As the United Rugby Championship celebrates the grassroots clubs and schools that have played such a key role at the start of each player’s rugby journey, Scarlets hooker Harry Thomas was back at his home club New Dock Stars RFC this week.
Harry, who came through the Scarlets Academy to star in last year’s Six Nations U20s, has featured regularly for Llandovery in Super Rygbi Cymru and having made his URC debut two years ago, is set for another championship appearance as part of the Scarlets’ match-day 23 for Friday’s clash in Edinburgh.
New Dock Stars is where it all started for the 20-year-old – his father captained the club and took him down there as a youngster to first pull on the blue jersey.
“My dad and my close friend’s dad started up a team at New Dock Stars when I was about seven and it went from there,” recalled Harry. “I loved playing here and it’s great that I can represent the club who have done so much for me and my family on the pitch in Edinburgh this weekend.”
Like all local rugby clubs, the walls in the bar are packed with framed international jerseys, team photos and, of course, the wooden captain’s board which includes the name of Harry’s father Meirion.
Just a mile down the road from Parc y Scarlets, New Dock Stars has produced some Scarlets greats over the years, notably Phil May and Laurence Delaney, who have more than a thousand appearances for Llanelli between them.
More recently, there has been Jordan Williams, who came through the Scarlets Academy and is now back playing at his home club, spearheading another impressive season for the first team, who are leaders of division three west and in the semi-finals of the WRU division three cup.
Harry, who will be wearing the blue socks of New Dock Stars in the Scottish capital, was back in the club for a media appearance and Q&A with schoolchildren from nearby Coedcae School to talk about life as a professional sportsman. He was joined there by Scarlets Interim Director of Rugby Nigel Davies and wing Tomi Lewis, whose home club is Gwernyfed RFC from just outside of Brecon.
The pupils were given an insight into the day-to-day life of a professional rugby player, from training schedules, nutrition, analysis, to the challenges they face and, in Nigel Davies’s words, the ‘robustness’ they need to overcome those challenges.
Asked about the importance of the grassroots club game, Davies said: “Roots are everything for us in Wales and it is fantastic that the URC through Origin Round recognises the fact that every player comes from clubs like this, clubs like New Dock Stars, who are fundamental to our game in Wales.”
