Birth name | Arwel Camber Thomas | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Date of birth | 8 November 1974 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Place of birth | Glanamman, Carmarthenshire, Wales | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Height | 1.73 m (5 ft 8 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Weight | 72 kg (11.3 st; 159 lb) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
School | Cwmtawe Comprehensive School | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Rugby union career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Arwel Camber Thomas (born 8 November 1974 [1] ) is a Welsh former professional rugby union player who played as a fly-half. Born in Trebanos in the Swansea Valley, [2] he played international rugby for Wales, earning 23 caps between 1996 and 2000. He played club rugby for Swansea, Neath, Bristol, Pau, the Llanelli Scarlets and Harlequins. [3]
Thomas won his first of his 23 caps against Italy in 1996 when he replaced the injured Neil Jenkins in the starting line-up. He played club rugby for Swansea for seven years, scoring 1,974 points, including 39 tries. He turned down an offer to join Toulouse in 1999, and in 2005 he returned to Neath. In 2008 he announced his retirement from rugby after the 2008 Konica Minolta Cup final against Pontypridd. [4] Thomas later reversed his decision and was given the captaincy of Neath for the 2009–10 season. [5]
The Ospreys, formerly the Neath–Swansea Ospreys is one of the four professional rugby union teams from Wales. They compete in the United Rugby Championship and the European Rugby Champions Cup. The team formed as a result of Neath RFC and Swansea RFC combining to create a new merged entity, as part of the new regional structure of Welsh rugby, that began in 2003. They are also affiliated with a number of local semi-professional and amateur clubs, including Welsh Premier Division sides Aberavon RFC, Bridgend Ravens, and original founding clubs Neath and Swansea. The regional area represented by the team has widely become known for rugby purposes as 'Ospreylia'.
Neath Rugby Football Club is a Welsh rugby union club which plays in the Indigo Premiership for Season 2023/24. The club's home ground is The Gnoll, Neath. The team is known as the All Blacks because of the team colours: black with only a white cross pattée as an emblem. Neath RFC is the oldest rugby club in Wales, having been formed in 1871. They are feeder club to the Ospreys regional team.
Colin Charvis is a former professional rugby union player. A back row forward, Charvis was equally adept as a flanker or at number 8. Born in Sutton Coldfield, England, he captained the Wales national team from 2002 to 2004, and also played for the British & Irish Lions on their tour of Australia in 2001.
Swansea Rugby Football Club is a Welsh rugby union team which plays in the Welsh Premiership. The club play at St Helen's Rugby and Cricket Ground in Swansea and are also known as The Whites, in reference to their home kit colours.
Kevin Andrew Morgan is a Welsh former rugby union player. He won 48 caps for Wales, mainly at full back but also on the wing.
Jonathan Thomas is a Welsh rugby union coach and former player, he played mainly at flanker having also played at number eight and lock. He was previously head coach of Worcester Warriors. On 17 January 2023 he was appointed as an Assistant Coach of the Welsh rugby union team.
Trebanos is a village in the Swansea Valley, Wales. With Craig Trebanos and a part of Pontardawe, it forms the Trebanos electoral ward in the Neath Port Talbot county borough.
Lee Jarvis is a former international Welsh rugby union player who was known as a top points scorer with the boot. His career has been spent in both Wales and England including top level rugby in Wales and in the Celtic League, winning a number of trophies in both countries. He has represented Wales from school level to full international honours as well as being selected by the Barbarians. Despite being tipped as the "next best thing" during his early career and being a great points kicker Jarvis only earned one cap for Wales at full international level. After retiring from rugby union as a player, Jarvis took up coaching. He is currently head coach at Rhydyfelin RFC.
Lyn Jones is a former Wales international rugby union player. Originally playing as a flanker, Jones subsequently became a coach. He played most of his playing career for Neath RFC and started his coaching career at the same club. Jones has coached professional clubs in Wales and England and, in 2018, became head coach of the Russian national rugby union team. He subsequently beame a coach with national rugby team of the Netherlands.
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Trebanos Rugby Football Club is a Welsh rugby union team officially founded in 1897. Trebanos RFC is a member of the Welsh Rugby Union and is a feeder club for the Ospreys.
Bert Hollingdale was a Welsh international rugby union forward who played club rugby for Swansea Rugby Football Club and was capped for Wales on two occasions. His younger brother, Tom also played rugby, though he played for rival club Neath and had a more successful international career, representing Wales six times.
Walter Vickery was an international rugby union back row who represented Wales and played club rugby for Aberavon. His father, George Vickery, also played for Aberavon and was also an international player, but he was capped for England.
Lewis Cobden Thomas was a Welsh international rugby union forward who played club rugby for Neath and Cardiff Rugby Football Club and international rugby for Wales. In 1900 he became the Mayor of Neath.
Howell Jones was a Welsh rugby union forward who played for the rugby club Neath and county rugby for Glamorgan. He gained just a single cap for the Wales national team in 1904. Jones came from a sporting family, and his son, Howie Jones, also represented Wales in rugby union.
Harold Watkin Thomas was a Welsh dual-code international rugby union, and professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1930s and 1940s. He played representative level rugby union (RU) for Wales and Wales XV, and at club level for his native town of Neath, as a lock, and representative level rugby league (RL) for Wales, and at club level for Salford, as a second-row.
Brian Thomas was a Welsh rugby union lock, most notable for his time playing for and later managing Neath RFC. He was capped for Wales 21 times between 1964 and 1969 and was part of three Five Nations winning teams.
Kevin Hopkins is a retired Welsh International rugby union player. He made seven appearances for his country, as well as representing Cardiff RFC, Swansea RFC and Neath RFC in the top division of Welsh club rugby, and played twice for the Barbarians invitational side. Following his retirement from playing, Hopkins has held numerous coaching positions.