Nigel Thomas, whose family is from Swansea, always wanted his son to play for Wales. Instead, he had to support him winning seven caps for England before he ultimately wore the red of Wales for the first-time last year.
The change in World Rugby’s eligibility rules allowed Thomas to qualify for Wales through his father once he had been uncapped by England for three years. He played twice in World Cup warm-up matches before playing twice at the tournament in France in the first half of last season.
Quite what Nigel will think of his son playing in Llanelli from next season will be another interesting topic up for debate around the family dinner table, but the Scarlets are delighted to have him join their front five.
His journey from Sale Sharks, to Bath, to Montpellier and finally Castres Olympique has given him the chance to test his scrimmaging power against the biggest and best packs. Now he is considered a tight head prop at the peak of his powers at the age of 32, whose switch from France to Scarlets means he can continue to play for Wales at international level.
“Henry will bring vast experience from the top level in England and more recently France, where he has played a lot of games in the Top 14 for Castres and Montpellier this season,” said Scarlets head coach Dwayne Peel.
“He is a powerful scrummager who is also a strong carrier and he will add further depth to our front-row resources. Bringing in an international forward can only help the young group we have at the Scarlets.
“We have two young tight heads in Harri O’Connor and Sam Wainwright and an exciting group of young front-rowers coming through our academy. We’re looking forward to welcoming Henry to Llanelli for pre-season.”
Thomas has been included in the 36-strong squad for Wales’ summer matches and will be vying with O’Connor, Archie Griffin (Bath), Dillon Lewis (Harlequins) and Keiron Assiratti (Cardiff Rugby) for a spot in the two-Test series against Australia next month.
“I spoke to Dwayne Peel a few months ago and the way he spoke about his vision for the club, and I know the style of rugby they play, made it an easy decision for me,” said Thomas.
“There is so much quality in this Scarlets squad. I’m looking forward to seeing what I can add and hopefully help to compete at the top of the URC and in Europe.
“My memories of playing against Scarlets in Europe when I was at Bath were always tough ones. They had a strong pack and played quick exciting rugby – I’m excited to be a part of that.”
