A level up – Ben12

If someone were to ask me to summarise Ben Thomas’ rugby career so far it probably wouldn’t be the short, snappy answer they were perhaps hoping for. There has been a lot of stopping and starting, and a fair bit of chopping and changing, to get to where he is now.

It seems bizarre to type but Thomas has recently turned 25. The warping of time that was the covid years have resulted in the former Cardiff & Vale College man retaining his young player status in my mind for longer than should have been, but with 66 first team appearances to his name and having recently announced he is set to become a father for the first time, he is now becoming a senior member of the squad.

As I write this I think I’ve come up with the ideal strapline for Thomas’ path – “the longest apprenticeship ever”. From the standout star of CAVC’s 1st XV and Wales U18 as a fly-half, to a switch into the centre where he played a key role in the Rags’ 2019 Welsh Cup win, and then on to bit-part appearances for the first team post-covid where he semi-regularly slotted in at full-back.

There has been a lot of experiencing different parts of the game and a lot of learning associated with that, but as we near Christmas it seems that is all paying off with six starts at 12 across the last seven games, inclusive of Boxing Day’s derby against Dragons, and a run of form that is arguably the best of his career so far, certainly when playing in midfield.

As an age grade 10 and an accomplished looking full-back for parts of last season, Thomas’ distribution and kicking games are not up for debate. A fluid passing style and a languid kicking technique that produces a surprising distance, as a footballing 12 he has that skills nailed down.

Where he has been doubted though is on the physical side of the game. Cardiff are a team that, throughout much of the professional era at least, has enjoyed a hard carrying inside centre. Dafydd Hewitt, Jamie Roberts and Willis Halaholo, to name a few, with the ability to get over the gain line and provide a platform.

This is where the big change has been in Thomas as he has seemingly bulked up a bit over the summer, and has worked on picking the right lines to run off the 9 or 10 and hit weak shoulders. Looking at the clip from Toulouse where he comes out-to-in and then the highlight against Bath where he uses the slight show to go between two tacklers, they aren’t examples of massive defence busting carries, but being clever.

It’s an aspect of the new Cardiff attack which recognises a slight lack of size and gain line presence, but plays towards the skillsets available with some smart handling, high tempo and varied offensive play that asks questions of oppositions that they may not be used to.

That’s a process of continual improvement as a relatively new squad continues to gel with a relatively new coaching staff, and Thomas is a part of an important relationship at the heart of that.

The 10/12 axis is one that can take a little bit of time to settle, especially with Tinus De Beer also having to adjust to playing outside of South Africa for the first time. However, the evidence is positive in the sense that they seem to be starting to click in attack at least.

Both players appear to have a similar outlook on playing with going to the line at first receiver, being happy to carry it up themselves and having a varied kicking game. That is something Cardiff can build around to keep defences guessing as they alternate the first receiver or split the field.

Having a playmaker duo in the mould of a Jarrod Evans/Gareth Anscombe is something to get excited about in a Matt Sherratt-coached team, and as they grow individually and as a pairing the potential for De Beer and Thomas is great.

Where Thomas continues to improve is defensively. It’s not a weakness of his per se, he’s a competent tackler and a good communicator to organise those around him, but he’s not a stopper of a defender. What I mean by that is against Bath, for example, when Alfie Barbeary or Ollie Lawrence heads down his channel he’ll be unlikely to stop him from getting over the gain line.

It’s something for Gethin Jenkins to consider around how Cardiff can make that work for ourselves, whether that’s bringing some additional line speed and chopping the ball carrier down early, or embracing a passive tackle and getting the players with strong jackal skills on hand to get quickly over the ball.

In the mean time Thomas is using his game reading skills from attack in defence and pops up in the clip with an important turnover as Bath begin an attack.

The 25-year-old is in the form of his career so far, and may well have half an eye on a Wales call-up for the Six Nations, some two years after winning his last cap. Before that though there’s the small matter of two huge Welsh derbies and back-to-back European Champions Cup pool games for the centre to stake his claim.