What the Ruck - Volume VII

By DC

I started this weekly article to rant and moan, to exorcise the demons of my soul, however this week I would like to change track and tip my cap to a hero, a legend, a true warrior amongst men, an inspiration, a great – Ladies and Gentlemen I give you Gareth Thomas.

Miles and miles of column inches have been dedicated to Thomas as of late and I am not heading down the “coming out” award route. However I will just say this; the sports world is a world of men, masculine men, rough tough hard hitting macho men, rugby is no different, but does that mean that all gay men must be as camp as Christmas – Hell no. It might have been the worst kept secret in world rugby however coming out was a massive thing for Alfie – a mark of a true icon, he does not care what the world thinks of him he is who he is and I for one respect him more for it. It must have been the hardest decision in his career but if it opens the door for openness and no secrets then so be it. Well done Gareth, a brave move and I would not expect anything less from a man who has always shown his pride and emotion up front for all to see.

Thomas will be remembered not just for his coming out but the media suicide committed on national television – the Scrum V outburst rapidly became one of those moments of broadcasting horror that people watch with a mixture of embarrassment and  pity. People watched from behind clenched fingers or the sofa – a strange mix of the rubbernecking motorway effect and the Dr Who teenage scares – unable to look away whilst fearing seeing too much.

 Thomas was the biggest fall guy during the Ruddockgate affair – he became the ring leader in the down fall of the man who had delivered the first Grandslam in 3 generations, the media whipped up the crowds and directed them towards Thomas, like a lynch mob. It was clear to see that the outburst was born of frustration, but the media managed to spin the frustration into guilt – the Welsh media had Thomas pinged for every crime known to man – from the assassination of JFK, to the real reason Take That split up. The whole Ruddockgate was shrouded in secrecy, very few will know the real reason for the quick departure of the saviour of Welsh rugby, and there has been lots of speculation from player power to sordid backroom affairs involving squad players’ wives. The one thing that will always remain is the fact that the media need to sell papers and following Thomas’s outburst labelling him public enemy number one was

The Scrum V outburst rapidly became one of those moments of broadcasting horror Gareth Thomas

the easiest choice. Thomas took the lot on the chin and kept coming like he always did – he knew the real reason and was more than willing to take the blame if it meant that Welsh rugby survived. Thomas threw himself on the media hand grenade and let the thing blow up without a real care for himself or his career – Thomas has always put Wales first – the mark of a national hero.

So by now we know the two things that have grabbed the headlines for Gareth over the last few years – but there is far more to the living legend that is Alfie. The first Welshman to gain 100 caps, a Lions captain, a Grandslam winner and a Heineken cup winner – his list of achievements reads like the stuff of legend and myth. Until recently Thomas was his nation’s top try scorer, a record only recently passed by another living legend Shane Williams – I for one believe that Shane will be the only one to pass that benchmark. Very few players play at the highest level for as long as Thomas, very few are as dangerous and consistent as Alfie – a dangerous player with ball in hand, he never needed more than a glimmer of hope to touch the ball down over the white wash. A player that scores with such deadly regularity is indeed a rare breed; very few players have managed to pose a threat at such a consistent level over such a span of years.

Welsh rugby players tend not to travel and retain their national jersey, even fewer manage the Welsh rugby black hole that is France – few have travelled to the nirvana of the Top 14 even less have managed to succeed out there. Stephen Jones played a stint for the Yellow Machine in Clermont and came back a better player, but he was an exception to the rule – the norm is for a Welsh player to venture over the channel never to be seen of or hear of again. Thomas did not just go to Toulouse to make up the numbers; he did not spend three years there on a fine wine and smelly cheese appreciation course. Thomas was an active member of the Toulouse side that dominated Europe, they won the Heineken Cup and put countless teams to the sword, he was a fans favourite – he achieved what every Gladiator knows is the most important of jobs – win the crowd, win the game. The Heineken Cup medal adds to the legend that is Thomas – after all how many other Welshmen can boast the rarity of a Heineken Cup winner’s medal in his trophy cabinet - barely a handful.

Thomas is not just a well travelled try scorer, he is a genuine utility back – a phrase often used but seldom really understood. Thomas slotted into any position required from 12 to 15, he had the pass, pace and cunning to be a threat in any slot – he did more than just fill roles he was dangerous – a serious asset to any team. In the modern game, when players wander around the back line like nomads trying to find their homes, Thomas was that rarest of players a player that can move effortlessly from position to position without weakening a team. A player with this kind of talent is like having 3 more players on the bench – what coach would not want a player in his side that is versatile enough to slot into

Thomas was the Captain that every team wanted

different roles should the team and the game require it. So many players aspire and claim to be utility backs – very few truly are.

Gareth Thomas also had that most important of gifts – the ability to lead and inspire those around him – his display in the second half against Fiji in the 2007 World Cup defied critics and pundits alike. He scored one try and put in a memorable tackle to prevent another. Thomas was the Captain that every team wanted – a leader of men that drew the best out of them, his defiant press conference at the end of Wales’ failed 2007 World Cup campaign – was up there with Delia Smith’s “let’s be havin’ you” moment. As his team crashed out of the World Cup, Thomas moved the focal point of the attention to his ranting; once again making sure that he took the flak so that his pride and joy, the Welsh team saved at least some face.

Icons change the face of their chosen game, they create ripples with every movement – ripples that become waves and change the sport for ever – Thomas’ last act in Rugby Union was exactly that. I grew up in a time when Rugby League scouts were the bogie men – they hung around the shadows stealing away talent like the child catcher from Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. Parents would warn their children “tidy your room, behave or the Hull Kingston Rovers scouts will come for you”. Back then Rugby League was the professional game; it drew players away from the Welsh valleys with the promise of pay packets. Many a player did go, they succumbed to the draw of the dark side – and when Rugby Union joined the professional world back those players came – bigger, stronger, better. Times have changed Union can now draw the big pay packets, it draws the big names and League has become the younger weaker sister of the mighty Union. However Thomas has seen the possibility of a last hurrah, a chance for once last shot at the big time – he has signed for the Rugby League outfit newly settled in North Wales. Not such a massive and influential move I hear you all say – but wait one second, Thomas has seen something here, if the Crusaders are going to survive then they need to attract talent. There are two ways of doing this the Manchester City method spend, spend buy buy or the more cunning way – create a team of aged, mature experience, a team that can start winning and attract the bigger names. After all no matter how much money you have the real greats go to winning teams, teams with a plan and an ethos not just a massive chequebook – a team that wants to win needs winners and leaders in the side. Thomas is the perfect fit, a role model for the youth and a proven ability for the more experienced players. I personally think that Thomas could be the first of a few more players to join the retro exit – could we see players like Sonny Parker, Michael Owen and Tom Shanklin heading north – big strong runners that have played with Thomas, they have been led by Thomas they understand and respect Thomas?

As Gareth heads north looking for another new beginning, he leaves behind him a history and bench mark – he leaves behind the kind of legacy that inspires and in days of old bards would have written odes about him. For me a hero is a player that creates a following – a hero is the kind of player that inspires people; that creates such an impact leading to young players pulling on the shirt for the first time and looking to also set their names down in the corridors of history. Gareth you may have left us but you will never be forgotten – a true hero a player who would bleed for the shirt to keep it red – the kind of player that in the selfish world of sport put the team and the country ahead of himself. Gareth as you leave I for one will salute you – well I will do “the Ayatollah” as you leave in honour of all the memories, all those damn good memories – good luck and thank you.  

DC