BLOGS & LIES

BLOGS & LIES.

“******** opened my eyes as a player and a person. I returned to **** 10 times better for the experience. I admit that when I went there I was not life-savvy: I was a wild child who lived life instinctively. I would walk past a building and not even notice it.

In ******** you immersed yourself in the culture place. The rugby team is a massive part of the city and generates a real passion but there is also far more to ********. I learned not only to respect the history of the club but also the area and I soon came to appreciate buildings and structures. It freed up my mind completely and my time there was a life changing experience, making me realise how fortunate I was.”

I love these stories of redemption and salvation from bad boy to good gringo. This individual left the mother country, found the blinkers removed by being transplanted to another culture, his eyes opened to wider bigger and more significant world. From being a professional rugby player and self acknowledged ‘wild child’, he metamorphosed into a culture loving connoisseur of architectural haute couture.

On the face of it, this is a story straight out of Hans Christian Anderson. Face being a resonating word here because the redemption song concerns one Gareth Thomas and Toulouse. I had intended to begin this blog with the trivial but found myself considering the twin pillars of mind and reality when I read the article in the Guardian Sport ahead of Saturday Heineken Cup quarter finals. There are a few of us who still retain memories of sitting in the Stade Ernst Wallon just over two years ago and being confronted by this redeemed connoisseur of culture in an aggressive mode that was plain frightening and intimidating.

Many folk of rugby background will read this article and conclude that here was a small town Welsh boy with limited focus and intellect who made the leap from windswept Wales to cultured France and had a life changing experience. All well and good except that this article microcosms the very aspect of Thomas that I find so alarming. At the time Trevor Brennan entered the spectator enclosure in Ernst Wallon and tried to punch an Ulster supporter senseless, Gareth Thomas had already absorbed the Toulouse experience over the previous two years and was immersed in ‘the culture of the place’ as he called it. He had invested in a pub, along with Brennan, perhaps as a sign of his awakening to the presence of buildings.

When Brennan returned to the dugout drenched in beer by Ulster and some Toulouse supporters during the Heineken group game, Thomas apparently was told by Brennan that Ulster supporters had thrown beer at him whilst he warmed up near where they were sat. Brennan it appeared conveniently forgot to mention he had come perilously close to causing grievous bodily harm to a spectator. In support of his ‘mate’ Brennan, Thomas left the dugout and walked to a position on the touchline approximately at the 22 and as he later put it, enquired of the nearby supporters what was going on.

I was sat 8 rows back almost directly above where Thomas was asking what had happened and initially he appeared calm and collected whilst this area of the stadium was still reeling from the spectacle of seeing a spectator almost punched senseless by a fired up Toulouse second row. The area where Thomas was standing in front of a concrete wall contained a mixture of Ulster and Toulouse supporters some of whom had seen what happened about 25 metres away and others like myself knew a serious incident had occurred. Not getting an appropriate response to his questions and being challenged by an Ulster supporter armed with a crutch and gross indignation, transformed Thomas into an eye bulging, vein popping red faced animal who attempted, despite the physical restraint of Toulouse officials and substitutes, to enter the spectator enclosure with clear intent to engage in a physical confrontation with spectators.

Had he not been restrained and dragged away there would have been in my opinion, an even more serious physical encounter than the one Brennan precipitated as many spectators were aware of Brennan’s incident and clearly would not countenance being physically assaulted without defending themselves a second time round.

This then is part of the other side of Gareth Thomas, an impulsive and uncontrolled anger streak that is alarming. I say part, because when called to account before a tribunal Thomas resorted to weeping uncontrollably, claiming he had not known what had previously occurred when he confronted spectators. You have to wonder about this, as Thomas clearly hadn’t thought to ask Brennan why he was drenched in beer by Ulster supporters. He was handed a ban of 6 weeks for which he received much sympathy particularly from Welsh supporters who deemed, without prior knowledge, that Gareth Thomas was the victim provocation by Ulster supporters. I recall going on a Welsh forum to correct some of the untruths being spelled out about Ulster supporters and Gareth Thomas’ behaviour.

I was banned because there were Welsh fans who could not countenance the eye popping, bulging vein in forehead rage that I witnessed in front of me at the Stade Ernst Wallon. This had followed a previous and equally aggressive but verbal performance on Scrum V from Thomas when questioned by Eddie Butler and Johnathon Davies over his role in the dismissal of Mike Ruddock. Thomas later collapsed at home after the TV appearance and spent weeks recuperating.

Along with Brennan, Thomas was every bit as culpable in the Toulouse incident. The only difference being Thomas was restrained forcibly from being physically aggressive and causing a potentially serious incident in a spectator enclosure at a major sporting event. At his hearing he basically claimed the insanity clause and got away with a light ban which in reality should have been the same as Brennan’s a lifetime ban later reduced to 5 years from involvement in the game. In a national newspaper Thomas later claimed various unfavourable comments against Ulster supporters which went unchallenged and again showed his two faced nature.

As the article in the Guardian demonstrates there are two sides to Gareth Thomas which demonstrate an unwelcome element in his physical and mental make-up. He is two faced. Suffice to say, for legal reasons I cannot use another word that illustrates his nature perfectly. Redemption is all well and good but blotting out the other side, as if it is another unrelated person is perhaps indicative of someone who still hasn’t confronted his demons. I cannot look at Gareth Thomas with anything approaching respect following his behaviour at Toulouse and I certainly read the Guardian article with something approaching complete cynicism. Following his 6 week ban as I recall, Gareth Thomas left Toulouse early and signed for Cardiff where he now plays. The Guardian article represents some kind of rose tinted review of his time at Toulouse and entirely in keeping with the twin vista approach his character adopts.