
But he will be remembered most for his record with Wales: the first player to win 100 caps; scoring 40 tries over that time; national captain as he also was three times for the British Lions. Thomas’s courage has often been seen on the field, playing through bruising and sometimes bloody battles; and in December 2009 it was demonstrated off the field as he came out as gay. Some were surprised by this, given he had previously been married, but to its credit rugby’s family closed about him rather than as might have happened in past times shying away. His move to rugby league in 2010 – if anything an even more macho world than union – shows a continued and laudable need for challenge.
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