NEWPORT Gwent Dragons and Wales prop Rhys Thomas denies he is signing for Llanelli Scarlets when he is out of contract at the end of the season, though he admits he is receiving offers from major teams in Wales, England and France.
And he also confesses that he does not know where to turn up for training today, with the Dragons or with Wales after all the political upheaval of the past week.
Thomas, 26, who will win his sixth cap if he plays against world champions South Africa a week on Saturday (and his third against them), was firmly linked with a move to the Scarlets at the weekend – as he was last season, but Dragons chairman Martyn Hazell refused to sanction any move because he was still under contract.
Thomas said after another impressive display at Gloucester on Saturday: “I haven’t agreed to anything, I’ve got eight months of my contract to run yet, but I feel I’m playing my best rugby at the moment, my scrummaging has improved, we dominated against Bath and I hope I’ve put my hand up.
“I’m having a lot of offers from Wales, England and France, though it would probably be the wrong choice to leave the UK.
“I won’t decide until the new year, it’s early doors yet, though clubs finalise the players they want for the next season before Christmas.”
Thomas believes the Dragons are playing a lot better. “Tom Willis coming in has brought a harder edge. In seasons gone by we’ve had good performances then bad, now we are competing consistently and we’re not far away from giving sides a hiding,” he said.
“Hoani MacDonald will bolster our pack, we are just lacking that clinical edge, but we’re learning – we’ve got Bath, Gloucester, Wasps, Leinster and Toulouse, all away.
“We were five metres out against Gloucester with passive scrums, then I put my head up and we were 60 metres down the field. The yellow card (to Adam Black) was the turning-point, up to then we had them rattled. But we have just played two of the top four teams in England and taken a bonus point against them.”
Coach Paul Turner wants to know the score with Thomas as soon as possible. “We’re talking to him, but if it happens that’s the way rugby is,” he said.
“At least it will give us time to recruit, it would be a pity if Rhys goes because he’s a fine player, but I’m OK with it as long as I know early. I’d like to keep him and we’ll be making every effort to do that, but if he went it wouldn’t be for finance but the fact that he wants a change.”
Meanwhile, Thomas admits to being confused about training schedules this week after last week’s very public fall-out between WRU group chief executive Roger Lewis and newly appointed Regional Rugby Wales interim chief David Moffett.
The International Board ruled they had no powers to intervene in a domestic dispute when the regions refused to allow the players to train with Wales this week.
But the WRU went to the High Court and they were granted an interim judgment concluding that the national team’s interests should come first.
“I don’t know what’s going on, hopefully someone will tell me where to go. The players are getting pulled in two different directions,” said Thomas.
And Turner said, “The sooner these two guys (Lewis and Moffett) sit around a table and talk about a new agreement the better.”
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