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Wales Online
7 hours ago
- Sport
- Wales Online
Gareth Thomas backs Wales player to shine for British & Irish Lions this summer
Gareth Thomas backs Wales player to shine for British & Irish Lions this summer Thomas believes Tomos Williams could be a match-winner for the Lions in Australia Gareth Thomas and a team of 14 people are undertaking the Snowdonia Ten Peak Challenge, raising awareness of HIV stigma, and challenging perceptions that living with HIV limits what you can achieve. Pictures by Paul Currie/for Matt Dickens Photography Wales might have their lowest Lions contingent since the Second World War but former skipper Gareth Thomas believes Tomos Williams is a match-winner who can force his way into Test contention. The scrum-half was named Premiership Player of the Season for his performances in his first year for Gloucester, and earned a first Lions call-up despite playing for a Wales team still searching for a first win since the 2023 Rugby World Cup. He impressed off the bench in the opening Lions fixture against Argentina, and will now make a first start alongside Finn Russell against the Western Force in Perth on Saturday. Thomas believes there is something special about Williams, who could both push his way into the Test 23, as well as inspiring any Welsh youngsters to ensure there is greater representation in four years' time. Thomas said: 'Tomos Williams is a person who can change games. He has great individual talent and that talent has probably got him on the plane. He can win a game for you if he gets an opportunity. 'To have the two (Williams and Jac Morgan) of them represent Wales and potentially press for a Test spot will be great motivation for whoever is watching now and will be playing for Wales in four years' time. Article continues below 'They will think there is the potential to get there from Wales. Even though at the moment, rugby in Wales is negative, this time in four years' time, we could have won a Grand Slam and have 15 people on the tour.' Thomas speaks from experience. When he toured with the Lions in 2005, going onto captain the Test side after Brian O'Driscoll was injured two minutes into the first Test, just three Scots were initially included. Two decades on, Scotland have provided a much bigger contingent, with eight in Andy Farrell's original squad of 38, although tighthead prop Zander Fagerson has been forced to withdraw through injury. So while Thomas would have loved more Welsh players to make it onto the plane Down Under, he acknowledges the reasons for the decision and believes that the public back home will still get behind the team as much as ever. He added: 'It is one of those things that comes around once every four years. "Sometimes it comes on a year where you have had a good year as a team, and sometimes it is when you have had a bad year, that is the way it goes. 'The thing with the Lions, there seems to be an element of sometimes people dropping their identity of Scottish, Welsh or Irish and supporting the Lions. "I don't think the pubs in Wales will be empty because there might not be any players from Wales playing, they will go to support the British & Irish Lions, not just supporting the Welsh players in the Lions. It is a wonderful example of how sport can unify.' On the subject of unifying, Thomas this week took part in the Snowdonia 10 Peak Challenge for Tackle HIV, in a bid to tackle misunderstanding of HIV as well as addressing the stigma around it. He has been part of the campaign for more than half a decade now, and this challenge, which involved climbing many of the highest mountains in Wales and crossing the most remote mountain range in Wales and England – the Carneddau - is an opportunity to show what is possible for those living with HIV. He added: "HIV is such a lifestyle thing, we have to get people to realise, not just tell them that people who live with HIV are not restricted physically and mentally of their capabilities. 'Sometimes when you stand up and are the example of what you are saying, people take notice even more. So to do a physical challenge backs up everything we have been verbally saying for the last five years that this campaign has been going.' Article continues below Tackle HIV is a campaign led by Gareth Thomas in partnership with ViiV Healthcare, with Terrence Higgins Trust as the charity partner, which aims to tackle the stigma and misunderstanding around HIV. For more information visit and follow @tacklehiv
Scotsman
01-05-2025
- Sport
- Scotsman
Former Rangers man is 'staring Hearts in the face' as Critchley successor hunt begins
Watch more of our videos on and on Freeview 262 or Freely 565 Visit Shots! now A former Hearts midfielder has handed his old club some advice as they search for a successor to former head coach Neil Critchley. Sign up to our Hearts newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to Edinburgh News, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Hearts have been told the right candidate to replace Neil Critchley is 'staring them in the face'. The Tynecastle board opted to part company with the former Blackpool and Queens Park Rangers in the aftermath of last weekend's home defeat against Dundee as a dismal period in the season continued. Just two weeks earlier, Critchley's men failed in their bid to secure a top half place ahead of the Premiership split as a goalless draw at Motherwell allowed St Mirren to seal a spot above the dotted line. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Despite an improved performance in the Scottish Cup semi-final clash with Aberdeen, a Hearts side that ended the game with nine men were condemned to a 2-1 defeat by an Oday Dabagh goal just two minutes from the end of extra-time. That increased speculation over Critchley's future - but the Cheshire-born coach remained in charge for the post-split home clash with Dundee. However, a goal from Premiership Player of the Season candidate Simon Murray helped the Dark Blues seal a narrow win at Tynecastle and ensured Critchley's reign was brought to an end less than 24 hours later. With thoughts now turning towards its successor as Liam Fox takes temporary charge ahead of Saturday's visit to Ross County, former Hearts midfielder Michael Stewart believes there is one ideal candidate for a club he insisted needs deeper changes to its setup behind the scenes. What has Michael Stewart said about Hearts decision to part company with Neil Critchley? Michael Stewart didn't hold back when discussing Hearts' Scottish Cup semi final defeat to Aberdeen and the club's statement in the aftermath (Pic: SNS) | SNS Group He told the Scottish Football Social Club: 'Hearts need a football manager, that's what they need, an experienced manager to get control because the club as a whole have no leadership when it comes to football and I've heard a lot of people talking about when the likes of myself, Alan or any football people talk about the board having no football people on there. They say 'what board does' or 'when does a board ever have football people?' The game's changed, you used to have a manager who basically ran the club and a chairman who ran the business. Now there are so many different layers of middle management and you've neutered the manager's role into what is a glorified coach without the power. He continued: 'At Hearts, when you look at the structure, you have business people doing very well but then you have this sporting director. Graeme Jones is from a sports science background, he's not a football person and then you have Neil Critchley, with the greatest respect, wasn't a strong football character. So you had the football club being leaderless to an extent on the football side of it. Hearts, when it comes to appointments, have far too often gone for soft approach and not gone and got a strong character. It baffles me what the reluctance is for Hearts as a club to look at somebody like Derek McInnes and say you need to minimise the risk of an appointment more than ever right now. They need a steady grip now and he is staring them in the face.' Your next Hearts read: Ex Hearts and Rangers ace pens new contract at Premiership rival as he's hailed role model after award scooped
