Brendan McGilligan
Lifting the most prestigious European competition in rugby is achieved only by a small percentage, despite countless children dreaming of it when they first take to the field.
But one person who achieved this ‘childhood dream’ was Teddy Thomas.
Overseas debut hat trick
When the winger made his international debut, many had high expectations for him.
It took less than a minute for Thomas to score his first attempt at ‘Les Bleus’.
He rose highest to claim a cross-field kick in the goal area before landing and planting the ball to open the scoring that day.
Thomas must have been in dreamland as he completed his hat-trick before the hour mark at the Stade Velodrome in Marseille.
Following this display, many in rugby would have expected a brilliant silverware career at both club and international level.
While his trophy cabinet may not be completely bursting, the 31-year-old can proudly say he has won one European Champions Cup, one top 14 finish and one Six Nations.
“It’s hard to remember just one thing about my career, but one thing is clear: starting at this level was one of the best moments,” Thomas said. “It’s because I realized the hard work, satisfaction, and joy of many years of work,” he said. “It makes me so happy to see my family proud to see me live and achieve my childhood dreams.”
“I can’t tell you the exact memory that had a huge impact on my career because I’ve been fortunate enough to have had a lot of great memories.
“Hopefully there are still big numbers, but one thing is for sure: there are kids out there who dream of being able to play at this level and realize that it’s a big deal.”
Thomas received a new challenge when he welcomed his son into the world in August 2024.
The Impact of Becoming a Father
Fatherhood has given the 2023 Champions Cup winner a new perspective on his job and the sport he has loved since he was a child.
He said: “Sometimes we only talk about the sport we play and even though it’s our job, we still have to go home and take care of our son. Being able to play and forget about everything that surrounds us and our lives.
“Well, when you get home from games and travelling, sometimes it’s nice to have a bit of oxygen and be able to put the rugby aside and just take care of the kids and simple things.”
La Rochelle’s expectations
Thomas’ current club, La Rochelle, has become a European giant after back-to-back successes in the Champions Cup (2022, 2023) despite being promoted to the top 14 in 2014.
The club is fighting on two fronts to reclaim the European crown from French rivals Toulouse while still looking for a first Top 14 title.
Les Jaune et Noir have not enjoyed the best start to domestic competition after losing to relegation-battling teams Vannes and Perpignan, but there is still time for them to achieve success in both competitions.
“I think we have the human and physical capabilities to go as far as we can in these two competitions,” Thomas said. Obviously, not everything was perfect at the start of this season. The most important work is not yet done. Anyway, like I said, I hope I can go as far as I can with this team.
“My ambition this season is to play as much as possible at Stade Rochelle.”
Ronan O’Gara
The 2016 top 14 winner is expected to play his part in this area, but he will be relying on director of rugby Ronan O’Gara to drive this success.
The former Ireland international brought two Champions Cups to the Bay of Biscay club but struggled to achieve domestic success at Stade Marcel-des-Flanders. However, he did finish in the top 14 as a coach during his time at Racing 92.
Thomas was part of the successful team in 2016 and we are confident the former British and Irish Lion can bring further success to La Rochelle.
He said: “Ronan is in high demand. I think he’s in equal demand as a player and equally in demand as a coach.
“He tries to instill that in us. So sometimes it’s hard, but that’s how we learn and sometimes we end up doing special things on the pitch.
“Training with Ronan was excellent.
“There are things I aim for at the end of the week so I can make progress and put them into action. Sometimes it’s more specific things about rugby, sometimes it’s more basic things.
“So we trust him and this way of working and we continue to move in this direction.”
Recent Orders for Side Jobs
Thomas will have to make do with these training sessions in the coming weeks following his four-match suspension for picking up a yellow card for challenging Clermont’s Theo Giral in the pre-Christmas meeting.
The France international will use this to support his team as they pursue their ambitions for a double this season.
He said: “It’s a bit difficult to look at my ban from the outside. It’s a game; As rugby players we want to play the game but unfortunately I can only blame myself for this punishment.
“My job is to not worry during the week so the team can perform at the weekend, so I’ll give my best on the pitch during the rugby sessions to instill confidence in the game.”
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