.jpg) Thomas in 2011 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | (1974-07-25)25 July 1974 (age 51) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Height | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 16 st 3 lb (227 lb; 103 kg) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rugby union career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Rugby league career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Playing information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Position | Wing, Centre, Second-row | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Gareth ThomasCBE (born 25 July 1974)[1] is a Welsh former professionalrugby union andrugby league player, who represented Wales in both codes. Nicknamed "Alfie", he was the first Wales rugby union player to play in 100 test matches, and is currently the sixth-most capped Wales player. He is 15th amonginternational try scorers, and is the third-highest Wales try scorer. He also won four rugby league caps forWales, scoring three tries.
He played rugby union as a fullback,wing orcentre forBridgend,Cardiff, theCeltic Warriors,Toulouse,Cardiff Blues, andWales. In 2010 he changed codes to rugby league when he transferred from Cardiff Blues to theCrusaders inSuper League, and later played for Wales. He retired from rugby in October 2011.[2]
Thomascame out asgay in December 2009.[3][4] The following year he was voted the most influential gay person in the UK inThe Independent on SundayPink List[5] and receivedStonewall's Hero of the Year award.[6]
Thomas started his career atPencoed RFC at youth level before starting his first class career atBridgend. He then transferred toPontypridd, but never actually played a game for them before re-signing for Bridgend. He then spent a spell atCardiff starting in 1997 before rejoining hometown club Bridgend again in 2001 and captaining them to aWelsh Premier Division title in 2003, in a campaign where they were unbeaten at home and only lost to runners-upNeath andCardiff away.[7] He then joined theCeltic Warriors once theWelsh Rugby Union implemented its regional rugby plans for the 2003–04 season. After one season as captain of the Warriors, the region was disbanded by the then-WRU chiefDavid Moffett, and owner Leighton Samuel, although Thomas had already agreed a deal to join French clubToulouse where he was seen as the ideal replacement for soon-to-retire captainÉmile Ntamack. He helped the club to aHeineken Cup victory in 2005 after a victory overStade Français atMurrayfield. On 20 January 2007,Cardiff Blues completed a deal to bring Thomas back to Wales for the 2007–08 season.[8]
Gareth Thomas made his début for Wales on 27 May 1995 againstJapan.[9] He scored a Welsh record-equalling four tries in the match againstItaly inTreviso in 1999; one of only seven players to achieve that feat for Wales. He held the Wales record for the most international tries with 40 untilShane Williams surpassed that total in the2008 Six Nations Championship He surpassed the try record previously held byIeuan Evans in 2004 against Italy. He also got ahat-trick of tries in the Second Test againstJapan in 2001; 51 appearances after announcing his arrival on the international scene with a hat-trick in the1995 World Cup game against the same opposition. Equally at home at centre, it was from that position he scored the longest interception try ever seen at theArms Park, a 90-metre dash againstAustralia in 1996.
Thomas was selected for the2005 British & Irish Lions tour to New Zealand.[10] Following injury toBrian O'Driscoll in the opening minutes of the first test againstNew Zealand, he was made captain for the second and third tests of the series, becoming the ninth Welshcaptain in Lions' history.
In 2005 Thomas was found guilty of assault while playing rugby in France[11] and in 2007 was banned for four weeks for misconduct charges.[12]
Thomas was named as captain for Wales' final match in the2007 Six Nations against England after current captainStephen Jones was ruled out with a broken wrist. When Thomas took the field, he equalledGareth Llewellyn's Wales record of 92 caps.[13] He broke Llewellyn's record when he led Wales out against Australia atTelstra Stadium in Sydney on 26 May 2007, a match that Wales lost 29–23 on a Wallabies try after the siren.[14]
His 100th and last test match was in his team's defeat by Fiji in the2007 World Cup.[15]
Thomas joinedCrusaders in March 2010 on an 18-month deal.[6] He made his Crusaders' (and rugby league) début against French sideCatalans Dragons on 19 March 2010. Thomas was concussed seconds into his rugby league début after a heavy challenge from Catalans playerDavid Ferriol, and as a result had to leave the field after thirty minutes. Crusaders went on to win the game 14–6. Thomas went on to score his first try for the Crusaders againstWakefield Trinity in a 20–10 away victory on 11 April.[16] A groin injury prematurely ended Thomas' first season in rugby league, but his recovery was hoped to be complete in time for the2010 European Cup, for which Thomas was selected in theWelsh preliminary squad.[17]
In a warm-up test before the European Cup, he made a try-scoring international rugby league début inWales 13–6 defeat byItaly in October 2010.[18] He scored again in his next international vs Scotland.[19] In the final game of the tournament, Thomas was appointed captain, filling in for the injuredLee Briers. He scored a try in that game, helping Wales to a one-point win for both the European Cup Trophy and a spot in the2011 Rugby League Four Nations.[19]
On 9 July 2011, Thomas confirmed on Twitter that he had broken his left arm during the 38–10 defeat byHull Kingston Rovers, and expected to be sidelined for two months.[20] After missing the rest of the season and failing to reach 100% fitness before the2011 Rugby League Four Nations tournament, on 25 October 2011 Thomas announced his immediate retirement.[21]
