With the mammoth Springbok showdown looming, winger Teddy Thomas is eager to make his recall to the French side count after five years in the Test rugby wilderness.
Fabien Galthié has brought the Toulouse wing back into the fold as injury-ravaged France gear up to face the Boks at the Stade de France.
Thomas will probably only be a training partner this week, but the call is a major moment for a player whose international career seemed over.
He won the last of his 28 caps against Australia in Brisbane in July 2021. Overtaken by Damian Penaud and Gabin Villière, he never got back into the squad, and a call-up for the 2022 Six Nations was lost to injury.
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The years in between were tough. His form slipped at Racing 92, where he scored six Top 14 tries in his last season, and he joined La Rochelle in 2022 after they became European champions for the first time. It did not go to plan, and Thomas lost playing time.
“You have to do things in order. As long as I’m not undisputed at my club, I can’t do the World Cup,” he told Canal+.
He watched from the stands as La Rochelle won their second Champions Cup and lost the Top 14 final.
“Emotionally, this new blow was hard to swallow, especially when you see your teammates winning titles without you. In my mind, I don’t consider myself a European champion,” he said.
A switch to outside centre in his last year at La Rochelle in 2024-25 brought a spark.
“I always told myself I could have that possibility,” he said. “It’s a bit like a second youth.”
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The real revival came after he moved to Toulouse. He scored 16 tries in 26 matches last season and started the final as the club won the Top 14 title.
“I made a crazy bet, with a bit of audacity, but I knew I was going to come here. Now, I’m here. And I think I’m going to live the best years of my rugby career,” he said.
He has carried that form into the new season, with seven tries in nine matches, and it has caught Galthié’s eye just as the Boks arrive in Paris.
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Photo: Franco Arland/Getty Images
The post Teddy ready to tackle Boks appeared first on SA Rugby magazine.
With the mammoth Springbok showdown looming, winger Teddy Thomas is eager to make his recall to the French side count after five years in the Test rugby wilderness.
The post Teddy ready to tackle Boks appeared first on SA Rugby magazine. Read More
