Henry Thomas celebrates Wales' victory over England in the World Cup warm-up match in Cardiff last month. Photo: PA/Simon Galloway
It wasn't until the fight against Mickey began that Henry Thomas really relented in his bid for a World Cup spot with Wales.
It's not that this dumbass props collided with a frosty atmosphere until those first matches. jokes; vice versa. Ten years after his England debut, which came off the bench in Salta, as Argentina lost 32-3, Thomas entered the receiving camp. Perhaps too hospitable.
“When I first came here, it was almost strange how well everyone treated me,” he says. “I didn't feel accepted until I got some banter from the boys. Once that happened, I relaxed a little. It's more what you're used to and what the environment is like. Everything was pretty nice at first.”
Thomas names the main icebreakers. «I'm pretty sure it would have been either Corey Domachowski or Dan Biggar,» he adds, pointing a finger at his fellow rower and seasoned linebacker. “And Dan Biggar wasn't even there the first few weeks I was there, so it didn't take long for him! But in the end we achieved it.”
Among the 20 teams competing in France, there are players who have made an extraordinary journey to the World Cup starting line. Thomas is one of those stories. Not only is the 31-year-old one of the first to switch sides under the new World Rugby selection rules, which were approved in 2021 and allow a player to represent another country by birthright after a three-year waiting period. He also stubbornly overcame career-threatening injuries. A bold move from Bath to Montpellier was the catalyst for an impressive renaissance.
“After a really good season with Bath, I tore my hamstring,” says Thomas. “I rehabilitated for six months and then in my first game I injured my cruciate ligament, which was my second cruciate ligament injury. This applies to Covid as well, and like most people, there have been various downturns during Covid.
“But it gave me a lot of time to work, rehab, clean up, and also think. One thing I regretted was not being able to play test rugby anymore. However, I did not have much hope of doing it again, especially when a year later I decided to move to France. Obviously, given the rules [of playing for England], moving to France was an admission that I would have to pursue other goals for the rest of my career.”
The inevitable attention to the top 14 helped shape Thomas, who won the title with Montpellier in 2022. A year later, he had a chance to add to the seven caps he had earned for England. His father, Nigel, whose family hails from Swansea, pushed his son towards the opportunity to represent Wales under the eligibility amendment. Thomas did not allow himself to be carried away, mainly because he concentrated his forces on Montpellier. Ironically, the exemplary phone call came from a former England striker coach.
Thomas (centre) in England colors enjoying winning lap with teammates after beating Ireland in the Six Nations match at Twickenham in 2014. Photo: Getty Images/David Rogers
“It came as a surprise to me, but Richard Cockerill, who was moving to Montpellier, called me to catch up,” explains Thomas. “He said that [Wales manager] Jonathan Humphreys asked for my number. A few days later, Humphs spoke to me and said that they were looking forward to competing in this difficult place. They had a selection meeting the following Monday and he couldn't tell me if I would participate but asked if I was interested. It was an obvious yes on my part.
With Montpellier had to face problems. Thomas admits that «it was difficult for a while» and was initially faced with a choice between his club and a chance at the World Cup. And yet, even with no guarantees other than a place in the first training camp, he firmly held on to Wales. Since then, conversations with senior Montpellier officials have smoothed things over, and it has become clear that Thomas will remain in his place next season. However, before he returns, Nigel will have to run a Warren Gatland-led campaign that he enjoys.
“My father is an avid Welshman and has always tried to guide me down this path as he has been the biggest sporting influence in my life and a great role model,” says Thomas. “He once took me to Wembley for Wales against France in 1998. He bought me a flag…but unfortunately I didn't manage to wave it often because we lost 51-0.
“Probably it didn’t help the case at the time. I trained at the Welsh Exiles camp in London, I went to trials at the Newport Gwent Dragons academy. He really tried to push me down that path, but I ended up in a boarding school and got into the English system.”
Fate has a wicked sense of humour, and it was bittersweet that Thomas' second Test debut would come against England. Watching his son play in a white shirt against Wales at Twickenham back in 2014, Nigel watched Henry being introduced from the Gatland bench for the last half hour of the warm-up on 5 August. the hosts won 20-9. A place on the 33-man Wales team was a reward for Thomas' impact, both in this game and on the foothold chart.
As someone who knows a thing or two about resilience, Thomas predicts that Wales would be «unbeatable» in an exciting pool with Australia, Fiji, Georgia and Portugal. Last fall, Georgia crushed Cardiff, and the denouement was marked by dominance in the fight. Thomas, who is «incredibly proud» of himself for making it this far, knows there's even more hard work ahead.
«You have to do your job first, and that's a hustle for me,» he says . . “I feel like I can lead this area and I've made it clear to Gats and Humph that I enjoy doing it. In all these group games, the fight will be very important. In the past, Georgia has not done well in this area, and they are tough opponents.
“Over the summer, we have done a lot of work in this direction. We want to not just compete, but to convey it to the teams.”
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