Thomas was born inSarn nearBridgend in July 1974. He married Jemma Thomas, whom he met when both were teenagers, in 2001.[22] The couple married inSt Brides Major, near Bridgend, and filed for divorce in 2007; it was finalised in 2009.[22] During the marriage, Jemma suffered threemiscarriages.[23]
In December 2009 Thomas announced publicly that he isgay.[24][25][4] He told theDaily Mail, "I don't want to be known as a gay rugby player. I am a rugby player, first and foremost. I am a man".[24] Thomas's public confirmation of his sexuality made him the first openly gay professional rugby union player.[26][27][28] In an interview with the BBC, Thomas talked about how he hoped that his coming out would mean that in the future, a young gay rugby player would be able to come out and be accepted as a "talented gay rugby player".[29] Thomas also said, "What I choose to do when I close the door at home has nothing to do with what I have achieved in rugby".[30] Since coming out, Thomas has become a vocal supporter of theNSPCC andChildLine, a telephone counselling service operated by the NSPCC for children and young people.[30][31][32][33] In an interview, Thomas commented, "I don't know if my life is going to be easier because I'm out, but if it helps someone else, if it makes one young lad pick up the phone to ChildLine, then it will have been worth it".[30]
He had a major health scare in February 2006. He had received a blow to his neck during a match; then later on while watching a televised recording of an interview he had given regarding his part in the resignation of Welsh coachMike Ruddock, he fell ill and was rushed to hospital with a suspectedstroke, which was brought on by a ruptured artery in his neck.[34] It was feared that this could lead to his retirement,[35] but he resumed playing at the start of the 2006–07 French rugby season.[36]
His way of celebrating tries by slapping his head comes from a popular celebration amongCardiff City supporters known as "the Ayatollah".[37]
His autobiographyProud, co-written with Michael Calvin, wonSports Book of the Year in 2015.[38][39]
On 17 November 2018, Thomas was assaulted in Cardiffbecause of his sexuality. He requested thatSouth Wales Police deal with the 16-year-old assailant by way ofrestorative justice.[40]
On 14 September 2019, Thomas announced that he isHIV positive,[41][42][43] withundetectable status,[44] meaning that he is not infectious.[45] On the following day he competed in theIronman Wales event inTenby, finishing 413th out of 2,039, having vowed to "break the stigma" around the illness.[46] After feeling media pressure to do so[27] and forNational HIV Testing Week,[45] Thomas also filmed a documentary withPrince Harry, Duke of Sussex and theTerrence Higgins Trust,[45] which aired a few days later on 18 September.[27] Publicising the documentary that morning, he told an interviewer forBBC Radio 5 Live that a journalist had revealed his HIV status to his parents before he had had the opportunity to do so himself.[27] While Thomas declined to name the journalist or the paper they write for, he did say "everybody will know, especially of late",[27] leading thePress Gazette to suggest it could beThe Sun,[27] given they had been criticised the previous day for reporting about the family of England cricketerBen Stokes.[27] A BBC documentary,Gareth Thomas: HIV and Me, aired in September 2019.[47][48]
Thomas was appointed Commander of theOrder of the British Empire (CBE) in the2020 Birthday Honours for services to sport and health.[49]
In 2022, Thomas was accused of "deceptively" transmitting HIV to a previous partner.[50] Thomas settled the case for £75,000 plus costs "without admitting liability or guilt".[51]
In November 2011, actorMickey Rourke said that he was planning to portray Thomas in a movie of his life; the film was due to start filming in February 2013.[52] Thomas was later reported to be working with a writer on the script of the biopic.[53] In March 2012, on theRTÉ programmeCraig Doyle Live, Thomas announced thatTom Hardy was in talks to play him in the film. Rourke announced that he had given back the part to the producers. The film project later fell through, but Thomas said in 2015 that he was working on a new film with a different writer.[54]
Thomas was an analyst forITV Sport's coverage of theRugby World Cup tournaments in2011,2015 and2019.
In January 2012, Thomas was a housemate in theninth series ofCelebrity Big Brother, and finished third overall on the final night.[55] The same year, Thomas made acameo appearance as himself in an episode of theSky 1 comedy dramaStella. Thomas is also one of 8 celebrities chosen to participate in an intense week learning Welsh in an eco-friendly chic campsite in Pembrokeshire in the seriescariad@iaith:love4language shown onS4C in May 2012.
In November 2012, he hinted to an audience of 300 people that he may be appearing in an ice dancing show[56] and in December 2012, he was formally announced as one of the contestants, due to take part in theeighth series of ITV'sDancing on Ice in January 2013. His partner was Robin Johnstone. He was at or near the top of the leader board every week. In week 9, he suffered nausea and motion sickness whilst practising his "flying" routine, and was advised not to perform it and afterwards was advised to drop out of the series because of this.[citation needed]
On 18 January 2015, Thomas took part in celebrity talent showGet Your Act Together.[57] He features in the Pinc List of leading Welsh LGBT figures.[58]
In 2017, Thomas participated inthe fourth series ofThe Jump. He withdrew on 7 March 2017, andLydia Bright replaced him for the final.
In 2023, Thomas participated in the fifth celebrity series ofSAS: Who Dares Wins.
| Sporting positions | ||
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| Preceded by | British & Irish Lions captain O'Driscoll Remained tour captain July 2005 as active captain | Succeeded by |
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| Other | |
