The forgotten man of Welsh rugby

Thursday 23 June 2011

Every time a national squad is announced it sparks debate. There always seems to be someone who doesn't deserve their place in the eyes of fans and journalists, whilst on the flip side there's always a glaring omission. Someone who is in the middle of a run of form, who never fails to perform, yet is constantly overlooked by his national set up. Nowhere is this truer than in the case of Iestyn Thomas “ the forgotten man of Welsh rugby.

The Scarlet's loosehead began his career in his hometown of Pontypool before moving to Welsh Premiership side Ebbw Vale. Here he was made captain and shone as he lead his side domestically and in European competition. It was during his time at Vale that Thomas won the first of 33 Welsh caps against Samoa. Following a move to Llanelli in 2002, he became a permanent fixture in the Welsh front row during the 2002-2003 season before making 3 appearances in the 2003 World Cup. Unfortunately a series of injuries limited further chances at international level.

Following an impressive domestic season, Thomas' final appearances for Wales came against Australia in the build up to the 2007 World Cup. Unfortunately, he could not recreate his domestic form on the international scene during this brief period and failed to make the final World Cup squad. This is cited as a possible reason why Thomas has found himself in international wilderness since this point. He had his chance but didn't take it. However, like any good prop Iestyn Thomas has improved with age and his game has moved on leaps and bounds since 2007.

Throughout his career Thomas has been predominantly known as a scrummager and this is where his strength lies. Despite finding himself often on the back foot in a lightweight Scarlets pack, it is very rarely you see a tight head get the better of Iestyn. Not only does he have the strength and ability to scrummage well, but also the knowhow often frustrating opposition or forcing penalties at set pieces. Yet over recent years there has been a notable shift in Thomas' all around ability. No longer is he just a scrummager, he has transformed his game to be more prominent in the loose. Scarlets' supporters will testify to this with Iestyn unafraid to make the hard yards with ball in hand, hit rucks and pop up in open play to demonstrate fine handling skills (or the odd side step on occasion).

Thomas' form this season has been nothing short of sensational for the Scarlets. There hasn't been a game in which he has not stood out for one reason or another. His efforts earned him applaud from fans and journalists alike, even being named in the Magners League team of the season. Despite this and a multitude of front row injuries, Warren Gatland has not selected the loose head to be involved with the national side.

"At 34 Iestyn is not too old to prove he still has what it takes to play at international level and we will be keeping a close eye on him," were the words of Warren Gatland in the build up to the recent Wales Vs Barbarians match, in which Thomas started as the Barbarian loose head. It seemed that there was a glimmer of hope that Thomas could sneak into the Welsh training squad prior to the World Cup if he performed well for the Barbarians “ and that's exactly what he did.

As he has done throughout the season, Thomas gave his all during the game, playing a vital role in a Barbarians scrum which dominated the Welsh pack. He was the Barbarians top tackler, hit practically every ruck throughout the afternoon and popped up in the loose to make a try scoring pass in after 72 minutes. The post-match stats showed that he had outperformed Wales' loose head for the game Ryan Bevington in all areas of the game. Yet when the Welsh training squad was announced shortly after the game there was no mention of Thomas.

The non-selection has baffled Graham Price, one of the greatest front row forwards to have pulled on the Welsh jersey, and does raise the question as to what exactly Thomas must do to impress Gatland?