Gareth Thomas (rugby player)
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| Player information | ||
|---|---|---|
| Full name | Gareth Thomas | |
| birthday | July 25, 1974 | |
| place of birth | Sarn , Bridgend , Wales | |
| Nickname | Alfie | |
| society | ||
| society | resigned | |
| position |
Goalkeeper , outside three quarters , inside three quarters |
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| Clubs as active | ||
| Years | society | Games (points) |
| ? -1997 | Bridgend RFC | |
| 1997-2001 | Cardiff RFC | |
| 2001-2003 | Bridgend RFC | |
| 2003-2004 | Celtic Warriors | |
| 2004-2007 | Stade Toulousain | 60 (100) |
| 2007-2010 | Cardiff Blues | 60 (60) |
| 2010-2011 | Crusaders | 31 (28) |
| National team | ||
| Years | National team | Games (points) |
| 1995-2007 | Wales | 100 (200) |
| 2005 | British and Irish Lions | 3 (5) |
| 2010 | Wales (Rugby League) | 4 (12) |
|
Status: November 14, 2011 |
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Gareth Thomas (born July 25, 1974 in Sarn , Bridgend ) is a former Welsh rugby union and rugby league player. He played in the positions of goalkeeper , outside three quarters or inside three quarters . With exactly 100 appearances for the Welsh national team , he was the record national player in his country from 2007 to 2011.
Career
Thomas began his career with Bridgend RFC before moving to Cardiff in 1997 and returning in 2001. With Bridgend he won the 2003 Welsh Premier Division title . The team remained unbeaten at home this season and only suffered two away defeats. Following his time at Bridgend, he joined the Celtic Warriors , but they were disbanded after just one season, as the Welsh Federation wanted to use region-based teams in the future. Thomas had already signed a contract with the French club Stade Toulousain in advance . He was part of the team that won the Heineken Cup in 2005 . For the 2007/08 season he returned to Wales and signed a contract with the Cardiff Blues. The club's management in Toulouse criticized this step, as Thomas had assured them that he would stay in France for another year.
Thomas made his national team debut on May 27, 1995 against Japan . In 1999 he made four attempts against Italy , which had previously only been achieved by six other Welsh players. He held the record for most attempts until the Six Nations 2008 when Shane Williams overtook him. He held the record for most international appearances for Wales for a long time and was only replaced by Stephen Jones in 2011. In 2004 he overtook Ieuan Evans in this category. In 2005 he was invited to New Zealand to tour the British and Irish Lions . After Brian O'Driscoll's injury , he was named captain. He played his 100th and last international match with Wales against Fiji in the preliminary round of the 2007 World Cup .
From 2007 to 2010 Thomas played for the Cardiff Blues and won the EDF Energy Cup with them in 2009 . In March 2010 he switched to the sport of rugby league and played for the Crusaders in the Super League . With the Welsh rugby league team , he came to four appearances in international matches. In July 2011, he broke his left arm and missed the rest of the season. Finally, on October 25, 2011, he announced his resignation.
Thomas' nickname "Alfie" refers to the television series " ALF ". He married in 2002, but divorced again in 2006. In December 2009 he made international headlines when he became the first prominent rugby player to stop hiding his homosexuality in public.
In early 2013 he took part in the eighth season of the figure skating show Dancing on Ice .
On September 15, 2019, he publicly stated that he was infected with HIV . With his public statement, he wanted to break the stigma surrounding HIV and make it clear that HIV-infected people are by no means always “terminally ill people walking on a stick”. He received numerous positive comments on social media for his statement.
See also
- List of rugby union players with the most international matches
- List of rugby union players with the most international attempts
Individual evidence
- ^ Wales international Gareth Thomas retires from all forms of rugby. The Guardian, October 25, 2011, accessed November 14, 2011 .
- ^ Ex-Lion Gareth Thomas reveals he is gay. BBC, December 19, 2009, accessed December 19, 2009 .
- ↑ Yes, a footballer can come out
- ↑ Pamela Anderson, Samia Ghadie and Shayne Ward get their skates on as Dancing On Ice 2013 line-up is announced , December 19, 2012, Daily Mail
- ^ Daniel Davies: Gareth Thomas: Ex-Wales rugby captain has HIV. BBC News, September 15, 2019, accessed September 15, 2019 .
Web links
- Profile with the Cardiff Blues
- Profile at the WRU
- Profile with the Lions
- Peter-Philipp Schmitt: "Einsame Spitze" In: FAZ from January 7, 2010
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Thomas, Gareth |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Alfie (nickname) |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | welsh rugby player |
| DATE OF BIRTH | July 25, 1974 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Sarn , Wales |