The 19-year-old has already plundered four tries in the previous three outings and could have had two more had the TMO not ruled out one in France for obstruction in a driving maul and the referee hadn’t awarded Wales a penalty try from another line out drive with Thomas once again poised to pounce.
But it hasn’t just been his scoring prowess that has caught the eye as Wales have recovered from losing in France to register back-to-back wins over Italy in Treviso and Ireland in Newport. His tackle count has been through the roof as well, contributing 22 of the Welsh side’s 230 tackles in the 20-12 win over the Irish.
As a self-confessed card-carrying member of the Ken Owens fan club growing up he was stunned to find himself being mentored by the former Scarlets and Wales legend last season. Now people are predicting an equally bright future for him as Owens enjoyed in his stellar career.
“Ken was a massive part of the way I wanted to play I was lucky enough to get mentored by him last year,” said Thomas. “To get to pick his brains about the game was just a pinch me moment. He played the way I want to play.
“He’s a tough bloke, his set-piece was great and was so fit. That’s what I try to revolve my game around.
“To be fair, the Scarlets have given me a lot of exposure to the senior set-up. I get to see the way the set-piece works and how Marnus (Van der Merwe) and Ryan (Elias) warm-up and stuff like that.
“They are both really nice blokes, so if I ever have a question they are always open to giving me the answer.”
Thomas has been at the heart of the superb effort from the Wales U20 forwards to date this season and will be looking to continue in similar mode in Edinburgh this week when they go in search of a third win in a row against the Scots.
In tandem with loose head props Ioan Emanuel and Louie Trevett, and powerhouse tight head Sam Scott, he has helped Wales to muscle up to the much vaunted-French, Italian and Irish packs. With Scotland and England still to play, the call from head coach Richard Whiffin is for more of the same.
“Our defensive effort against Ireland was just unbelievable. Some of the numbers some of the boys put up were mental,” added Thomas. “The way we did it, more than the actual win, meant so much. It was brutal and some of the hits going in were top class.
“The front row is the core of the team. Sam Scott had the praise after the Ireland game, but Ioan (Emanuel) and Trev (Louie Trevett) are both great players.
“It’s so good to have such great depth in the team and we have two class looseheads who can do as good a job as each other. That’s helped them to be better off the field and work harder in training, which shows on the pitch.
“It’s a good forward unit, even the guys on the bench like Saul (Hurley), Evan (Evan Wood) and Pritch (Jac Pritchard) have taken their chances when they have been given one.”
Harry Thomas in action during his Scarlets debut
There is little doubt that Thomas’ game has flourished this season and last playing for Llandovery in what is now Super Rygbi Cymru. It has exposed him to senior rugby and given him a taste of the physical nature of the game.
His former Coleg Sir Gar coach Euros Evans is delighted to have him at Church Bank helping out the high-flying Drovers. It was a call from Evans, one of the most influential, admired and successful pathway coaches in Welsh rugby, that stopped Thomas from toning down his dream of playing professional rugby.
“After school I was initially supposed to do an electricians course. That’s what I was set on and I saw rugby as a hobby rather than something I could go into as a full-time job,” said Thomas.
“But Euros phoned my old man and told me to give rugby a go for two years at Coleg Sir Gar. If it wasn’t for that phone call I don’t think I’d be here right now.
