Dai Thomas
Encyclopedia
David 'Dai' Thomas was a Welsh rugby union
lock who played international rugby for Wales
and club rugby for Swansea
. During the 1934/35 season, Thomas was captain of the Swansea first XV.
against Scotland at Murrayfield
. Wales lost by a last minute dropped goal, but Thomas was back for the very next match of the tournament against Ireland, but missed the final, bruising game against France, since referred to as the 'Battle of Colombes'. Thomas was failed to be selected for the entire 1931 Championship, but during that time was amongst the Swansea team that faced the touring
South Africans
.
Thomas was not selected for the Welsh international against the Springboks, but represented his country for all three games of the 1932 Home Nations Championship
before sporadic appearances over the next two years that saw only two caps. Thomas managed to regain his position in 1935
and played all three games under the captaincy of Claude Davey
.
Rugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
lock who played international rugby for Wales
Wales national rugby union team
The Wales national rugby union team represent Wales in international rugby union tournaments. They compete annually in the Six Nations Championship with England, France, Ireland, Italy and Scotland. Wales have won the Six Nations and its predecessors 24 times outright, second only to England with...
and club rugby for Swansea
Swansea RFC
Swansea Rugby Football Club is a Welsh rugby union team which plays in the Welsh Premier Division. Its home ground is St Helens Rugby and Cricket Ground in Swansea. The team is sometimes known as The Whites because of the primary colour of the team strip...
. During the 1934/35 season, Thomas was captain of the Swansea first XV.
Rugby career
Thomas first played for Wales during the 1930 Five Nations Championship1930 Five Nations Championship
The 1930 Five Nations Championship was the sixteenth series of the rugby union Five Nations Championship following the inclusion of France into the Home Nations Championship. Including the previous Home Nations Championships, this was the forty-third series of the annual northern hemisphere rugby...
against Scotland at Murrayfield
Murrayfield Stadium
Murrayfield Stadium is a sports stadium located in the west end of Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland. Its all-seater capacity was recently reduced from 67,800 to 67,130 to incorporate the largest permanent "big screen" in the country though it still remains the largest stadium in Scotland and one...
. Wales lost by a last minute dropped goal, but Thomas was back for the very next match of the tournament against Ireland, but missed the final, bruising game against France, since referred to as the 'Battle of Colombes'. Thomas was failed to be selected for the entire 1931 Championship, but during that time was amongst the Swansea team that faced the touring
1931-32 South Africa rugby union tour
The 1931-32 South Africa tour of Britain and Ireland was a collection of friendly rugby union games undertaken by the South Africa national rugby union team against the four British Home Nation teams. The tour also took in several matches against British and Irish club, county and invitational teams...
South Africans
South Africa national rugby union team
The South African national rugby union team are 2009 British and Irish Lions Series winners. They are currently ranked as the fourth best team in the IRB World Rankings and were named 2008 World Team of the Year at the prestigious Laureus World Sports Awards.Although South Africa was instrumental...
.
Thomas was not selected for the Welsh international against the Springboks, but represented his country for all three games of the 1932 Home Nations Championship
1932 Home Nations Championship
The 1932 Home Nations Championship was the twenty-eighth series of the rugby union Home Nations Championship. Including the previous incarnations as the Five Nations, and prior to that, the Home Nations, this was the forty-fifth series of the northern hemisphere rugby union championship. Six...
before sporadic appearances over the next two years that saw only two caps. Thomas managed to regain his position in 1935
1935 Home Nations Championship
The 1935 Home Nations Championship was the thirty-first series of the rugby union Home Nations Championship. Including the previous incarnations as the Five Nations, and prior to that, the Home Nations, this was the forty-eighth series of the northern hemisphere rugby union championship. Six...
and played all three games under the captaincy of Claude Davey
Claude Davey
Claude Davey was a Wales international rugby union player who played club rugby for several teams, most notably Sale and Swansea. He was awarded 23 caps for Wales and captained his country eight times...
.
International matches played
Wales 1932, 1933, 1934, 1935- IrelandIreland national rugby union teamThe Ireland national rugby union team represents the island of Ireland in rugby union. The team competes annually in the Six Nations Championship and every four years in the Rugby World Cup, where they reached the quarter-final stage in all but two competitions The Ireland national rugby union...
1930, 1932, 1935 1930, 1932, 1933, 1935