Wales call up Henry Thomas for Rugby World Cup training squad despite seven England caps
Henry Thomas #HenryThomas
Henry Thomas, the former Bath and Sale prop, is a surprise inclusion in Wales’ 54-player training squad for this year’s World Cup, having already won seven caps for England at tighthead.
Thomas, who left England to join Montpellier in 2021, has not appeared for the country of his birth since 2014 and, after World Rugby’s regulation tweak, the prop is available for Wales through his father.
Since January 2022, players have been able to switch to play for a new union providing they have a birth right or relative born in that country, and also stand down from Test rugby for a period of 36 months. Thomas ticks both of those boxes but, should he be capped by Wales head coach Warren Gatland, he would not be able to switch back to England.
Thomas is not the first England player to look to change nationality under World Rugby’s eligibility adjustment. During the 2023 Six Nations, wing Ruaridh McConnochie – a former team-mate of Thomas at Bath – was named in the Scotland squad despite having represented England at the 2019 World Cup.
When asked to clarify Thomas’s eligibility for Wales, Gatland said: “Through his father. Jonathan Humphreys reached out and checked if he was available. We realised he was available and he’ll give us competition. When he’s actually available for us, in terms of finishing with Montpellier, we’ll see.
“We spoke to him years ago. He probably brings something different. The big focus for us is on the tight-five. We need that athleticism and mobility that we need to improve.”
While Thomas is the high-profile inclusion in Gatland’s squad – alongside lock Cory Hill, whose last cap came in 2021 – Joe Hawkins is the glaring omission.
The centre was a regular in Gatland’s matchday squad throughout the 2023 Six Nations but his impending move to Exeter Chiefs rules him out of Wales selection since he does not have the requisite 25 caps at the start of his contract to be eligible for Wales selection.
“We’ve been told by the PRB [Professional Game Board] that Joe isn’t available. He feels the decision to play in England will be good for his future. I respect that. He felt he was potentially undervalued.”
Will Rowlands, the Racing 92-bound second row, is included by Gatland, however, since his contract in Paris begins after the World Cup.
Gatland has included 10 uncapped players in the 54-player training group, with players reporting for training sessions on a rolling basis from May 25, with entry into camp depending on when an individual’s club season has ended. A quintet of props – Thomas, Corey Domachowski, Kemsley Mathias, Keiron Assiratti and Will Davies-King – alongside back-row Teddy Williams, centres Joe Roberts and Max Llewelyn, and full-back Cai Evans.
In addition to sessions at the National Centre of Excellence in Hensol, Wales will travel to Switzerland and Turkey in July for specialist training camps. The squad size will be reduced ahead of each trip.
Wales then have three World Cup warm-ups, two against England and one at home to South Africa before Gatland names his 33-player squad to head to the 2023 Rugby World Cup 2023 in France.
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